Understanding A terrestrial planet candidate in a temperate orbit around Proxima Centauri

The paper reports the discovery of a terrestrial planet candidate, Proxima b, orbiting the red dwarf star Proxima Centauri. The planet has a minimum mass of 1.3 Earth masses and an orbital period of approximately 11.2 days, placing it within the classical habitable zone of its star. The detection was achieved through the analysis of Doppler measurements from two precision radial velocity instruments, HARPS and UVES, at the European Southern Observatory. The signal was initially detected in pre-2016 data and confirmed through a dedicated follow-up campaign in 2016. The combination of all datasets significantly increased the statistical significance of the signal, with a false-alarm probability below 10^-7. The planet's equilibrium temperature is suitable for liquid water, making it a potential candidate for further characterization and exploration. The paper also discusses the challenges posed by stellar activity and uneven sampling, and provides details on the methods used for data analysis and the assessment of the signal's significance.The paper reports the discovery of a terrestrial planet candidate, Proxima b, orbiting the red dwarf star Proxima Centauri. The planet has a minimum mass of 1.3 Earth masses and an orbital period of approximately 11.2 days, placing it within the classical habitable zone of its star. The detection was achieved through the analysis of Doppler measurements from two precision radial velocity instruments, HARPS and UVES, at the European Southern Observatory. The signal was initially detected in pre-2016 data and confirmed through a dedicated follow-up campaign in 2016. The combination of all datasets significantly increased the statistical significance of the signal, with a false-alarm probability below 10^-7. The planet's equilibrium temperature is suitable for liquid water, making it a potential candidate for further characterization and exploration. The paper also discusses the challenges posed by stellar activity and uneven sampling, and provides details on the methods used for data analysis and the assessment of the signal's significance.