Precision astrometry and radial velocities of low mass stars -- A data analysis approach to the detection of mini-solar systems (Guillem Anglada-Escude, Carnegie DTM)

Low mass stars (or M dwarfs) are the most abundant stellar population in the galaxy. With lifespans longer than the age of the universe, they are also the best targets to look for very low mass companions such as Earth-mass planets in their habitable zones. Still, M dwarfs are poorly understood as a population due to their complex atmospheres and poorly characterized kinematics in the Galaxy. I will show how this is changing thanks to precision astrometric measurements combined with on going planet search surveys using precision radial velocity measurements. I will present the data analysis techniques applied to extract sub miliarcsecond astrometry within the Carnegie Astrometric Planet Search project. I'll also explain how important is to combine all the available information to investigate the nature of the planetary systems being discovered around these stars. We have also developed a new absorption cell for precision radial velocities in the nIR. I'll describe the data analysis techniques required to extract optimal RV measurements from the spectra. Finally, I will also show how these techniques can be applied to existing public datasets, further improving the current Doppler precision at virtually no cost.