A dedicated mission to investigate exoplanetary atmospheres represents a major milestone in our quest to understand our place in the universe by placing our Solar System in context and by addressing the suitability of planets for the presence of life. EChO -the Exoplanet Characterisation Observatory- is a mission concept specifically geared for this purpose. EChO will provide simultaneous, multi-wavelength spectroscopic observations on a stable platform that will allow very long exposures. EChO will build on observations by Hubble, Spitzer and groundbased telescopes, which discovered the first molecules and atoms in exoplanetary atmospheres. EChO will simultaneously observe a broad enough spectral region -from the visible to the mid-IR- to constrain from one single spectrum the temperature structure of the atmosphere and the abundances of the major molecular species. The spectral range and resolution are tailored to separate bands belonging to up to 30 molecules to retrieve the composition and temperature structure of planetary atmospheres. The target list for EChO includes planets ranging from Jupiter-sized with equilibrium temperatures Teq up to 2000 K, to those of a few Earth masses, with Teq 300 K. We have baselined a dispersive spectrograph design covering continuously the 0.4-16 micron spectral range in 6 channels (1 in the VIS, 5 in the IR), which allows the spectral resolution to be adapted from several tens to several hundreds, depending on the target brightness. The instrument will be mounted behind a 1.5 m class telescope, passively cooled to 50 K, with the instrument structure and optics passively cooled to 45 K. EChO will be placed in a grand halo orbit around L2. We have also undertaken a first-order cost and development plan analysis and find that EChO is easily compatible with the ESA M-class mission framework.

Context. We present the discovery of two transiting extrasolar planets by the satellite CoRoT. Aims. We aim at a characterization of the planetary bulk parameters, which allow us to further investigate the formation and evolution of the planetary systems and the main properties of the host stars. Methods. We used the transit light curve to characterize the planetary parameters relative to the stellar parameters. The analysis of HARPS spectra established the planetary nature of the detections, providing their masses. Further photometric and spectroscopic ground-based observations provided stellar parameters (log g,Teff,v sin i) to characterize the host stars. Our model takes the geometry of the transit to constrain the stellar density into account, which when linked to stellar evolutionary models, determines the bulk parameters of the star. Because of the asymmetric shape of the light curve of one of the planets, we had to include the possibility in our model that the stellar surface was not strictly spherical. Results. We present the planetary parameters of CoRoT-28b, a Jupiter-sized planet (mass 0.484+/-0.087MJup; radius 0.955+/-0.066RJup) orbiting an evolved star with an orbital period of 5.208 51 +/- 0.000 38 days, and CoRoT-29b, another Jupiter-sized planet (mass 0.85 +/- 0.20MJup; radius 0.90 +/- 0.16RJup) orbiting an oblate star with an orbital period of 2.850 570 +/- 0.000 006 days. The reason behind the asymmetry of the transit shape is not understood at this point. Conclusions. These two new planetary systems have very interesting properties and deserve further study, particularly in the case of the star CoRoT-29.

We report the discovery of a massive and dense transiting planet CoRoT-27b on a 3.58 day orbit around a 4.2 Gyr-old G2 star. The planet candidate was identified from the CoRoT photometry, and was confirmed as a planet with ground-based spectroscopy. The confirmation of the planet candidate is based on radial velocity observations combined with imaging to rule out blends. The characterisation of the planet and its host star is carried out using a Bayesian approach where all the data (CoRoT photometry, radial velocities, and spectroscopic characterisation of the star) are used jointly. The Bayesian analysis includes a study whether the assumption of white normally distributed noise holds for the CoRoT photometry, and whether the use of a non-normal noise distribution offers advantages in parameter estimation and model selection. CoRoT-27b has a mass of 10.39 ± 0.55 M_ Jup, a radius of 1.01 ± 0.04 R_ Jup, a mean density of 12.6_-1.67^+1.92 g cm^-3, and an effective temperature of 1500 ± 130 K. The planet orbits around its host star, a 4.2 Gyr-old G2-star with a mass M_⋆=1.06 M_⊙, and a radius R_⋆=1.05 R_⊙, on a 0.048 ± 0.007 AU orbit every 3.58 days. The radial velocity observations allow us to exclude highly eccentric orbits, namely, e<0.065 with a 99 modelling of CoRoT-27b is demanding. We identify two solutions with heavy element mass fractions of 0.11±0.08 M_⊕ and 0.07±0.06 M_⊕, but even solutions void of heavy elements cannot be excluded. We carry out a secondary eclipse search from the CoRoT photometry using a method based on Bayesian model selection, but conclude that the noise level is too high to detect eclipses shallower than 9

Context. Transit detection from space using ultra-precise photometry led to the first detection of super-Earths with solid surfaces: CoRot-7b and Kepler-10b. Because they lie only a few stellar radii from their host stars, these two rocky planets are expected to be extremely hot.Aims. Assuming that these planets are in a synchronous rotation state and receive strong stellar winds and fluxes, previous studies have suggested that they must be atmosphere-free and that a lava ocean is present on their hot dayside. In this article, we use several dedicated thermal models of the irradiated planet to study how observations with NIRSPEC on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) could further confirm and constrain, or reject the atmosphere-free lava ocean planet model for very hot super-Earths.Methods. Using CoRoT-7b as a working case, we explore the consequences on the phase-curve of a non tidal-locked rotation, with the presence/absence of an atmosphere, and for different values of the surface albedo. We then simulate future observations of the reflected light and thermal emission from CoRoT-7b with NIRSPEC-JWST and look for detectable signatures, such as time lag, of those peculiarities. We also study the possibility to retrieve the latitudinal surface temperature distribution from the observed SED.Results. We demonstrate that we should be able to constrain several parameters after observations of two orbits (42 h) thanks to the broad range of wavelengths accessible with JWST: i) the Bond albedo is retrieved to within +/- 0.03 in most cases. ii) The lag effect allows us to retrieve the rotation period within 3 h of a non phase-locked planet, whose rotation would be half the orbital period; for longer period, the accuracy is reduced. iii) Any spin period shorter than a limit in the range 30-800 h, depending on the thickness of the thermal layer in the soil, would be detected. iv) The presence of a thick gray atmosphere with a pressure of one bar, and a specific opacity higher than 10(-5) m(-2) kg(-1) is detectable. v) With spectra up to 4.5 mu m, the latitudinal temperature profile can be retrieved to within 30 K with a risk of a totally wrong solution in 5% of the cases. This last result is obtained for a signal-to-noise ratio around 5 per resel, which should be reached on Corot-7 after a total exposure time of similar to 70 h with NIRSPEC and only three hours on a V = 8 star.Conclusions. We conclude that it should thus be possible to distinguish the reference situation of a lava ocean with phase-locking and no atmosphere from other cases. In addition, obtaining the surface temperature map and the albedo brings important constraints on the nature or the physical state of the soil of hot super-Earths.

We report the discovery of a massive and dense transiting planet CoRoT-27b on a 3.58 day orbit around a 4.2 Gyr-old G2 star. The planet candidate was identified from the CoRoT photometry, and was confirmed as a planet with ground-based spectroscopy. The confirmation of the planet candidate is based on radial velocity observations combined with imaging to rule out blends. The characterisation of the planet and its host star is carried out using a Bayesian approach where all the data (CoRoT photometry, radial velocities, and spectroscopic characterisation of the star) are used jointly. The Bayesian analysis includes a study whether the assumption of white normally distributed noise holds for the CoRoT photometry, and whether the use of a non-normal noise distribution offers advantages in parameter estimation and model selection. CoRoT-27b has a mass of $10.39 \pm 0.55$ $\mathrm{M}_{\rm Jup}$, a radius of $1.01 \pm 0.04$ $\mathrm{R}_{\rm Jup}$, a mean density of $12.6_{-1.67}^{+1.92}$ $\mathrm{g\,cm^{-3}}$, and an effective temperature of $1500 \pm 130$ K. The planet orbits around its host star, a 4.2 Gyr-old G2-star with a mass $M_{\star}=1.06$ $M_{\odot}$, and a radius $R_{\star}=1.05$ $R_{\odot}$, on a $0.048 \pm 0.007$ AU orbit every 3.58 days. The radial velocity observations allow us to exclude highly eccentric orbits, namely, $e<0.065$ with a 99% confidence. Given its high mass and density, theoretical modelling of CoRoT-27b is demanding. We identify two solutions with heavy element mass fractions of $0.11\pm0.08$ $\mathrm{M_{\oplus}}$ and $0.07\pm0.06$ $\mathrm{M_{\oplus}}$, but even solutions void of heavy elements cannot be excluded. We carry out a secondary eclipse search from the CoRoT photometry using a method based on Bayesian model selection, but conclude that the noise level is too high to detect eclipses shallower than 9% of the transit depth.

Aims. We report the discovery of a massive and dense transiting planet CoRoT-27b on a 3.58-day orbit around a 4.2 Gyr-old G2 star. The planet candidate was identified from the CoRoT photometry, and was confirmed as a planet with ground-based spectroscopy.Methods. The confirmation of the planet candidate is based on radial velocity observations combined with imaging to rule out blends. The characterisation of the planet and its host star was carried out using a Bayesian approach where all the data (CoRoT photometry, radial velocities, and spectroscopic characterisation of the star) are used jointly. The Bayesian analysis included a study whether the assumption of white normally distributed noise holds for the CoRoT photometry and whether the use of a non-normal noise distribution offers advantages in parameter estimation and model selection.Results. CoRoT-27b has a mass of 10.39 +/- 0.55 M-Jup, a radius of 1.01 +/- 0.04 R-Jup, a mean density of 12.6(-1.67)(+1.92) g cm(-3), and an effective temperature of 1500 +/- 130 K. The planet orbits around its host star, a 4.2 Gyr-old G2-star with a mass M-star = 1.06 M-circle dot and a radius R-star = 1.05 R-circle dot, on a 0.048 +/- 0.007 AU orbit of 3.58 days. The radial velocity observations allow us to exclude highly eccentric orbits, namely, e <0.065 with 99% confidence. Given its high mass and density, theoretical modelling of CoRoT-27b is demanding. We identify two solutions with heavy element mass fractions of 0.11 +/- 0.08 M-circle plus, and 0.07 +/- 0.06 M-circle plus, but even solutions void of heavy elements cannot be excluded. We carry out a secondary eclipse search from the CoRoT photometry using a method based on Bayesian model selection, but conclude that the noise level is too high to detect eclipses shallower than 9% of the transit depth. Using a non-normal noise model was shown not to affect the parameter estimation results, but led to significant improvement in the sensitivity of the model selection process.

We report the discovery of two transiting exoplanets, CoRoT-25b and CoRoT-26b, both of low density, one of which is in the Saturn mass-regime. For each star, ground-based complementary observations through optical photometry and radial velocity measurements secured the planetary nature of the transiting body and allowed us to fully characterize them. For CoRoT-25b we found a planetary mass of 0.27 similar to 0.04 M-Jup, a radius of 1.08(-0.10)(+0.3) R-Jup and hence a mean density of 0.15(-0.06)(+ 0.15) g cm(-3). The planet orbits an F9 mainsequence star in a 4.86-day period, that has a V magnitude of 15.0, solar metallicity, and an age of 4.5(-2.0) (+1.8)-Gyr. CoRoT-26b orbits a slightly evolved G5 star of 9.06 +/- 1.5-Gyr age in a 4.20-day period that has solar metallicity and a V magnitude of 15.8. With a mass of 0.52 +/- 0.05 MJup, a radius of 1.26(-0.07)(+0.13) R-Jup, and a mean density of 0.28(-0.07)(+0.09) g cm(-3), it belongs to the low-mass hot-Jupiter population. Planetary evolution models allowed us to estimate a core mass of a few tens of Earth mass for the two planets with heavy-element mass fractions of 0.52(-0.15)(+0.08) and 0.26(-0.08)(+0.05), respectively, assuming that a small fraction of the incoming flux is dissipated at the center of the planet. In addition, these models indicate that CoRoT-26b is anomalously large compared with what standard models could account for, indicating that dissipation from stellar heating could cause this size.

Context. Studies of transiting extrasolar planets are of key importance for understanding the nature of planets outside our solar system because their masses, diameters, and bulk densities can be measured. An important part of transit-search programmes is the removal of false-positives. In the case of the CoRoT space mission, the majority of the false-positives are removed by a detailed analysis of the light curves and by seeing-limited imaging in- and out-of-transit. However, the critical question is how many of the candidates that passed all these tests are false-positives. Such false-positives can be caused by eclipsing binaries, which are either related or unrelated to the targets. Aims. For our study we selected 25 CoRoT candidates that have already been screened against false-positives using detailed analysis of the light curves and seeing-limited imaging, which has transits that are between 0.7 and 0.05% deep. Our aim is to search for companion candidates that had not been recognized in previous observations. Methods. We observed 20 candidates with the adaptive optics imager NaCo and 18 with the high-resolution infrared spectrograph CRIRES. Results. We found previously unknown stars within 2 0 0 of the targets in seven of the candidates. All of these are too faint and too close to the targets to have been previously detected with seeing-limited telescopes in the optical. Our study thus leads to the surprising results that if we remove all candidates excluded by the sophisticated analysis of the light-curve, as well as carrying out deep imaging with seeing-limited telescopes, still 28 35% of the remaining candidates are found to possess companions that are bright enough to be false-positives. Conclusions. Given that the companion candidates cluster around the targets and that the J - K colours are consistent with physical companions, we conclude that the companion candidates are more likely to be physical companions rather than unrelated field stars.

CoRoT is a space telescope which aims at studying internal structure of stars and detecting extrasolar planets. We present here a list of transits detected in the light curves of stars observed by CoRoT in two fields in the anti-center direction: the LRa03 one observed during 148 days from 3 October 2009 to 1 March 2010 followed by the SRa03 one from the 5 March 2010 to the 29 March 2010 during 25 days. 5329 light curves for the LRa03 field and 4169 for the SRa03 field were analyzed by the detection team of CoRoT. Then some of the selected exoplanetary candidates have been followed up from the ground. In the LRa03 field, 19 exoplanet candidates have been found, 8 remain unsolved. No secured planet has been found yet. In the SRa03 field, there were 11 exoplanetary candidates among which 6 cases remain unsolved and 3 planets have been found: CoRoT-18b, CoRoT-19b, CoRoT-20b.

Context. Observations of transiting extrasolar planets are of key importance to our understanding of planets because their mass, radius, and mass density can be determined. These measurements indicate that planets of similar mass can have very different radii. For low-density planets, it is generally assumed that they are inflated owing to their proximity to the host-star. To determine the causes of this inflation, it is necessary to obtain a statistically significant sample of planets with precisely measured masses and radii.Aims. The CoRoT space mission allows us to achieve a very high photometric accuracy. By combining CoRoT data with high-precision radial velocity measurements, we derive precise planetary radii and masses. We report the discovery of CoRoT-19b, a gas-giant planet transiting an old, inactive F9V-type star with a period of four days.Methods. After excluding alternative physical configurations mimicking a planetary transit signal, we determine the radius and mass of the planet by combining CoRoT photometry with high-resolution spectroscopy obtained with the echelle spectrographs SOPHIE, HARPS, FIES, and SANDIFORD. To improve the precision of its ephemeris and the epoch, we observed additional transits with the TRAPPIST and Euler telescopes. Using HARPS spectra obtained during the transit, we then determine the projected angle between the spin of the star and the orbit of the planet.Results. We find that the host star of CoRoT-19b is an inactive F9V-type star close to the end of its main-sequence life. The host star has a mass M-* = 1.21 +/- 0.05 M-circle dot and radius R-* = 1.65 +/- 0.04 R-circle dot. The planet has a mass of M-P = 1.11 +/- 0.06 M-Jup and radius of R-P = 1.29 +/- 0.03 R-Jup. The resulting bulk density is only rho = 0.71 +/- 0.06 g cm (3), which is much lower than that for Jupiter.Conclusions. The exoplanet CoRoT-19b is an example of a giant planet of almost the same mass as Jupiter but a approximate to 30% larger radius.

We report the detection of CoRoT-23b, a hot Jupiter transiting in front of its host star with a period of 3.6314 \pm 0.0001 days. This planet was discovered thanks to photometric data secured with the CoRoT satellite, combined with spectroscopic radial velocity (RV) measurements. A photometric search for possible background eclipsing binaries conducted at CFHT and OGS concluded with a very low risk of false positives. The usual techniques of combining RV and transit data simultaneously were used to derive stellar and planetary parameters. The planet has a mass of Mp = 2.8 \pm 0.3 MJup, a radius of Rpl = 1.05 \pm 0.13 RJup, a density of \approx 3 g cm-3. RV data also clearly reveal a non zero eccentricity of e = 0.16 \pm 0.02. The planet orbits a mature G0 main sequence star of V =15.5 mag, with a mass M\star = 1.14 \pm 0.08 M\odot, a radius R\star = 1. 61 \pm 0.18 R\odot and quasi-solar abundances. The age of the system is evaluated to be 7 Gyr, not far from the transition to subgiant, in agreement with the rather large stellar radius. The two features of a significant eccentricity of the orbit and of a fairly high density are fairly uncommon for a hot Jupiter. The high density is, however, consistent with a model of contraction of a planet at this mass, given the age of the system. On the other hand, at such an age, circularization is expected to be completed. In fact, we show that for this planetary mass and orbital distance, any initial eccentricity should not totally vanish after 7 Gyr, as long as the tidal quality factor Qp is more than a few 105, a value that is the lower bound of the usually expected range. Even if Corot-23b features a density and an eccentricity that are atypical of a hot Jupiter, it is thus not an enigmatic object.

Aims. We report the discovery of CoRoT-16b, a low density hot jupiter that orbits a faint G5V star (mV = 15.63) in 5.3523 +/- 0.0002 days with slight eccentricity. A fit of the data with no a priori assumptions on the orbit leads to an eccentricity of 0.33 +/- 0.1. We discuss this value and also derive the mass and radius of the planet.Methods. We analyse the photometric transit curve of CoRoT-16 given by the CoRoT satellite, and radial velocity data from the HARPS and HIRES spectrometers. A combined analysis using a Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm is used to get the system parameters.Results. CoRoT-16b is a 0.535 -0.083/+0.085 M-J, 1.17 -0.14/+0.16 R-J hot Jupiter with a density of 0.44 -0.14/+0.21 g cm(-3). Despite its short orbital distance (0.0618 +/- 0.0015 AU) and the age of the parent star (6.73 +/- 2.8 Gyr), the planet orbit exhibits significantly non-zero eccentricity. This is very uncommon for this type of objects as tidal effects tend to circularise the orbit. This value is discussed taking into account the characteristics of the star and the observation accuracy.

J. Weingrill, S. Aigrain, F. Bouchy, M. Deleuil, C. Moutou, R. Alonso, P. Barge, A. Bonomo, P. Bordé, J. Cabrera, L. Carone, St. Carpano, D. Ciardi, Sz. Csizmadia, H. Deeg, R. Dı́az, St. Dreizler, R. Dvorak, A. Erikson, F. Favata, S. Ferraz-Mello, E. Flaccomio, M. Fridlund, D. Gandolfi, N. Gibson, M. Gillon, E. W. Guenther, T. Guillot, A. Hatzes, G. Hébrard, L. Jorda, H. Lammer, A. Léger, A. Llebaria, C. Lovis, T. Mazeh, A. McQuillan, L. Nortman, A. Ofir, M. Ollivier, M. Pätzold, D. Queloz, H. Rauer, D. Rouan, B. Samuel, A. Santerne, J. Schneider, G. Wuchterl, K. Zwintz J. Weingrill, S. Aigrain, F. Bouchy, M. Deleuil, C. Moutou, R. Alonso, P. Barge, A. Bonomo, P. Bordé, J. Cabrera, L. Carone, t. Carpano, D. Ciardi, Sz. Csizmadia, H. Deeg, R. Dı́az, St. Dreizler, R. Dvorak, A. Erikson, F. Favata, S. Ferraz-Mello, E. Flaccomio, M. Fridlund, D. Gandolfi, N. Gibson, M. Gillon, E. W. Guenther, T. Guillot, A. Hatzes, G. Hébrard, L. Jorda, H. Lammer, A. Léger, A. Llebaria, C. Lovis, T. Mazeh, A. McQuillan, L. Nortman, A. Ofir, M. Ollivier, M. Pätzold, D. Queloz, H. Rauer, D. Rouan, B. Samuel, A. Santerne, J. Schneider, G. Wuchterl, K. Zwintz 1Space Research Institute/ÖAW, 8042 Graz, Austria 2Oxford Astrophysics, Denys Wilkinson Building, UK 3Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris, 75014 Paris, France 4Observatoire de Haute Provence, France 5Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille, France 6Institut d’Astrophysique Spatiale, Université Paris XI, France 7Institute of Planetary Research, German Aerospace Center, Berlin, Germany 8Rheinisches Institut für Umweltforschung an der Universität zu Köln, Germany 9Space Science Department, ESA, Noordwijk, Netherlands 10Department of Astronomy, 211 Space Sciences Building, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, US 11Instituto de Astrof́ısica de Canarias, E-38205 La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain 12Institut für Astrophysik, Universität Göttingen, Germany 13University of Vienna, Institute of Astronomy, Austria 14Universidade de Sao Paulo/ Instituto de Astronomia Geofisica e Ciencias Atmosfericas, Sao Paulo, Brasil 15Palermo Observatory, Palermo, Italy 16LESIA, Observatoire de Paris-Meudon, France 17Thüringer Landessternwarte, Tautenburg, Germany 18Institut d’Astrophysique et de Géophysique, Université de Liège, Belgium 19Observatoire de l’Université de Genève, Switzerland 20Wise Observatory, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel 21School of Physics and Astronomy, Tel Aviv University, Israel 22LUTH, Observatoire de Paris, CNRS, Université Paris, France Abstract CoRoT is a pioneer space mission to detect stellar oscillations and transiting exoplanets. Large stellar fields are observed in runs up to 120 days to look for transit-signals. We present a list of detected transiting planetary candidates as well as eclipsing binaries as a by-product in the constellation Monoceros. 8190 targets were observed in the run SRa01 in March 2008 and 10300 targets in SRa02 in October 2008. 381 transiting objects were identified in both observation runs by different detection teams. Interesting candidates were additionally investigated with photometricand radial velocity-observations. We present 11 possible planetary candidates in the constellation Monoceros in the short run SRa01 with one Saturn-like object still to be investigated and 19 possible candidates in the short run SRa02, one of them confirmed as a brown dwarf.

Abstract The science of extra-solar planets is one of the most rapidly changing areas of astrophysics and since 1995 the number of planets known has increased by almost two orders of magnitude. A combination of ground-based surveys and dedicated space missions has resulted in 560-plus planets being detected, and over 1200 that await confirmation. NASA's Kepler mission has opened up the possibility of discovering Earth-like planets in the habitable zone around some of the 100,000 stars it is surveying during its 3 to 4-year lifetime. The new ESA's Gaia mission is expected to discover thousands of new planets around stars within 200 parsecs of the Sun. The key challenge now is moving on from discovery, important though that remains, to characterisation: what are these planets actually like, and why are they as they are? In the past ten years, we have learned how to obtain the first spectra of exoplanets using transit transmission and emission spectroscopy. With the high stability of Spitzer, Hubble, and large ground-based telescopes the spectra of bright close-in massive planets can be obtained and species like water vapour, methane, carbon monoxide and dioxide have been detected. With transit science came the first tangible remote sensing of these planetary bodies and so one can start to extrapolate from what has been learnt from Solar System probes to what one might plan to learn about their faraway siblings. As we learn more about the atmospheres, surfaces and near-surfaces of these remote bodies, we will begin to build up a clearer picture of their construction, history and suitability for life. The Exoplanet Characterisation Observatory, EChO, will be the first dedicated mission to investigate the physics and chemistry of Exoplanetary Atmospheres. By characterising spectroscopically more bodies in different environments we will take detailed planetology out of the Solar System and into the Galaxy as a whole. EChO has now been selected by the European Space Agency to be assessed as one of four M3 mission candidates.

We revisit the validity of the presence of O(2) or O(3) in the atmosphere of a rocky planet as being a biosignature. Up to now, the false positive that has been identified applies to a planet during a hot greenhouse runaway, which is restricted to planets outside the habitable zone (HZ) of the star that are closer to the star. In this paper, we explore a new possibility based on abiotic photogeneration of O(2) at the surface of a planet that could occur inside the HZ. The search for such a process is an active field of laboratory investigation that has resulted from an ongoing interest in finding efficient systems with the capacity to harvest solar energy on Earth. Although such a process is energetically viable, we find it to be a very unlikely explanation for the observation of O(2) or O(3) in the atmosphere of a telluric exoplanet in the HZ. It requires an efficient photocatalyst to be present and abundant under natural planetary conditions, which appears unlikely according to our discussion of known mineral photochemical processes. In contrast, a biological system that synthesizes its constituents from abundant raw materials and energy has the inherent adaptation advantage to become widespread and dominant (Darwinist argument). Thus, O(2) appears to continue to be a good biosignature.

In this paper, the CoRoT Exoplanet Science Team announces its 14th discovery. Herein, we discuss the observations and analyses that allowed us to derive the parameters of this system: a hot Jupiter with a mass of $7.6 \pm 0.6$ Jupiter masses orbiting a solar-type star (F9V) with a period of only 1.5 d, less than 5 stellar radii from its parent star. It is unusual for such a massive planet to have such a small orbit: only one other known exoplanet with a higher mass orbits with a shorter period.

The search for rocky exoplanets plays an important role in our quest for extra-terrestrial life. Here, we discuss the extreme physical properties possible for the first characterized rocky super-Earth, CoRoT-7b (R_pl = 1.58 \pm 0.10 R_Earth, Mpl = 6.9 \pm 1.2 M_Earth). It is extremely close to its star (a = 0.0171 AU = 4.48 R_st), with its spin and orbital rotation likely synchronized. The comparison of its location in the (Mpl, Rpl) plane with the predictions of planetary models for different compositions points to an Earth-like composition, even if the error bars of the measured quantities and the partial degeneracy of the models prevent a definitive conclusion. The proximity to its star provides an additional constraint on the model. It implies a high extreme-UV flux and particle wind, and the corresponding efficient erosion of the planetary atmosphere especially for volatile species including water. Consequently, we make the working hypothesis that the planet is rocky with no volatiles in its atmosphere, and derive the physical properties that result. As a consequence, the atmosphere is made of rocky vapours with a very low pressure (P \leq 1.5 Pa), no cloud can be sustained, and no thermalisation of the planetary is expected. The dayside is very hot (2474 \leq 71 K at the sub-stellar point) while the nightside is very cold (50 to 75 K). The sub-stellar point is as hot as the tungsten filament of an incandescent bulb, resulting in the melting and distillation of silicate rocks and the formation of a lava ocean. These possible features of CoRoT-7b could be common to many small and hot planets, including the recently discovered Kepler-10b. They define a new class of objects that we propose to name "Lava-ocean planets".