Can we really detect planets around evolved massive stars?

Abstract

The discovery of planets around massive stars is important for understanding how planet formation and evolution is conditioned by different stellar environments. However, current planetary search surveys have failed to detect planets around massive evolved stars. This lack of planets might be a consequence of the specifities of planet formation around such objects. Alternatively, the detection of planets around evolved massive stars might be hindered by the increasing stellar jitter as the stars evolve. In this project we target planets around evolved stars in open clusters, most of them with masses above 2 M$_\odot$. We present the cases of three objects where long term (i.e. years) and high amplitude RV signals of probably stellar origin are mimicking the presence of planets.