Magnetically Controlled Outflows from Planets

TL;DR

This paper investigates how magnetic fields influence the outflows of Hot Jupiters, comparing different stellar magnetic field geometries through numerical simulations to understand their effects on planetary mass loss.

Contribution

It extends previous models by analyzing two distinct stellar magnetic field configurations and their impact on magnetically controlled planetary outflows.

Findings

Magnetic field geometry significantly affects planetary wind structure.

Numerical simulations reveal differences in outflow behavior between aligned and perpendicular stellar fields.

Magnetic control dominates near the planet, connecting to stellar environment at larger distances.

Abstract

Hot Jupiters can experience mass loss driven by heating from UV radiation from their host stars, and this flow is often controlled by magnetic fields. More specifically, near the planetry surface, the magnetic pressure dominates the ram pressure of the outflow by several orders of magnitude. After leaving the vicinity of the planet, the flow must connect onto the background environment provided by the stellar wind and the stellar magnetic field. This contribution considers magnetically controlled planetary outflows and extends previous work by comparing two different geometries for the background magnetic field provided by the star. In the first case, stellar field is assumed to retain the form of a dipole, which is anti-aligned with the dipole field of the planet. In the second case, the stellar outflow opens up the stellar magnetic field structure so that the background field at the location of the planet is perpendicular to the planetary dipole. Using numerical simulations, we consider the launch of the planetary wind with these field configurations.