Signatures of Star-planet Interactions

TL;DR

This paper reviews how close-in giant exoplanets interact magnetically with their host stars, revealing stellar activity modulation, planetary magnetic fields, and implications for planetary evolution and habitability.

Contribution

It summarizes observational evidence of star-planet magnetic interactions and their implications for understanding exoplanet magnetic fields and stellar activity.

Findings

Magnetic field strengths of hot Jupiters range from 20 G to 120 G.

Star-planet interactions modulate stellar activity based on planetary orbit.

Magnetic interactions influence planetary evolution and potential habitability.

Abstract

Planets interact with their host stars through gravity, radiation and magnetic fields, and for those giant planets that orbit their stars within ~10 stellar radii (~0.1 AU for a sun-like star), star-planet interactions (SPI) are observable with a wide variety of photometric, spectroscopic and spectropolarimetric studies. At such close distances, the planet orbits within the sub-alfvenic radius of the star in which the transfer of energy and angular momentum between the two bodies is particularly efficient. The magnetic interactions appear as enhanced stellar activity modulated by the planet as it orbits the star rather than only by stellar rotation. Such observations allowed for the determination of the magnetic field strengths on the surfaces of four hot Jupiters. These vary between 20 G and 120 G, in line with scaling laws that connect the strength of the magnetic field to the internal heat flow in giant planets. These field strengths are informative for the study of the internal dynamics and atmospheric evolution of exoplanets. The nature of magnetic SPI is modeled to be strongly affected by both the stellar and planetary magnetic fields, possibly influencing the magnetic activity of both, as well as affecting the particle environment, the migration of the planet, and even the rotational evolution of the star. As phase-resolved observational techniques are applied to a large statistical sample of hot Jupiter systems, extensions to other tightly orbiting stellar systems, such as smaller planets close to M dwarfs become possible. In these systems, star-planet separations of tens of stellar radii begin to coincide with the radiative habitable zone where planetary magnetic fields are likely a necessary condition for surface habitability.