Scholarship 16/25901-9 - Exobiologia, Habitabilidade - BV FAPESP
Advanced search
Start date
Betweenand

Star-planet magnetic interactions and its consequences for planetary habitability

Grant number: 16/25901-9
Support Opportunities:Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
Start date until: April 01, 2017
End date until: September 14, 2018
Field of knowledge:Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Astronomy - Stellar Astrophysics
Principal Investigator:Adriana Benetti Marques Valio
Grantee:Raissa de Lourdes Freitas Estrela
Host Institution: Escola de Engenharia (EE). Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie (UPM). Instituto Presbiteriano Mackenzie. São Paulo , SP, Brazil
Associated research grant:13/10559-5 - Investigation of high energy and plasma astrophysics phenomena: theory, numerical simulations, observations, and instrument development for the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA), AP.ESP
Associated scholarship(s):18/09984-7 - Unveiling haze formation and energy balance in the exoplanets atmospheres with the Hubble Space Telescope, BE.EP.DR

Abstract

Stars can interact with their close-in planet through their coronal magnetic field. Stellar magnetic field is the driver of activity in the star and can trigger spots, energetic flares, coronal plasma ejections and ionized winds. These phenomena may have an important impact on the atmosphere and magnetosphere of the orbiting planets. As a consequence, they can strongly affect the planet's habitability and could represent a new constrain in the definition of the Habitable Zone (HZ). The upcoming new space missions will be able to detect more Earth-like planets in the HZ of their host star. Thus, in the next years more attention can be expected on factors that can determine if a planet is really habitable. In this PhD project, we will focus on how stellar magnetic fields, their winds and flares impact on the planetary habitability. In particular, we aim to provide a full characterization of the activity in the Kepler stars analysed in this work. First of all, we will characterize the spots (radius, intensity and position) on the surface of the star by fitting the small variations in the light curve of a star caused by the occultation of a spot during a planetary transit. Next, we will develop stellar magnetic maps using the spots distribution in the stellar surface. Finally, we will detect and characterize stellar flares, and perform a 3D simulation of the winds to quantify the power release by magnetic reconnection into the magnetosphere of the planet.

News published in Agência FAPESP Newsletter about the scholarship:
More itemsLess items
Articles published in other media outlets ( ):
More itemsLess items
VEICULO: TITULO (DATA)
VEICULO: TITULO (DATA)

Scientific publications
(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)
ESTRELA, RAISSA; SWAIN, MARK R.; GUPTA, AKASH; SOTIN, CHRISTOPHE; VALIO, ADRIANA. The Evolutionary Track of H/He Envelopes of the Observed Population of Sub-Neptunes and Super-Earths. ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL, v. 898, n. 2, . (16/25901-9, 18/09984-7)

Please report errors in scientific publications list using this form.