arXiv subjects

A. F. Lanza

Publications and source records attributed to A. F. Lanza.

At least 181 records · Page 10Linked to original sources

arXiv2012

Star-planet magnetic interaction and activity in late-type stars with close-in planets

Late-type stars interact with their close-in planets through their coronal magnetic fields. We introduce a theory for the interaction between the stellar and planetary fields focussing on the processes that release magnetic energy in the stellar coronae. We consider the energy dissipated by the reconnection between the stellar and planetary magnetic fields as well as that made available by the modulation of the magnetic helicity of the coronal field produced by the orbital motion of the planet. We estimate the powers released by both processes in the case of axisymmetric and non-axisymmetric, linear and non-linear force-free coronal fields finding that they scale as v_r (B_s)^(4/3) (B_p)^(2/3) (R_p)^2, where v_r is the relative velocity between the stellar and planetary fields, B_s the mean stellar surface field, B_p the planetary field at the poles, and R_p the radius of the planet. A chromospheric hot spot or a flaring activity phased to the orbital motion of the planet are found only when the stellar field is axisymmetric. In the case of a non-axisymmetric field, the time modulation of the energy release is multiperiodic and can be easily confused with the intrinsic stellar variability. We apply our theory to the systems with some reported evidence of star-planet magnetic interaction finding a dissipated power at least one order of magnitude smaller than that emitted by the chromospheric hot spots. The phase lags between the planets and the hot spots are reproduced by our models in all the cases except for upsilon And. In conclusion, the chromospheric hot spots rotating in phase with the planets cannot be explained by the energy dissipation produced by the interaction between stellar and planetary fields as considered by our models and require a different mechanism.

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arXiv2012

Current state of the modelling of photospheric activity

I briefly review the current state of the modelling of photospheric activity based on the high-precision optical light curves obtained with MOST, CoRoT, and Kepler. These models can be used to search for active longitudes where activity is preferentially concentrated, estimate the amplitude of stellar differential rotation, and look for short-term activity cycles as, e.g., in the case of CoRoT-2. In the case of a late-type star accompanied by a transiting hot Jupiter, the small light modulations observed during transits when a dark spot is occulted by the disc of the planet are also briefly considered. They can be used to derive information on individual active regions as well as on stellar rotation and the spin-orbit alignment of the system.

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arXiv2012

Determination of rotation periods in solar-like stars with irregular sampling: the Gaia case

We present a study on the determination of rotation periods (P) of solar-like stars from the photometric irregular time-sampling of the ESA Gaia mission, currently scheduled for launch in 2013, taking into account its dependence on ecliptic coordinates. We examine the case of solar-twins as well as thousands of synthetic time-series of solar-like stars rotating faster than the Sun. In the case of solar twins we assume that the Gaia unfiltered photometric passband G will mimic the variability of the total solar irradiance (TSI) as measured by the VIRGO experiment. For stars rotating faster than the Sun, light-curves are simulated using synthetic spectra for the quiet atmosphere, the spots, and the faculae combined by applying semi-empirical relationships relating the level of photospheric magnetic activity to the stellar rotation and the Gaia instrumental response. The capabilities of the Deeming, Lomb-Scargle, and Phase Dispersion Minimisation methods in recovering the correct rotation periods are tested and compared. The false alarm probability (FAP) is computed using Monte Carlo simulations and compared with analytical formulae. The Gaia scanning law makes the rate of correct detection of rotation periods strongly dependent on the ecliptic latitude (beta). We find that for P ~ 1 d, the rate of correct detection increases with ecliptic latitude from 20-30 per cent at beta ~ 0° to a peak of 70 per cent at beta=45°, then it abruptly falls below 10 per cent at beta > 45°. For P > 5 d, the rate of correct detection is quite low and for solar twins is only 5 per cent on average.

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arXiv2012

Multiwavelength flux variations induced by stellar magnetic activity: effects on planetary transits

Stellar magnetic activity is a source of noise in the study of the transits of extrasolar planets. It induces flux variations which affect significantly the transit depth determination and the derivations of planetary and stellar parameters. Furthermore, the colour dependence of stellar activity may significantly influence the characterization of planetary atmospheres. Here we present a systematic approach to quantify the corresponding stellar flux variations as a function of wavelength bands. We consider a star with spots covering a given fraction of its disc and model the variability in the UBVRIJHK photometric system and in the Spitzer/IRAC wavebands for dwarf stars from G to M spectral types. We compare activity-induced flux variations in different passbands with planetary transits and quantify how they affect the determination of the planetary radius and the analysis of the transmission spectroscopy in the study of planetary atmospheres. We suggest that the monitoring of the systems by using broad band photometry, from visible to infrared, helps to constraining activity effects. The ratio of the relative variations of the stellar fluxes in short wavelength optical bands (e.g., U or B) to near infrared ones (e.g., J or K) can be used to distinguish starspot brightness dips from planetary transits in a stellar light curve. In addition to the perturbations in the measurement of the planetary radius, we find that starspots can affect the determination of the relative semimajor axis and the inclination of the planetary orbit which have a significant impact on the derivation of the stellar density from the transit light curves.

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arXiv2011

Prospecting transit duration variations in extrasolar planetary systems

In transiting planetary systems, the angle between the orbital angular momentum and the stellar spin is usually constrained through the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect observed in radial velocity and can be subject to large uncertainties, especially for hot stars (T_eff > 6250 K). It is thus interesting to have an alternative method to constrain the value of the obliquity and to detect companions that might have disturbed the orbit of the planet. We show how the long-term variations in the transit duration (TDV) can be used to constrain the obliquity of the stellar rotation axis. We introduce a simple theory to express the secular variations in the orbital elements and their effects on the TDVs with a general formulation valid for both oblique and eccentric systems. Parameters or orbital elements that cannot be directly measured, such as the longitude of the ascending node of the orbit, are avoided thus allowing us a straightforward application. We compute the expected TDVs for the presently known transiting systems, adopting their parameters found in the literature. Considering the capabilities of the present or next generation space-borne telescopes, we point out the systems that could be readily observed and discuss the constraints derivable on their fundamental parameters. TDVs can be used to constrain the obliquity of the stars (and possibly of the planets in systems younger than 10 -- 100 Myr), giving information about the formation scenarios, the strength of the tidal coupling, and the internal structure of both the stars and the planets. Moreover, they can provide an indirect indication of the presence of other bodies, even with a mass comparable with that of the Earth, because they give rise to additional contributions to the nodal precession.

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arXiv2011

Searching for star-planet magnetic interaction in CoRoT observations

Close-in massive planets interact with their host stars through tidal and magnetic mechanisms. In this paper, we review circumstantial evidence for star-planet interaction as revealed by the photospheric magnetic activity in some of the CoRoT planet-hosting stars, notably CoRoT-2, CoRoT-4, and CoRoT-6. The phenomena are discussed in the general framework of activity-induced features in stars accompanied by hot Jupiters. The theoretical mechanisms proposed to explain the activity enhancements possibly related with hot Jupiter are also briefly reviewed with an emphasis on the possible effects at photospheric level. The unique advantages of CoRoT and Kepler observations to test these models are pointed out.

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arXiv2011

Starspots on the fastest rotators in the Beta Pic moving group

Aims: We carried out high-resolution spectroscopy and BV(I)_C photometric monitoring of the two fastest late-type rotators in the nearby Beta Pictoris moving group, HD199143 (F7V) and CD-641208 (K7V). The motivation for this work is to investigate the rotation periods and photospheric spot patterns of these very young stars, with a longer term view to probing the evolution of rotation and magnetic activity during the early phases of main-sequence evolution. We also aim to derive information on key physical parameters, such as rotational velocity and rotation period. Methods: We applied maximum entropy (ME) and Tikhonov regularizing (TR) criteria to derive the surface spot map distributions of the optical modulation observed in HD199143 (F7 V) and CD-641208 (K7V). We also used cross-correlation techniques to determine stellar parameters such as radial velocities and rotational velocities. Lomb-Scargle periodograms were used to obtain the rotational periods from differential magnitude time series. Results: We find periods and inclinations of 0.356 days and 21.5deg for HD199143, and 0.355 days and 50.1deg for CD-641208. The spot maps of HD199143 obtained from the ME and TR methods are very similar, although the latter gives a smoother distribution of the filling factor. Maps obtained at two different epochs three weeks apart show a remarkable increase in spot coverage amounting to ~7% of the surface of the photosphere over a time period of only ~20 days. The spot maps of CD-641208 from the two methods show good longitudinal agreement, whereas the latitude range of the spots is extended to cover the whole visible hemisphere in the TR map. The distributions obtained from the first light curve of HD199143 show the presence of an extended and asymmetric active longitude with the maximum filling factor at longitude ~325degree.

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arXiv2011

Deriving the radial-velocity variations induced by stellar activity from high-precision photometry - Test on HD189733 with simultaneous MOST/SOPHIE data

Stellar activity induces apparent radial velocity (RV) variations in late-type main-sequence stars that may hamper the detection of low-mass planets and the measurement of their mass. We use simultaneous measurements of the active planet host star HD189733 with high-precision optical photometry by the MOST satellite and high-resolution spectra by SOPHIE. We apply on this unique dataset a spot model to predict the activity-induced RV variations and compare them with the observed ones. The model is based on the rotational modulation of the stellar flux. A maximum entropy regularization is applied to find a unique and stable solution for the distribution of the active regions versus stellar longitude. The RV variations are synthesized considering the effects on the line profiles of the brightness perturbations due to dark spots and bright faculae and the reduction of the convective blueshifts in the active regions. The synthesized RV time series shows a remarkably good agreement with the observed one although variations on timescales shorter than 4-5 days cannot be reproduced by our model. Persistent active longitudes are revealed by the spot modelling. They rotate with slightly different periods yielding a minimum relative amplitude of the differential rotation of ΔΩ/ Ω= 0.23 \pm 0.10. The method proves capable of reducing the power of the activity-induced RV variations by a factor from 2 to 10 at the rotation frequency and its harmonics up to the third. Thanks to the high-precision space-borne photometry delivered by CoRoT, Kepler, or later PLATO, it is possible to map the longitudinal distribution of active regions in late-type stars and apply the method presented in this paper to reduce remarkably the impact of stellar activity on their RV jitter allowing us to confirm the detection of low-mass planets or refine the measurement of their mass.

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arXiv2011

Modelling the rotational evolution of solar-like stars: the rotational coupling timescale

We investigate the rotational evolution of solar-like stars with a focus on the internal angular momentum transport processes. The double zone model, in which the star's radiative core and convective envelope are assumed to rotate as solid bodies, is used to test simple relationships between the core-envelope coupling timescale, tau_c, and rotational properties, like the envelope angular velocity or the differential rotation at the core-envelope interface. The trial relationships are tested by fitting the model parameters to available observations via a Monte Carlo Markov Chain method. The synthetic distributions are tested for compatibility with their observational counterparts by means of the standard Kolmogorov-Smirnov (KS) test. A power-law dependence of tau_c on the inner differential rotation leads to a more satisfactory agreement with observations than a two-value prescription for tau_c, which would imply a dichotomy between the initially slow (P_rot > 3 d) and fast (P_rot < 3 d) rotators. However, we find it impossible to reconcile the high fraction of fast rotators in alpha Per with the rotation period distributions in stellar systems at earlier and later evolutionary stages. This could be explained by local environmental effects (e.g. early removal of circumstellar discs due to UV radiation and winds from nearby high-mass stars) or by observational biases. The low KS probability that the synthetic and observed distributions are not incompatible, found in some cases, may be due to over-simplified assumptions of the double zone model, but the large relative uncertainties in the age determination of very young clusters and associations are expected to play a relevant role. Other possible limitations and uncertainties are discussed.

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arXiv2011

Polar branches of stellar activity waves: dynamo models and observations

[Abridged abstract:] Stellar activity data provide evidence of activity wave branches propagating polewards rather than equatorwards (the solar case). Stellar dynamo theory allows polewards propagating dynamo waves for certain governing parameters. We try to unite observations and theory, restricting our investigation to the simplest mean-field dynamo models. We suggest a crude preliminary systematization of the reported cases of polar activity branches. Then we present results of dynamo model simulations which contain magnetic structures with polar dynamo waves, and identify the models which look most promising for explaining the latitudinal distribution of spots in dwarf stars. Those models require specific features of stellar rotation laws, and so observations of polar activity branches may constrain internal stellar rotation. Specifically, we find it unlikely that a pronounced poleward branch can be associated with a solar-like internal rotation profile, while it can be more readily reproduced in the case of a cylindrical rotation law appropriate for fast rotators. We stress the case of the subgiant component of the active close binary HR 1099 which, being best investigated, presents the most severe problems for a dynamo interpretation. Our best model requires dynamo action in two layers separated in radius. Observations of polar activity branches provide valuable information for understanding stellar activity mechanisms and internal rotation, and thus deserve intensive observational and theoretical investigation. Current stellar dynamo theory seems sufficiently robust to accommodate the phenomenology.

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arXiv2011

Constraining tidal dissipation in F-type main-sequence stars: the case of CoRoT-11

Tidal dissipation in late-type stars is presently poorly understood and the study of planetary systems hosting hot Jupiters can provide new observational constraints to test proposed theories. We focus on systems with F-type main-sequence stars and find that the recently discovered system CoRoT-11 is presently the best suited for such a kind of investigation. A classic constant tidal lag model is applied to reproduce the evolution of the system from a plausible nearly synchronous state on the ZAMS to the present state, thus putting constraints on the average modified tidal quality factor of its F6V star. Initial conditions with the stellar rotation period longer than the orbital period of the planet can be excluded on the basis of the presently observed state in which the star spins faster than the planet orbit. It is found that is approximately between 4.0E+06 and 2.0E+07 if the system started its evolution on the ZAMS close to synchronization with an uncertainty related to the constant tidal lag hypothesis and the estimated stellar magnetic braking within a factor of about 5-6. Moreover, we discuss how the present value of Q'_s can be measured by a timing of the mid-epoch and duration of the transits as well as of the planetary eclipses to be observed in the infrared with an accuracy of about 0.5-1 s over a time baseline of about 25 yr. CoRoT-11 is an highly interesting system potentially allowing us a direct measure of the tidal dissipation in an F-type star as well as the detection of the precession of the orbital plane of the planet that provides us with an accurate upper limit for the obliquity of the stellar equator. If the planetary orbit has a significant eccentricity (e>0.05), it will be possible to detect also the precession of the line of the apsides and derive information on the Love number of the planet and its tidal quality factor.

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arXiv2011

Time evolution and rotation of starspots on CoRoT-2 from the modelling of transit photometry

CoRoT-2, the second planet-hosting star discovered by the CoRoT satellite, is a young and active star. A total of 77 transits were observed for this system over a period of 135 days. Small modulations detected in the optical light curve of the planetary transits are used to study the position, size, intensity, and temporal evolution of the photospheric spots on the surface of the star that are occulted by the planetary disk. We apply a spot model to these variations and create a spot map of the stellar surface of CoRoT-2 within the transit band for every transit. From these maps, we estimate the stellar rotation period and obtain the longitudes of the spots in a reference frame rotating with the star. Moreover, the spots temporal evolution is determined. This model achieves a spatial resolution of 2\circ. Mapping of 392 spots vs. longitude indicates the presence of a region free of spots, close to the equator, reminiscent of the coronal holes observed on the Sun during periods of maximum activity. With this interpretation, the stellar rotation period within the transit latitudes of -14.\circ 6 \pm 10 \circ is found to be 4.48 days. This rotation period is shorter than the 4.54 days as derived from the out-of-transit light modulation. Since the transit data samples a region close to the stellar equator, while the period determined from out-of-transit data reflects the average rotation of the star, this is taken as an indication of a latitudinal differential rotation of about 3% or 0.042 rad/d.

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arXiv2010

Stellar activity, differential rotation, and exoplanets

The photospheric spot activity of some of the stars with transiting planets discovered by the CoRoT space experiment is reviewed. Their out-of-transit light modulations are fitted by a spot model previously tested with the total solar irradiance variations. This approach allows us to study the longitude distribution of the spotted area and its variations versus time during the five months of a typical CoRoT time series. The migration of the spots in longitude provides a lower limit for the surface differential rotation, while the variation of the total spotted area can be used to search for short-term cycles akin the solar Rieger cycles. The possible impact of a close-in giant planet on stellar activity is also discussed.

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arXiv2010

Photospheric activity, rotation, and star-planet interaction of the planet-hosting star CoRoT-6

The CoRoT satellite has recently discovered a hot Jupiter that transits across the disc of a F9V star called CoRoT-6 with a period of 8.886 days. We model the photospheric activity of the star and use the maps of the active regions to study stellar differential rotation and the star-planet interaction. We apply a maximum entropy spot model to fit the optical modulation as observed by CoRoT during a uninterrupted interval of about 140 days. Photospheric active regions are assumed to consist of spots and faculae in a fixed proportion with solar-like contrasts. Individual active regions have lifetimes up to 30-40 days. Most of them form and decay within five active longitudes whose different migration rates are attributed to the stellar differential rotation for which a lower limit of ΔΩ/ Ω= 0.12 \pm 0.02 is obtained. Several active regions show a maximum of activity at a longitude lagging the subplanetary point by about 200 degrees with the probability of a chance occurrence being smaller than 1 percent. Our spot modelling indicates that the photospheric activity of CoRoT-6 could be partially modulated by some kind of star-planet magnetic interaction, while an interaction related to tides is highly unlikely because of the weakness of the tidal force.

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arXiv2010

CoRoT-10b: a giant planet in a 13.24 day eccentric orbit

The space telescope CoRoT searches for transiting extrasolar planets by continuously monitoring the optical flux of thousands of stars in several fields of view. We report the discovery of CoRoT-10b, a giant planet on a highly eccentric orbit (e=0.53 +/- 0.04) revolving in 13.24 days around a faint (V=15.22) metal-rich K1V star. We use CoRoT photometry, radial velocity observations taken with the HARPS spectrograph, and UVES spectra of the parent star to derive the orbital, stellar and planetary parameters. We derive a radius of the planet of 0.97 +/- 0.07 R_Jup and a mass of 2.75 +/- 0.16 M_Jup. The bulk density, rho_pl=3.70 +/- 0.83 g/cm^3, is ~2.8 that of Jupiter. The core of CoRoT-10b could contain up to 240 M_Earth of heavy elements. Moving along its eccentric orbit, the planet experiences a 10.6-fold variation in insolation. Owing to the long circularisation time, tau_circ > 7 Gyr, a resonant perturber is not required to excite and maintain the high eccentricity of CoRoT-10b.

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arXiv2010

Photospheric activity, rotation, and radial velocity variations of the planet-hosting star CoRoT-7

The CoRoT satellite has recently discovered the transits of a telluric planet across the disc of a late-type magnetically active star dubbed CoRoT-7, while a second planet has been detected after filtering out the radial velocity (hereafter RV) variations due to stellar activity. We investigate the magnetic activity of CoRoT-7 and use the results for a better understanding of its impact on stellar RV variations. We derive the longitudinal distribution of active regions on CoRoT-7 from a maximum entropy spot model of the CoRoT light curve. Assuming that each active region consists of dark spots and bright faculae in a fixed proportion, we synthesize the expected RV variations. Active regions are mainly located at three active longitudes which appear to migrate at different rates, probably as a consequence of surface differential rotation, for which a lower limit of ΔΩ/ Ω= 0.058 \pm 0.017 is found. The synthesized activity-induced RV variations reproduce the amplitude of the observed RV curve and are used to study the impact of stellar activity on planetary detection. In spite of the non-simultaneous CoRoT and HARPS observations, our study confirms the validity of the method previously adopted to filter out RV variations induced by stellar activity. We find a false-alarm probability < 0.01 percent that the RV oscillations attributed to CoRoT-7b and CoRoT-7c are spurious effects of noise and activity. Additionally, our model suggests that other periodicities found in the observed RV curve of CoRoT-7 could be explained by active regions whose visibility is modulated by a differential stellar rotation with periods ranging from 23.6 to 27.6 days.

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arXiv2009

Hot Jupiters and the evolution of stellar angular momentum

Giant planets orbiting main-sequence stars closer than 0.1 AU are called hot Jupiters. They interact with their stars affecting their angular momentum. Recent observations provide suggestive evidence of excess angular momentum in stars with hot Jupiters in comparison to stars with distant and less massive planets. This has been attributed to tidal interaction, but needs to be investigated in more detail considering also other possible explanations because in several cases the tidal synchronization time scales are much longer than the ages of the stars. We select stars harbouring transiting hot Jupiters to study their rotation and find that those with an effective temperature greater than 6000 K and a rotation period shorter than 10 days are synchronized with the orbital motion of their planets or have a rotation period approximately twice that of the planetary orbital period. Stars with an effective temperature lower than 6000 K and a rotation period longer than 10 days show a general trend toward synchronization with increasing effective temperature or decreasing orbital period. We propose a model for the angular momentum evolution of stars with hot Jupiters to interpret these observations. It is based on the hypothesis that a close-in giant planet affects the coronal field of its host star leading to a topology with predominantly closed field lines. Our model can be tested observationally and has relevant consequences for the relationship between stellar rotation and close-in giant planets as well as for the application of gyrochronology to estimate the age of planet-hosting stars.

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arXiv2009

A semi-analytic approach to angular momentum transport in stellar radiative interiors

We address the problem of angular momentum transport in stellar radiative interiors with a novel semi-analytic spectral technique, using an eigenfunction series expansion, that can be used to derive benchmark solutions in hydromagnetic regimes with very high Reynolds number (10^7 - 10^8). The error arising from the truncation of the series is evaluated analytically. The main simplifying assumptions are the neglect of meridional circulation and of non-axisymmetric magnetic fields. The advantages of our approach are shown by applying it to a spin-down model for a 1 M_sun main-sequence star. The evolution of the coupling between core and envelope is investigated for different values of the viscosity and different geometries and values of the poloidal field. We confirm that a viscosity enhancement by 10^4 with respect to the molecular value is required to attain a rigid rotation in the core of the Sun within its present age. We suggest that a quadrupolar poloidal field may explain the short coupling time-scale needed to model the observed rotational evolution of fast rotators on the ZAMS, while a dipolar geometry is indicated in the case of slow rotators. Our novel semi-analytic spectral method provides a conceptually simple and rigorous treatment of a classic MHD problem and allows us to explore the influence of various parameters on the rotational history of radiative interiors.

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