arXiv subjects

M. Jardine

Publications and source records attributed to M. Jardine.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2015

Time-scales of close-in exoplanet radio emission variability

We investigate the variability of exoplanetary radio emission using stellar magnetic maps and 3D field extrapolation techniques. We use a sample of hot Jupiter hosting stars, focusing on the HD 179949, HD 189733 and tau Boo systems. Our results indicate two time-scales over which radio emission variability may occur at magnetised hot Jupiters. The first is the synodic period of the star-planet system. The origin of variability on this time-scale is the relative motion between the planet and the interplanetary plasma that is co-rotating with the host star. The second time-scale is the length of the magnetic cycle. Variability on this time-scale is caused by evolution of the stellar field. At these systems, the magnitude of planetary radio emission is anticorrelated with the angular separation between the subplanetary point and the nearest magnetic pole. For the special case of tau Boo b, whose orbital period is tidally locked to the rotation period of its host star, variability only occurs on the time-scale of the magnetic cycle. The lack of radio variability on the synodic period at tau Boo b is not predicted by previous radio emission models, which do not account for the co-rotation of the interplanetary plasma at small distances from the star.

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arXiv2015

On the environment surrounding close-in exoplanets

Exoplanets in extremely close-in orbits are immersed in a local interplanetary medium (i.e., the stellar wind) much denser than the local conditions encountered around the solar system planets. The environment surrounding these exoplanets also differs in terms of dynamics (slower stellar winds, but higher Keplerian velocities) and ambient magnetic fields (likely higher for host stars more active than the Sun). Here, we quantitatively investigate the nature of the interplanetary media surrounding the hot Jupiters HD46375b, HD73256b, HD102195b, HD130322b, HD179949b. We simulate the three-dimensional winds of their host stars, in which we directly incorporate their observed surface magnetic fields. With that, we derive mass-loss rates (1.9 to 8.0 $\times 10^{-13} M_{\odot}$/yr) and the wind properties at the position of the hot-Jupiters' orbits (temperature, velocity, magnetic field intensity and pressure). We show that these exoplanets' orbits are super-magnetosonic, indicating that bow shocks are formed surrounding these planets. Assuming planetary magnetic fields similar to Jupiter's, we estimate planetary magnetospheric sizes of 4.1 to 5.6 planetary radii. We also derive the exoplanetary radio emission released in the dissipation of the stellar wind energy. We find radio fluxes ranging from 0.02 to 0.13 mJy, which are challenging to be observed with present-day technology, but could be detectable with future higher sensitivity arrays (e.g., SKA). Radio emission from systems having closer hot-Jupiters, such as from tau Boo b or HD189733b, or from nearby planetary systems orbiting young stars, are likely to have higher radio fluxes, presenting better prospects for detecting exoplanetary radio emission.

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arXiv2014

Cool Stars and Space Weather

Stellar flares, winds and coronal mass ejections form the space weather. They are signatures of the magnetic activity of cool stars and, since activity varies with age, mass and rotation, the space weather that extra-solar planets experience can be very different from the one encountered by the solar system planets. How do stellar activity and magnetism influence the space weather of exoplanets orbiting main-sequence stars? How do the environments surrounding exoplanets differ from those around the planets in our own solar system? How can the detailed knowledge acquired by the solar system community be applied in exoplanetary systems? How does space weather affect habitability? These were questions that were addressed in the splinter session "Cool stars and Space Weather", that took place on 9 Jun 2014, during the Cool Stars 18 meeting. In this paper, we present a summary of the contributions made to this session.

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arXiv2014

Stellar magnetism: empirical trends with age and rotation

We investigate how the observed large-scale surface magnetic fields of low-mass stars (~0.1 -- 2 Msun), reconstructed through Zeeman-Doppler imaging (ZDI), vary with age t, rotation and X-ray emission. Our sample consists of 104 magnetic maps of 73 stars, from accreting pre-main sequence to main-sequence objects (1 Myr < t < 10 Gyr). For non-accreting dwarfs we empirically find that the unsigned average large-scale surface field <|Bv|> is related to age as $t^{-0.655 \pm 0.045}$. This relation has a similar dependence to that identified by Skumanich (1972), used as the basis for gyrochronology. Likewise, our relation could be used as an age-dating method ("magnetochronology"). The trends with rotation we find for the large-scale stellar magnetism are consistent with the trends found from Zeeman broadening measurements (sensitive to large- and small-scale fields). These similarities indicate that the fields recovered from both techniques are coupled to each other, suggesting that small- and large-scale fields could share the same dynamo field generation processes. For the accreting objects, fewer statistically significant relations are found, with one being a correlation between the unsigned magnetic flux and rotation period. We attribute this to a signature of star-disc interaction, rather than being driven by the dynamo.

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arXiv2014

Modelling the Hidden Magnetic Field of Low-Mass Stars

Zeeman-Doppler imaging is a spectropolarimetric technique that is used to map the large-scale surface magnetic fields of stars. These maps in turn are used to study the structure of the stars' coronae and winds. This method, however, misses any small-scale magnetic flux whose polarisation signatures cancel out. Measurements of Zeeman broadening show that a large percentage of the surface magnetic flux may be neglected in this way. In this paper we assess the impact of this 'missing flux' on the predicted coronal structure and the possible rates of spin down due to the stellar wind. To do this we create a model for the small-scale field and add this to the Zeeman-Doppler maps of the magnetic fields of a sample of 12 M dwarfs. We extrapolate this combined field and determine the structure of a hydrostatic, isothermal corona. The addition of small-scale surface field produces a carpet of low-lying magnetic loops that covers most of the surface, including the stellar equivalent of solar 'coronal holes' where the large-scale field is opened up by the stellar wind and hence would be X-ray dark. We show that the trend of the X-ray emission measure with rotation rate (the so-called 'activity-rotation relation') is unaffected by the addition of small-scale field, when scaled with respect to the large-scale field of each star. The addition of small-scale field increases the surface flux; however, the large-scale open flux that governs the loss of mass and angular momentum in the wind remains unaffected. We conclude that spin-down times and mass loss rates calculated from surface magnetograms are unlikely to be significantly influenced by the neglect of small-scale field.

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arXiv2013

Evidence for dynamo bistability among very low mass stars

Dynamo action in fully convective stars is a debated issue that also questions our understanding of magnetic field generation in partly convective Sun-like stars. During the past few years, spectropolari- metric observations have demonstrated that fully convective objects are able to trigger strong large-scale and long-lived magnetic fields. We present here the first spectropolarimetric study of a sample of active late M dwarfs (M5-M8) carried out with ESPaDOnS@CFHT. It reveals the co-existence of two distinct types of magnetism among stars having similar masses and rotation rates. A possible explanation for this unexpected discovery is the existence of two dynamo branches in this parameter regime, we discuss here the possible identification with the weak vs strong field bistability predicted for the geodynamo.

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arXiv2013

M-dwarf stellar winds: the effects of realistic magnetic geometry on rotational evolution and planets

We perform three-dimensional numerical simulations of stellar winds of early-M dwarf stars. Our simulations incorporate observationally reconstructed large-scale surface magnetic maps, suggesting that the complexity of the magnetic field can play an important role in the angular momentum evolution of the star, possibly explaining the large distribution of periods in field dM stars, as reported in recent works. In spite of the diversity of the magnetic field topologies among the stars in our sample, we find that stellar wind flowing near the (rotational) equatorial plane carries most of the stellar angular momentum, but there is no preferred colatitude contributing to mass loss, as the mass flux is maximum at different colatitudes for different stars. We find that more non-axisymmetric magnetic fields result in more asymmetric mass fluxes and wind total pressures $p_{\rm tot}$ (defined as the sum of thermal, magnetic and ram pressures). Because planetary magnetospheric sizes are set by pressure equilibrium between the planet's magnetic field and $p_{\rm tot}$, variations of up to a factor of $3$ in $p_{\rm tot}$ (as found in the case of a planet orbiting at several stellar radii away from the star) lead to variations in magnetospheric radii of about 20 percent along the planetary orbital path. In analogy to the flux of cosmic rays that impact the Earth, which is inversely modulated with the non-axisymmetric component of the total open solar magnetic flux, we conclude that planets orbiting M dwarf stars like DT~Vir, DS~Leo and GJ~182, which have significant non-axisymmetric field components, should be the more efficiently shielded from galactic cosmic rays, even if the planets lack a protective thick atmosphere/large magnetosphere of their own.

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arXiv2013

A Bcool magnetic snapshot survey of solar-type stars

Stellar magnetic field measurements obtained from spectropolarimetry offer key data for activity and dynamo studies, and we present the results of a major high-resolution spectropolarimetric Bcool project magnetic snapshot survey of 170 solar-type stars from observations with the Telescope Bernard Lyot and the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. For each target star a high signal-to-noise circularly polarised Stokes V profile has been obtained using Least-Squares Deconvolution, and used to detect surface magnetic fields and measure the corresponding mean surface longitudinal magnetic field ($B_{l}$). Chromospheric activity indicators were also measured. Surface magnetic fields were detected for 67 stars, with 21 of these stars classified as mature solar-type stars, a result that increases by a factor of four the number of mature solar-type stars on which magnetic fields have been observed. In addition, a magnetic field was detected for 3 out of 18 of the subgiant stars surveyed. For the population of K-dwarfs the mean value of $B_{l}$ ($|B_{l}|_{mean}$) was also found to be higher (5.7 G) than $|B_{l}|_{mean}$ measured for the G-dwarfs (3.2 G) and the F-dwarfs (3.3 G). For the sample as a whole $|B_{l}|_{mean}$ increases with rotation rate and decreases with age, and the upper envelope for $|B_{l}|$ correlates well with the observed chromospheric emission. Stars with a chromospheric S-index greater than about 0.2 show a high magnetic field detection rate and so offer optimal targets for future studies. This survey constitutes the most extensive spectropolarimetric survey of cool stars undertaken to date, and suggests that it is feasible to pursue magnetic mapping of a wide range of moderately active solar-type stars to improve understanding of their surface fields and dynamos.

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arXiv2013

Classical T Tauri stars: magnetic fields, coronae, and star-disc interactions

The magnetic fields of young stars set their coronal properties and control their spin evolution via the star-disc interaction and outflows. Using 14 magnetic maps of 10 classical T Tauri stars (CTTSs) we investigate their closed X-ray emitting coronae, their open wind-bearing magnetic fields, and the geometry of magnetospheric accretion flows. The magnetic fields of all the CTTSs are multipolar. Stars with simpler (more dipolar) large-scale magnetic fields have stronger fields, are slower rotators, and have larger X-ray emitting coronae compared to stars with more complex large-scale magnetic fields. The field complexity controls the distribution of open and closed field regions across the stellar surface, and strongly influences the location and shapes of accretion hot spots. However, the higher order field components are of secondary importance in determining the total unsigned open magnetic flux, which depends mainly on the strength of the dipole component and the stellar surface area. Likewise, the dipole component alone provides an adequate approximation of the disc truncation radius. For some stars, the pressure of the hot coronal plasma dominates the stellar magnetic pressure and forces open the closed field inside the disc truncation radius. This is significant as accretion models generally assume that the magnetic field has a closed geometry out to the inner disc edge.

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arXiv2013

Planetary protection in the extreme environments of low-mass stars

Recent results showed that the magnetic field of M-dwarf (dM) stars, currently the main targets in searches for terrestrial planets, is very different from the solar one, both in topology as well as in intensity. In particular, the magnetised environment surrounding a planet orbiting in the habitable zone (HZ) of dM stars can differ substantially to the one encountered around the Earth. These extreme magnetic fields can compress planetary magnetospheres to such an extent that a significant fraction of the planet's atmosphere may be exposed to erosion by the stellar wind. Using observed surface magnetic maps for a sample of 15 dM stars, we investigate the minimum degree of planetary magnetospheric compression caused by the intense stellar magnetic fields. We show that hypothetical Earth-like planets with similar terrestrial magnetisation (~1G) orbiting at the inner (outer) edge of the HZ of these stars would present magnetospheres that extend at most up to 6.1 (11.7) planetary radii. To be able to sustain an Earth-sized magnetosphere, the terrestrial planet would either need to orbit significantly farther out than the traditional limits of the HZ; or else, if it were orbiting within the life-bearing region, it would require a minimum magnetic field ranging from a few G to up to a few thousand G.

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arXiv2013

Can we predict the magnetic properties of PMS stars from their H-R diagram location?

Spectropolarimetric observations combined with tomographic imaging techniques have revealed that all pre-main sequence (PMS) stars host multipolar magnetic fields, ranging from strong and globally axisymmetric with ~>kilo-Gauss dipole components, to complex and non-axisymmetric with weak dipole components (<~0.1 kG). Many host dominantly octupolar large-scale fields. We argue that the large-scale magnetic properties of a PMS star are related to its location in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. This conference paper is a synopsis of Gregory et al. (2012), updated to include the latest results from magnetic mapping studies of PMS stars.

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arXiv2013

Exoplanet Transit Variability: Bow Shocks and Winds Around HD 189733b

By analogy with the solar system, it is believed that stellar winds will form bow shocks around exoplanets. For hot Jupiters the bow shock will not form directly between the planet and the star, causing an asymmetric distribution of mass around the exoplanet and hence an asymmetric transit. As the planet orbits thorough varying wind conditions, the strength and geometry of its bow shock will change, thus producing transits of varying shape. We model this process using magnetic maps of HD 189733 taken one year apart, coupled with a 3D stellar wind model, to determine the local stellar wind conditions throughout the orbital path of the planet. We predict the time-varying geometry and density of the bow shock that forms around the magnetosphere of the planet and simulate transit light curves. Depending on the nature of the stellar magnetic field, and hence its wind, we find that both the transit duration and ingress time can vary when compared to optical light curves. We conclude that consecutive near-UV transit light curves may vary significantly and can therefore provide an insight into the structure and evolution of the stellar wind.

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arXiv2013

Effects of M dwarf magnetic fields on potentially habitable planets

We investigate the effect of the magnetic fields of M dwarf (dM) stars on potentially habitable Earth-like planets. These fields can reduce the size of planetary magnetospheres to such an extent that a significant fraction of the planet's atmosphere may be exposed to erosion by the stellar wind. We used a sample of 15 active dM stars, for which surface magnetic-field maps were reconstructed, to determine the magnetic pressure at the planet orbit and hence the largest size of its magnetosphere, which would only be decreased by considering the stellar wind. Our method provides a fast means to assess which planets are most affected by the stellar magnetic field. We show that hypothetical Earth-like planets with similar terrestrial magnetisation (1G) orbiting at the inner (outer) edge of the habitable zone of these stars would present magnetospheres that extend at most up to 6 (11.7) planetary radii. To be able to sustain an Earth-sized magnetosphere, with the exception of only a few cases, the terrestrial planet would either (1) need to orbit significantly farther out than the traditional limits of the habitable zone; or else, (2) if it were orbiting within the habitable zone, it would require at least a magnetic field ranging from a few G to up to a few thousand G. By assuming a magnetospheric size that is more appropriate for the young-Earth (3.4Gyr ago), the required planetary magnetic fields are one order of magnitude weaker. However, in this case, the polar-cap area of the planet, which is unprotected from transport of particles to/from interplanetary space, is twice as large. As the star becomes older and, therefore, its rotation rate and magnetic field reduce, the interplanetary magnetic pressure decreases and the magnetosphere of planets probably expands. Using an empirically derived rotation-activity/magnetism relation,... (continues)

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arXiv2013

Influence of surface stressing on stellar coronae and winds

The large-scale field of the Sun is well represented by its lowest energy (or potential) state. Recent observations, by comparison, reveal that many solar-type stars show large-scale surface magnetic fields that are highly non-potential - that is, they have been stressed above their lowest-energy state. This non-potential component of the surface field is neglected by current stellar wind models. The aim of this paper is to determine its effect on the coronal structure and wind. We use Zeeman-Doppler surface magnetograms of two stars - one with an almost potential, one with a non-potential surface field - to extrapolate a static model of the coronal structure for each star. We find that the stresses are carried almost exclusively in a band of uni-directional azimuthal field that is confined to mid-latitudes. Using this static solution as an initial state for an MHD wind model, we then find that the final state is determined primarily by the potential component of the surface magnetic field. The band of azimuthal field must be confined close to the stellar surface as it is not compatible with a steady-state wind. By artificially increasing the stellar rotation rate we demonstrate that the observed azimuthal fields can not be produced by the action of the wind but must be due to processes at or below the stellar surface. We conclude that the background winds of solar-like stars are largely unaffected by these highly-stressed surface fields. Nonetheless, the increased flare activity and associated coronal mass ejections that may be expected to accompany such highly-stressed fields may have a significant impact on any surrounding planets.

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arXiv2013

A coordinated optical and X-ray spectroscopic campaign on HD179949: searching for planet-induced chromospheric and coronal activity

HD179949 is an F8V star, orbited by a close-in giant planet with a period of ~3 days. Previous studies suggested that the planet enhances the magnetic activity of the parent star, producing a chromospheric hot spot which rotates in phase with the planet orbit. However, this phenomenon is intermittent since it was observed in several but not all seasons. A long-term monitoring of the magnetic activity of HD179949 is required to study the amplitude and time scales of star-planet interactions. In 2009 we performed a simultaneous optical and X-ray spectroscopic campaign to monitor the magnetic activity of HD179949 during ~5 orbital periods and ~2 stellar rotations. We analyzed the CaII H&K lines as a proxy for chromospheric activity, and we studied the X-ray emission in search of flux modulations and to determine basic properties of the coronal plasma. A detailed analysis of the flux in the cores of the CaII H&K lines and a similar study of the X-ray photometry shows evidence of source variability, including one flare. The analysis of the the time series of chromospheric data indicates a modulation with a ~11 days period, compatible with the stellar rotation period at high latitudes. Instead, the X-ray light curve suggests a signal with a period of ~4 days, consistent with the presence of two active regions on opposite hemispheres. The observed variability can be explained, most likely, as due to rotational modulation and to intrinsic evolution of chromospheric and coronal activity. There is no clear signature related to the orbital motion of the planet, but the possibility that just a fraction of the chromospheric and coronal variability is modulated with the orbital period of the planet, or the stellar-planet beat period, cannot be excluded. We conclude that any effect due to the presence of the planet is difficult to disentangle.

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arXiv2013

Ionisation in atmospheres of Brown Dwarfs and extrasolar planets III. Breakdown conditions for mineral clouds

Electric discharges were detected directly in the cloudy atmospheres of Earth, Jupiter and Saturn, are debatable for Venus, and indirectly inferred for Neptune and Uranus in our solar system. Sprites (and other types of transient luminous events) have been detected only on Earth, and are theoretically predicted for Jupiter, Saturn and Venus. Cloud formation is a common phenomenon in ultra-cool atmospheres such as in Brown Dwarf and extrasolar planetary atmospheres. Cloud particles can be expected to carry considerable charges which may trigger discharge events via small-scale processes between individual cloud particles (intra-cloud discharges) or large-scale processes between clouds (inter-cloud discharges). We investigate electrostatic breakdown characteristics, like critical field strengths and critical charge densities per surface, to demonstrate under which conditions mineral clouds undergo electric discharge events which may trigger or be responsible for sporadic X-ray emission. We apply results from our kinetic dust cloud formation model that is part of the Drift-Phoenix model atmosphere simulations. We present a first investigation of the dependence of the breakdown conditions in Brown Dwarf and giant gas exoplanets on the local gas-phase chemistry, the effective temperature and primordial gas-phase metallicity. Our results suggest that different intra-cloud discharge processes dominate at different heights inside mineral clouds: local coronal (point discharges) and small-scale sparks at the bottom region of the cloud where the gas density is high, and flow discharges and large-scale sparks near, and maybe above, the cloud top. The comparison of the thermal degree of ionisation and the number density of cloud particles allows us to suggest the efficiency with which discharges will occur in planetary atmospheres.

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arXiv2012

Multiple views of magnetism in cool stars

Magnetic fields are regarded as a crucial element for our understanding of stellar physics. They can be studied with a variety of methods which provide complementary - and sometimes contradictory - information about the structure, strength and dynamics of the magnetic field and its role in the evolution of stars. Stellar magnetic fields can be investigated either with direct methods based on the Zeeman effect or through the observation of activity phenomena resulting from the interaction of the field with the stellar atmosphere. In this Cool Stars XVII Splinter Session we discussed the results obtained by the many ongoing studies of stellar activity and direct studies of surface magnetic fields, as well as the state- of-the-art techniques on which they are based. We show the strengths and limitations of the various approaches currently used and to point out their evolution as well as the interest of coupling various magnetism and activity proxies.

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arXiv2012

Can we predict the global magnetic topology of a pre-main sequence star from its position in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram?

ZDI studies have shown that the magnetic fields of T Tauri stars can be significantly more complex than a simple dipole and can vary markedly between sources. We collect and summarize the magnetic field topology information obtained to date and present Hertzsprung-Russell (HR) diagrams for the stars in the sample. Intriguingly, the large scale field topology of a given pre-main sequence (PMS) star is strongly dependent upon the stellar internal structure, with the strength of the dipole component of its multipolar magnetic field decaying rapidly with the development of a radiative core. Using the observational data as a basis, we argue that the general characteristics of the global magnetic field of a PMS star can be determined from its position in the HR diagram. Moving from hotter and more luminous to cooler and less luminous stars across the PMS of the HR diagram, we present evidence for four distinct magnetic topology regimes. Stars with large radiative cores, empirically estimated to be those with a core mass in excess of ~40 per cent of the stellar mass, host highly complex and dominantly non-axisymmetric magnetic fields, while those with smaller radiative cores host axisymmetric fields with field modes of higher order than the dipole dominant (typically, but not always, the octupole). Fully convective stars stars above ~0.5 MSun appear to host dominantly axisymmetric fields with strong (kilo-Gauss) dipole components. Based on similarities between the magnetic properties of PMS stars and main sequence M-dwarfs with similar internal structures, we speculate that a bistable dynamo process operates for lower mass stars (<~0.5 MSun at an age of a few Myr) and that they will be found to host a variety of magnetic field topologies. If the magnetic topology trends across the HR diagram are confirmed they may provide a new method of constraining PMS stellar evolution models.

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