Collaborative Research: RUI: Star-Planet Interactions Around Low-mass Stars

合作研究：RUI：低质量恒星周围的恒星-行星相互作用

• 批准号: 2108986
• 负责人: Jacqueline Villadsen
• 金额: $ 13.81万
• 依托单位: St Mary's College of Maryland
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-09-01 至 2021-10-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2108986&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; RUI; Star; Planet

A collaborative team from the University of Colorado and Vassar College will study magnetic fields of planets found beyond the Solar System. Magnetic fields shape how planets evolve over time. However, magnetic field properties are currently unknown for almost all planets outside our solar system. When the magnetic fields of planets and stars interact, they produce radio waves. By detecting these radio waves, the project can measure the magnetic fields of planets. The investigators will search for these radio waves and measure their properties. The team will also make computer models to explain the brightness of the radio waves using the magnetic properties of star and planet. This research will train future astronomers and engage undergraduate students in scientific careers. The team will share this research with a broad audience with a planetarium program, available in both English and Spanish. They will also create high-school-level educational materials based on the research results.This project will examine magnetic star-planet interactions from low-mass stars through interconnected observational and theoretical investigations. The investigators will follow-up newly discovered planetary systems from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission. TESS has multiplied the population of known planetary systems predicted to have a detectable signature of radio star-planet interaction. These planets have orbital periods of less than 1 one day, making it feasible to observe complete orbital cycles using ground-based telescopes. Telescopes will be employed to search for periodic radio emission induced by magnetic interactions between low-mass stars and their innermost planets. The team will close knowledge gaps by characterizing the target stars’ magnetic fields via Zeeman broadening and improving planetary radii via transit photometry. To interpret the radio observations and better understand the ability of close-in exoplanets to power radio interactions, the investigators will carry out 3D modeling of the circumplanetary magnetic/plasma environment for magnetically active and inactive stellar hosts. These simulations will characterize planetary atmospheric mass-loss, its dependence on stellar and planetary magnetic properties, and what effect these have on the generation of radio emission.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

科罗拉多大学和瓦萨学院的一个合作小组将研究太阳系外行星的磁场。磁场塑造了行星随时间的演变。然而，目前几乎所有太阳系外行星的磁场特性都是未知的。当行星和恒星的磁场相互作用时，它们会产生无线电波。通过探测这些无线电波，该项目可以测量行星的磁场。研究人员将搜寻这些无线电波并测量它们的特性。该团队还将制作计算机模型，利用恒星和行星的磁性来解释无线电波的亮度。这项研究将培养未来的天文学家，并吸引本科生从事科学事业。该团队将通过天文馆节目与广大观众分享这项研究，该节目有英语和西班牙语两种版本。他们还将以研究结果为基础，制作高中教育教材。该项目将通过相互关联的观测和理论研究来研究低质量恒星的磁性恒星-行星相互作用。研究人员将跟踪美国宇航局凌日系外行星测量卫星（TESS）任务中新发现的行星系统。TESS已经将已知行星系统的数量增加了一倍，这些行星系统预计会有可探测到的恒星-行星相互作用的信号。这些行星的轨道周期小于1天，这使得使用地面望远镜观察完整的轨道周期成为可能。望远镜将被用来寻找由低质量恒星和它们最里面的行星之间的磁相互作用引起的周期性射电发射。该团队将通过塞曼测量来描述目标恒星的磁场，从而缩小知识差距，通过凌日光度测量来扩大和改善行星半径。为了解释射电观测结果，更好地理解近地系外行星为射电相互作用提供动力的能力，研究人员将对磁场活跃和不活跃的恒星宿主的绕行星磁/等离子体环境进行3D建模。这些模拟将描述行星大气质量损失的特征，它对恒星和行星磁性的依赖，以及这些对无线电发射产生的影响。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。