INSPIRE: Modeling the Magnetic Interactions between Stars and Planets

William Marsh Rice University, Houston TX

Investigators

Abstract

This INSPIRE (Integrated NSF Support Promoting Interdisciplinary Research and Education) project is jointly funded by the Division of Astronomical Sciences in the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences, by the Geospace Section of the Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences in the Directorate for Geosciences, by the Office of Multidisciplinary Activities in the Directorate of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, and by the Office of International and Integrative Activities. Currently, more than 1800 confirmed planetary systems beyond our solar system (i.e. extrasolar planets or exoplanets) have been discovered through ground and space-based astronomical techniques, with an additional 3600 candidate systems yet to be confirmed. These recent discoveries have resulted in dramatic growth in research related to the study of exoplanets with the ultimate objective being the discovery and characterization of habitable Earth-sized systems. The primary goal of this project is to improve our understanding of the interactions between stars and their planets, in particular the role of magnetic fields, to ultimately provide information on the habitability of exoplanet systems. The project's objectives are particularly well-matched to the interdisciplinary goals of the INSPIRE program. First, the project will attack a problem of significance to a broad scientific community, namely the characterization and identification of habitable exoplanets. Second, this research will provide an improved understanding of the Sun's interaction with the planets of our solar system. Furthermore, this project has potential for significant societal impact with regards to the search for life elsewhere in the Universe. This interdisciplinary project will apply techniques and methods drawn from the space physics community to the traditionally astrophysical research area of exoplanets. The project team has significant expertise in computational modeling of the magnetospheres of rocky planets like the Earth and gas giants like Jupiter and Saturn. They will combine their magnetospheric code with available magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) models of the heliosphere in order to model interactions of the solar wind with planetary magnetospheres. A key aspect of the project is to apply these combined models to a much broader class of star-planet interactions by scaling the models to simulate a wide range of stellar parameters. Once the star-planet interactions are modeled, then given varying levels of stellar activity and planetary magnetospheric characteristics, the models will be used predict radio emission for a wide range of systems. These predictions can then be used to target specific systems for further observation and characterization as to their potential habitability.