Planet-hosting Stars Research Articles

Flare activity and photospheric analysis of Proxima Centauri

We present the analysis of emission lines in high-resolution optical spectra of the planet-host star Proxima Centauri (Proxima) classified as a M5.5V\@. We carry out the detailed analysis of observed spectra to get a better understanding of the physical conditions of the atmosphere of this star. We identify the emission lines in a serie series of 147 high-resolution optical spectra of the star at different levels of activity and compare them with the synthetic spectra computed over a wide spectral range. Our synthetic spectra computed with the PHOENIX 2900/5.0/0.0 model atmosphere fits pretty well the observed optical-to-near-infrared spectral energy distribution. However, modelling strong atomic lines in the blue spectrum (3900--4200\AA{}) requires implementing additional opacity. We show that high temperature layers in Proxima Centauri consist in at least three emitting parts: a) a stellar chromosphere where numerous emission lines form. We suggest that some emission cores of strong absorption lines of metals form there; b) flare regions above the chromosphere, where hydrogen Balmer lines up to high transition levels (10--2) form; c) a stellar wind component with V${r}$\,=\,$-$30 \kmps{} seen in some Balmer lines as blue shifted emission lines. We believe that the observed He line at 4026\AA{} in emission can be formed in that very hot region. We show, that real structure of the atmosphere of Proxima is rather complicated. The photosphere of the star is best fit by a normal M5 dwarf spectrum. On the other hand emission lines form in the chromosphere, flare regions and extended hot envelope.

SPIRou input catalogue: activity, rotation and magnetic field of cool dwarfs

Based on optical high-resolution spectra obtained with CFHT/ESPaDOnS, we present new measurements of activity and magnetic field proxies of 442 low-mass K5-M7 dwarfs. The objects were analysed as potential targets to search for planetary-mass companions with the new spectropolarimeter and high-precision velocimeter, SPIRou. We have analysed their high-resolution spectra in an homogeneous way: circular polarisation, chromospheric features, and Zeeman broadening of the FeH infrared line. The complex relationship between these activity indicators is analysed: while no strong connection is found between the large-scale and small-scale magnetic fields, the latter relates with the non-thermal flux originating in the chromosphere. We then examine the relationship between various activity diagnostics and the optical radial-velocity jitter available in the literature, especially for planet host stars. We use this to derive for all stars an activity merit function (higher for quieter stars) with the goal of identifying the most favorable stars where the radial-velocity jitter is low enough for planet searches. We find that the main contributors to the RV jitter are the large-scale magnetic field and the chromospheric non-thermal emission. In addition, three stars (GJ 1289, GJ 793, and GJ 251) have been followed along their rotation using the spectropolarimetric mode, and we derive their magnetic topology. These very slow rotators are good representatives of future SPIRou targets. They are compared to other stars where the magnetic topology is also known. The poloidal component of the magnetic field is predominent in all three stars.

Asteroseismic masses of retired planet-hosting A-stars using SONG

To better understand how planets form, it is important to study planet occurrence rates as a function of stellar mass. However, estimating masses of field stars is often difficult. Over the past decade, a controversy has arisen about the inferred occurrence rate of gas-giant planets around evolved intermediate-mass stars -- the so-called `retired A-stars'. The high masses of these red-giant planet hosts, derived using spectroscopic information and stellar evolution models, have been called into question. Here we address the controversy by determining the masses of eight evolved planet-hosting stars using asteroseismology. We compare the masses with spectroscopic-based masses from the Exoplanet Orbit Database that were previously adopted to infer properties of the exoplanets and their hosts. We find a significant one-sided offset between the two sets of masses for stars with spectroscopic masses above roughly 1.6Msun, suggestive of an average 15--20% overestimate of the adopted spectroscopic-based masses. The only star in our sample well below this mass limit is also the only one not showing this offset. Finally, we note that the scatter across literature values of spectroscopic-based masses often exceed their formal uncertainties, making it comparable to the offset we report here.

Spatially resolved spectroscopy across stellar surfaces

CONTEXT: High-resolution spectroscopy across spatially resolved stellar surfaces aims at obtaining spectral-line profiles that are free from rotational broadening; the gradual changes of these profiles from disk center toward the stellar limb reveal properties of atmospheric fine structure, which are possible to model with 3-D hydrodynamics. AIMS: Previous such studies have only been carried out for the Sun but are now extended to other stars. In this work, profiles of photospheric spectral lines are retrieved across the disk of the planet-hosting star HD209458 (G0V). METHODS: During exoplanet transit, stellar surface portions successively become hidden and differential spectroscopy provides spectra of small surface segments temporarily hidden behind the planet. The method was elaborated in Paper I, with observable signatures quantitatively predicted from hydrodynamic simulations. RESULTS: From observations of HD209458 with spectral resolution R=80,000, photospheric FeI line profiles are obtained at several center-to-limb positions, reaching adequately high S/N after averaging over numerous similar lines CONCLUSIONS: Retrieved line profiles are compared to synthetic line profiles. Hydrodynamic 3-D models predict, and current observations confirm, that photospheric absorption lines become broader and shallower toward the stellar limb, reflecting that horizontal velocities in stellar granulation are greater than vertical velocities. Additional types of 3-D signatures will become observable with the highest resolution spectrometers at large telescopes.

MOVES – I. The evolving magnetic field of the planet-hosting star HD189733

HD189733 is an active K dwarf that is, with its transiting hot Jupiter, among the most studied exoplanetary systems. In this first paper of the Multiwavelength Observations of an eVaporating Exoplanet and its Star (MOVES) program, we present a 2-year monitoring of the large-scale magnetic field of HD189733. The magnetic maps are reconstructed for five epochs of observations, namely June-July 2013, August 2013, September 2013, September 2014, and July 2015, using Zeeman-Doppler Imaging. We show that the field evolves along the five epochs, with mean values of the total magnetic field of 36, 41, 42, 32 and 37 G, respectively. All epochs show a toroidally-dominated field. Using previously published data of Moutou et al. 2007 and Fares et al. 2010, we are able to study the evolution of the magnetic field over 9 years, one of the longest monitoring campaign for a given star. While the field evolved during the observed epochs, no polarity switch of the poles was observed. We calculate the stellar magnetic field value at the position of the planet using the Potential Field Source Surface extrapolation technique. We show that the planetary magnetic environment is not homogeneous over the orbit, and that it varies between observing epochs, due to the evolution of the stellar magnetic field. This result underlines the importance of contemporaneous multi-wavelength observations to characterise exoplanetary systems. Our reconstructed maps are a crucial input for the interpretation and modelling of our MOVES multi-wavelength observations.

Exoplanets as probes of the winds of host stars: the case of the M dwarf GJ 436

Winds of cool dwarfs are difficult to observe, with only a few M dwarfs presenting observationally-derived mass-loss rates (Mdot), which span several orders of magnitude. Close-in exoplanets are conveniently positioned in the inner regions of stellar winds and can, thus, be used to probe the otherwise-unobservable local properties of their host-stars' winds. Here, we use local stellar wind characteristics observationally-derived in the studies of atmospheric evaporation of the warm-neptune GJ436 b to derive the global characteristics of the wind of its M-dwarf host. Using an isothermal wind model, we constrain the stellar wind temperature to be in the range [0.36,0.43] MK, with Mdot=[0.5,2.5] x 10^{-15} Msyn/yr. By computing the pressure balance between the stellar wind and the interstellar medium, we derive the size of the astrophere of GJ436 to be around 25 au, significantly more compact than the heliosphere. We demonstrate in this paper that transmission spectroscopy, coupled to planetary atmospheric evaporation and stellar wind models, can be a useful tool for constraining the large-scale wind structure of planet-hosting stars. Extending our approach to future planetary systems discoveries will open new perspectives for the combined characterisation of planetary exospheres and winds of cool dwarf stars.

The stability of tightly-packed, evenly-spaced systems of Earth-mass planets orbiting a Sun-like star

Many of the multi-planet systems discovered to date have been notable for their compactness, with neighbouring planets closer together than any in the Solar System. Interestingly, planet-hosting stars have a wide range of ages, suggesting that such compact systems can survive for extended periods of time. We have used numerical simulations to investigate how quickly systems go unstable in relation to the spacing between planets, focusing on hypothetical systems of Earth-mass planets on evenly-spaced orbits (in mutual Hill radii). In general, the further apart the planets are initially, the longer it takes for a pair of planets to undergo a close encounter. We recover the results of previous studies, showing a linear trend in the initial planet spacing between 3 and 8 mutual Hill radii and the logarithm of the stability time. Investigating thousands of simulations with spacings up to 13 mutual Hill radii reveals distinct modulations superimposed on this relationship in the vicinity of first and second-order mean motion resonances of adjacent and next-adjacent planets. We discuss the impact of this structure and the implications on the stability of compact multi-planet systems. Applying the outcomes of our simulations, we show that isolated systems of up to five Earth-mass planets can fit in the habitable zone of a Sun-like star without close encounters for at least 109 orbits.

SWEET-Cat update and FASMA

Context: Thanks to the importance that the star-planet relation has to our understanding of the planet formation process, the precise determination of stellar parameters for the ever increasing number of discovered extrasolar planets is of great relevance. Furthermore, precise stellar parameters are needed to fully characterize the planet properties. It is thus important to continue the efforts to determine, in the most uniform way possible, the parameters for stars with planets as new discoveries are announced. Aims: In this paper we present new precise atmospheric parameters for a sample of 50 stars with planets. The results are presented in the catalogue: SWEET-Cat. Methods: Stellar atmospheric parameters and masses for the 50 stars were derived assuming local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) and using high-resolution and high signal-to-noise spectra. The methodology used is based on the measurement of equivalent widths with ARES2 for a list of iron lines. The line abundances were derived using MOOG. We then used the curve of growth analysis to determine the parameters. We implemented a new minimization procedure which significantly improves the computational time. Results: The stellar parameters for the 50 stars are presented and compared with previously determined literature values. For SWEET-Cat, we compile values for the effective temperature, surface gravity, metallicity, and stellar mass for almost all the planet host stars listed in the Extrasolar Planets Encyclopedia. This data will be updated on a continuous basis. The data can be used for statistical studies of the star-planet correlation, and for the derivation of consistent properties for known planets.

Characterisation of exoplanet host stars: A window into planet formation

AbstractThe detection of thousands of planets orbiting stars other than the Sun has shown that planets are common throughout the Galaxy. However, the diversity of systems found has also raised many questions regarding the process of planet formation and evolution. Interestingly, but perhaps not unexpectedly, crucial information to constraint the planet formation models comes from the analysis of the planet-host stars. In this talk I will review why it is so important to study and understand the stars when finding and characterising exoplanets. I will then present some of the most relevant star-planet relations found to date, and how they are helping us to understand planet formation and evolution. I will end with a presentation of the future steps in this field, including what Gaia will bring to help constrain the properties of planet-host stars, as well as to the star-planet connection.

Four Sub-Saturns with Dissimilar Densities: Windows into Planetary Cores and Envelopes

Abstract We present results from a Keck/HIRES radial velocity campaign to study four sub-Saturn-sized planets, K2-27b, K2-32b, K2-39b, and K2-108b, with the goal of understanding their masses, orbits, and heavy-element enrichment. The planets have similar sizes ( = 4.5–5.5 ), but have dissimilar masses ( = 16–60 ), implying a diversity in their core and envelope masses. K2-32b is the least massive ( ) and orbits in close proximity to two sub-Neptunes near a 3:2:1 period commensurability. K2-27b and K2-39b are significantly more massive at and , respectively, and show no signs of additional planets. K2-108b is the most massive at , implying a large reservoir of heavy elements of about ≈50 . Sub-Saturns as a population have a large diversity in planet mass at a given size. They exhibit remarkably little correlation between mass and size; sub-Saturns range from ≈6–60 , regardless of size. We find a strong correlation between planet mass and host star metallicity, suggesting that metal-rich disks form more massive planet cores. The most massive sub-Saturns tend to lack detected companions and have moderately eccentric orbits, perhaps as a result of a previous epoch of dynamical instability. Finally, we observe only a weak correlation between the planet envelope fraction and present-day equilibrium temperature, suggesting that photo-evaporation does not play a dominant role in determining the amount of gas sub-Saturns accrete from their protoplanetary disks.

Accurate Empirical Radii and Masses of Planets and Their Host Stars with Gaia Parallaxes

Abstract We present empirical measurements of the radii of 116 stars that host transiting planets. These radii are determined using only direct observables—the bolometric flux at Earth, the effective temperature, and the parallax provided by the Gaia first data release—and thus are virtually model independent, with extinction being the only free parameter. We also determine each star’s mass using our newly determined radius and the stellar density, a virtually model independent quantity itself from previously published transit analyses. These stellar radii and masses are in turn used to redetermine the transiting-planet radii and masses, again using only direct observables. The median uncertainties on the stellar radii and masses are 8% and 30%, respectively, and the resulting uncertainties on the planet radii and masses are 9% and 22%, respectively. These accuracies are generally larger than previously published model-dependent precisions of 5% and 6% on the planet radii and masses, respectively, but the newly determined values are purely empirical. We additionally report radii for 242 stars hosting radial-velocity (non-transiting) planets, with a median achieved accuracy of ≈2%. Using our empirical stellar masses we verify that the majority of putative “retired A stars” in the sample are indeed more massive than ∼1.2 . Most importantly, the bolometric fluxes and angular radii reported here for a total of 498 planet host stars—with median accuracies of 1.7% and 1.8%, respectively—serve as a fundamental data set to permit the re-determination of transiting-planet radii and masses with the Gaia second data release to ≈3% and ≈5% accuracy, better than currently published precisions, and determined in an entirely empirical fashion.

Chemical Abundances of M-Dwarfs from the Apogee Survey. I. The Exoplanet Hosting Stars Kepler-138 and Kepler-186

Abstract We report the first detailed chemical abundance analysis of the exoplanet-hosting M-dwarf stars Kepler-138 and Kepler-186 from the analysis of high-resolution (R ∼ 22,500) H-band spectra from the SDSS-IV–APOGEE survey. Chemical abundances of 13 elements—C, O, Na, Mg, Al, Si, K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, and Fe—are extracted from the APOGEE spectra of these early M-dwarfs via spectrum syntheses computed with an improved line list that takes into account H2O and FeH lines. This paper demonstrates that APOGEE spectra can be analyzed to determine detailed chemical compositions of M-dwarfs. Both exoplanet-hosting M-dwarfs display modest sub-solar metallicities: [Fe/H]Kepler-138 = −0.09 ± 0.09 dex and [Fe/H]Kepler-186 = −0.08 ± 0.10 dex. The measured metallicities resulting from this high-resolution analysis are found to be higher by ∼0.1–0.2 dex than previous estimates from lower-resolution spectra. The C/O ratios obtained for the two planet-hosting stars are near-solar, with values of 0.55 ± 0.10 for Kepler-138 and 0.52 ± 0.12 for Kepler-186. Kepler-186 exhibits a marginally enhanced [Si/Fe] ratio.

C/O AND O/H RATIOS SUGGEST SOME HOT JUPITERS ORIGINATE BEYOND THE SNOW LINE

ABSTRACT The elemental compositions of planet-hosting stars serve as proxies for the primordial compositions of protoplanetary disks within which the planets form. The temperature profile of the disk governs the condensation fronts of various compounds, and although these chemically distinct regions migrate and mix during the disk lifetime, they can still leave an imprint on the compositions of the forming planets. Observable atmospheric compositions of hot Jupiters, when compared against their host stars, could potentially constrain their formation and migration processes. We compared the measured planetary and stellar abundances of carbon and oxygen for 10 systems with hot Jupiters. If the planets formed by core accretion with significant planetesimal accretion and migrated through the disk, the hot Jupiter atmospheres should be substantially super-stellar in O/H and substellar in C/O. On the contrary, however, we find that currently reported abundances of hot Jupiters have generally super-stellar C/O ratios, although present uncertainties on the reported O/H and C/O ratios are too large to reach a firm conclusion. In one case, HD 209458b, however, the elevated C/O and depleted O/H of the planet compared to the host star are significant enough to suggest an origin far beyond the ice line, with predominantly gas accretion and subsequent disk-free migration. Improved measurements from the James Webb Space Telescope will enable more precise measurements for more hot Jupiters, and we predict, based on the current marginal trend, that a sizable fraction of hot Jupiters will show enrichment of C/O over and lower O/H than their hosts, similar to HD 209458b.

A critical reassessment of the fundamental properties of GJ 504: chemical composition and age

The recent development of brand new observational techniques and theoretical models have greatly advanced the exoplanet research field. Despite significant achievements, which have allowed the detection of thousands extrasolar systems, a comprehensive understanding of planetary formation and evolution mechanisms is still desired. One relevant limitation is given by the accuracy in the measurements of planet-host star ages. The star GJ 504 has been found to host a substellar companion whose nature is strongly debated. There has been a recent difference of opinion in the literature owing to the uncertainty on the age of the system: a young age of $\sim$ 160 Myr would imply a giant planet as a companion, but a recent revision pointing to a solar age ($\sim$ 4 Gyr) instead suggests a brown dwarf. With the aim of shedding light on this debated topic, we have carried out a high-resolution spectroscopic study of GJ 504 to derive stellar parameters, metallicity, and abundances of both light and heavy elements, providing a full chemical characterisation. The main objective is to infer clues on the evolutionary stage (hence the age) of this system. We performed a strictly differential (line-by-line) analysis of GJ 504 with respect to two reference stars, that is the planet-host dwarf $\iota$ Hor and the subgiant HIP 84827. The former is crucial in this context because its stellar parameters (hence the evolutionary stage) is well constrained from asteroseismic observations. Regardless of the zero point offsets, our differential approach allows us to put tight constraints on the age of GJ 504 with respect to $\iota$ Hor, thereby minimising the internal uncertainties. We found that the surface gravity of GJ 504 is 0.2 $\pm$ 0.07 dex lower than that of the main-sequence star $\iota$ Hor, suggesting a past turn-off evolution[...]

ROBO-AO KEPLER PLANETARY CANDIDATE SURVEY. III. ADAPTIVE OPTICS IMAGING OF 1629 KEPLER EXOPLANET CANDIDATE HOST STARS

ABSTRACT The Robo-AO Kepler Planetary Candidate Survey is observing every Kepler planet candidate host star with laser adaptive optics imaging to search for blended nearby stars, which may be physically associated companions and/or responsible for transit false positives. In this paper, we present the results of our search for stars nearby 1629 Kepler planet candidate hosts. With survey sensitivity to objects as close as ∼0.″15, and magnitude differences Δm , we find 223 stars in the vicinity of 206 target KOIs; 209 of these nearby stars have not been previously imaged in high resolution. We measure an overall nearby-star probability for Kepler planet candidates of at separations between 0.″15 and 4.″0. Particularly interesting KOI systems are discussed, including 26 stars with detected companions that host rocky, habitable zone candidates and five new candidate planet-hosting quadruple star systems. We explore the broad correlations between planetary systems and stellar binarity, using the combined data set of Baranec et al. and this paper. Our previous 2σ result of a low detected nearby star fraction of KOIs hosting close-in giant planets is less apparent in this larger data set. We also find a significant correlation between detected nearby star fraction and KOI number, suggesting possible variation between early and late Kepler data releases.

A BCool survey of the magnetic fields of planet-hosting solar-type stars

We present a spectropolarimetric snapshot survey of solar-type planet hosting stars. In addition to 14 planet-hosting stars observed as part of the BCool magnetic snapshot survey, we obtained magnetic observations of a further 19 planet-hosting solar-type stars in order to see if the presence of close-in planets had an effect on the measured surface magnetic field (|B$_{\ell}$|). Our results indicate that the magnetic activity of this sample is congruent with that of the overall BCool sample. The effects of the planetary systems on the magnetic activity of the parent star, if any, are too subtle to detect compared to the intrinsic dispersion and correlations with rotation, age and stellar activity proxies in our sample. Four of the 19 newly observed stars, two of which are subgiants, have unambiguously detected magnetic fields and are future targets for Zeeman Doppler Mapping.

The Influences of Stellar Activity on Planetary Atmospheres

AbstractOn evolutionary timescales, the atmospheres of planets evolve due to interactions with the planet's surface and with the planet's host star. Stellar X-ray and EUV (=’XUV’) radiation is absorbed high in the atmosphere, driving photochemistry, heating the gas, and causing atmospheric expansion and mass loss. Atmospheres can interact strongly with the stellar winds, leading to additional mass loss. In this review, I summarise some of the ways in which stellar output can influence the atmospheres of planets. I will discuss the importance of simultaneously understanding the evolution of the star's output and the time dependent properties of the planet's atmosphere.

Simulating the environment around planet-hosting stars

We present the results of a comprehensive numerical simulation of the environment around three exoplanet-host stars (HD 1237, HD 22049, and HD 147513). Our simulations consider one of the latest models currently used for space weather studies in the Heliosphere. Large-scale magnetic field maps, recovered with two implementations of the tomographic technique of Zeeman-Doppler imaging, serve to drive steady-state solutions in each system. This paper contains the description of the stellar wind and inner astrosphere, while the coronal structure was previously discussed in Alvarado-G\'omez et al. (2016). The analysis includes the magneto-hydrodynamical properties of the stellar wind, the associated mass and angular momentum loss rates, as well as the topology of the astrospheric current sheet in each system. A systematic comparison among the considered cases is performed, including two reference solar simulations covering activity minimum and maximum. For HD 1237, we investigate the interactions between the structure of the developed stellar wind, and a possible magnetosphere around the Jupiter-mass planet in this system. We find that the process of particle injection into the planetary atmosphere is dominated by the density distribution rather than velocity profile of the stellar wind. In this context, we predict a maximum exoplanetary radio emission of 12 mJy at 40 MHz in this system, assuming the crossing of a high-density streamer during periastron passage. Furthermore, in combination with the analysis performed in Alvarado-G\'omez et al. (2016), we obtain for the first time a fully simulated mass loss-activity relation, which is compared and discussed in the context of the relation based on astrospheric detections proposed by Wood et al. (2005a). Finally, we provide a characterisation of the 3D properties of the stellar wind of these systems, at the inner edges of their habitable zones.

Glimpses of stellar surfaces

We use high accuracy photometric data obtained with the Kepler satellite to monitor the activity modulations of the Kepler-210 planet host star over a time span of more than four years. Following the phenomenology of the star's light curve in combination with a five spot model, we identify six different so-called spot seasons. A characteristic, which is common in the majority of the seasons, is the persistent appearance of spots in a specific range of longitudes on the stellar surface. The most prominent period of the observed activity modulations is different for each season and appears to evolve following a specific pattern, resembling the changes in the sunspot periods during the solar magnetic cycle. Under the hypothesis that the star exhibits solar-like differential rotation, we suggest differential rotation values of Kepler-210 that are similar to or smaller than that of the Sun. Finally, we estimate spot life times between 60 days and 90 days, taking into consideration the evolution of the total covered stellar surface computed from our model.

Behaviour of elements from lithium to europium in stars with and without planets

We conducted an analysis of the distribution of elements from lithium to europium in 200 dwarfs in the solar neighbourhood ~20 pc with temperatures in the range 4800-6200 K and metallicities [Fe/H] higher than -0.5 dex. Determinations of atmospheric parameters and the chemical composition of the dwarfs were taken from our previous studies. We found that the lithium abundances in the planet-hosting solar-analog stars of our sample were lower than those in the stars without planetary systems. Our results reveal no significant differences exceeding the determination errors for the abundances of investigated elements, except for aluminium and barium, which are more and less abundant in the planet-hosting stars, respectively. We did not find confident dependences of the lithium, aluminium and barium abundances on the ages of our target stars (which is probable because of the small number of stars). Furthermore, we found no correlation between the abundance differences in [El/Fe] and the condensation temperature (Tcond) for stars in the 16 Cyg binary system, unlike the case for 51 Peg (HD 217014), for which a slight excess of volatile elements and a deficit of refractories were obtained relative to those of solar twins. We found that one of the components of 16 Cyg exhibits a slightly higher average abundance than its counterpart (<[El/H](A-B)> = 0.08+/-0.02 dex); however, no significant abundance trend versus Tcond was observed. Owing to the relatively large errors, we cannot provide further constraints for this system.