Solar-type Stars Research Articles

Testing Stellar Evolution with Asteroseismic Inversions of a Main-sequence Star Harboring a Small Convective Core

Abstract The goal of stellar evolution theory is to predict the structure of stars throughout their lifetimes. Usually, these predictions can be assessed only indirectly, for example by comparing predicted and observed effective temperatures and luminosities. Thanks now to asteroseismology, which can reveal the internal structure of stars, it becomes possible to compare the predictions from stellar evolution theory to actual stellar structures. In this work, we present an inverse analysis of the oscillation data from the solar-type star KIC 6225718, which was observed by the Kepler space observatory during its nominal mission. As its mass is about 20% greater than solar, this star is predicted to transport energy by convection in its nuclear-burning core. We find significant differences between the predicted and actual structure of the star in the radiative interior near to the convective core. In particular, the predicted sound speed is higher than observed in the deep interior of the star, and too low at a fractional radius of 0.25 and beyond. The cause of these discrepancies is unknown, and is not remedied by known physics in the form of convective overshooting or elemental diffusion.

Orbital and spectral analysis of the benchmark brown dwarf HD 4747B

Context. The study of high-contrast imaged brown dwarfs and exoplanets depends strongly on evolutionary models. To estimate the mass of a directly imaged substellar object, its extracted photometry or spectrum is used and adjusted with model spectra together with the estimated age of the system. These models still need to be properly tested and constrained. HD 4747B is a brown dwarf close to the H burning mass limit, orbiting a nearby (d = 19.25 ± 0.58 pc), solar-type star (G9V); it has been observed with the radial velocity method for over almost two decades. Its companion was also recently detected by direct imaging, allowing a complete study of this particular object. Aims. We aim to fully characterize HD 4747B by combining a well-constrained dynamical mass and a study of its observed spectral features in order to test evolutionary models for substellar objects and to characterize its atmosphere. Methods. We combined the radial velocity measurements of High Resolution Echelle Spectrometer (HIRES) and CORALIE taken over two decades and high-contrast imaging of several epochs from NACO, NIRC2, and SPHERE to obtain a dynamical mass. From the SPHERE data we obtained a low-resolution spectrum of the companion from Y to H band, and two narrow band-width photometric measurements in the K band. A study of the primary star also allowed us to constrain the age of the system and its distance. Results. Thanks to the new SPHERE epoch and NACO archival data combined with previous imaging data and high-precision radial velocity measurements, we were able to derive a well-constrained orbit. The high eccentricity (e = 0.7362 ± 0.0025) of HD 4747B is confirmed, and the inclination and the semi-major axis are derived (i = 47.3 ± 1.6°, a = 10.01 ± 0.21 au). We derive a dynamical mass of mB = 70.0 ± 1.6 MJup, which is higher than a previous study but in better agreement with the models. By comparing the object with known brown dwarfs spectra, we derive a spectral type of L9 and an effective temperature of 1350 ± 50 K. With a retrieval analysis we constrain the oxygen and carbon abundances and compare them with the values from the HR 8799 planets.

Chromospheric emission of solar-type stars with asteroseismic ages

ABSTRACT Stellar magnetic activity decays over the main-sequence life of cool stars due to the stellar spin-down driven by magnetic braking. The evolution of chromospheric emission is well studied for younger stars, but difficulties in determining the ages of older cool stars on the main sequence have complicated such studies for older stars in the past. Here, we report on chromospheric Ca ii H and K line measurements for 26 main-sequence cool stars with asteroseismic ages older than a gigayear and spectral types F and G. We find that for the G stars and the cooler F-type stars that still have convective envelopes the magnetic activity continues to decrease at stellar ages above 1 Gyr. Our magnetic activity measurements do not show evidence for a stalling of the magnetic braking mechanism, which has been reported for stellar rotation versus age for G- and F-type stars. We also find that the measured $R^{\prime }_{\mathrm{ HK}}$ indicator value for the cool F stars in our sample is lower than predicted by common age–activity relations that are mainly calibrated on data from young stellar clusters. We conclude that, within individual spectral type bins, chromospheric magnetic activity correlates well with stellar age even for old stars.

Planet and star synergy at high-spectral resolution. A rationale for the characterization of exoplanet atmospheres

Context. Spectroscopy of exoplanet atmospheres at high-resolving powers is rapidly gaining popularity for measuring the presence of atomic and molecular species. While this technique is particularly robust against contaminant absorption in the Earth’s atmosphere, the non-stationary stellar spectrum, in the form of either Doppler shift or distortion of the line profile during planetary transits, creates a non-negligible source of noise that can alter or even prevent detection. Aims. Our aim was to use state-of-the art three-dimensional stellar simulations to directly remove the signature of the star from observations prior to cross correlation with templates for the planet’s atmosphere, which are commonly used to extract the faint exoplanet signal from noisy data. Methods. We computed synthetic spectra from 3D simulations of stellar convection resolved both spatially and temporally, and we coupled them with an analytical model reproducing the correct geometry of a transiting exoplanet. We applied the method to the early K-dwarf, HD 189733, and re-analyzed transmission and emission spectroscopy of its hosted exoplanet. In addition, we also analyzed emission spectroscopy of the non transiting exoplanet 51 Pegasi b, orbiting a solar-type star. Results. We find a significant improvement in planet detectability when removing the stellar spectrum with our method. In all cases, we show that the method is superior to a simple parametrisation of the stellar line profile or to the use of 1D stellar models. We show that this is due to the intrinsic treatment of convection in 3D simulations, which allows us to correctly reproduce asymmetric and blue-shifted spectral lines, and intrinsically model center-to-limb variation and Rossiter-McLaughlin effect potentially altering the interpretation of exoplanet transmission spectra. In the case of 51 Pegasi b, we succeed in confirming a previous tentative detection of the planet’s K-band spectrum due to the improved suppression of stellar residuals. Conclusions. Future high-resolution observations will benefit from the synergy with stellar spectroscopy and can be used to test the correct modeling of physical processes in stellar atmospheres. We highlight key improvements in modeling techniques and knowledge of opacity sources to extend this work to shorter wavelengths and later-type stars.

TESS Asteroseismology of the Known Red-giant Host Stars HD 212771 and HD 203949

Abstract The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) is performing a near all-sky survey for planets that transit bright stars. In addition, its excellent photometric precision enables asteroseismology of solar-type and red-giant stars, which exhibit convection-driven, solar-like oscillations. Simulations predict that TESS will detect solar-like oscillations in nearly 100 stars already known to host planets. In this paper, we present an asteroseismic analysis of the known red-giant host stars HD 212771 and HD 203949, both systems having a long-period planet detected through radial velocities. These are the first detections of oscillations in previously known exoplanet-host stars by TESS, further showcasing the mission’s potential to conduct asteroseismology of red-giant stars. We estimate the fundamental properties of both stars through a grid-based modeling approach that uses global asteroseismic parameters as input. We discuss the evolutionary state of HD 203949 in depth and note the large discrepancy between its asteroseismic mass (M * = 1.23 ± 0.15 M ⊙ if on the red-giant branch or M * = 1.00 ± 0.16 M ⊙ if in the clump) and the mass quoted in the discovery paper (M * = 2.1 ± 0.1 M ⊙), implying a change >30% in the planet’s mass. Assuming HD 203949 to be in the clump, we investigate the planet’s past orbital evolution and discuss how it could have avoided engulfment at the tip of the red-giant branch. Finally, HD 212771 was observed by K2 during its Campaign 3, thus allowing for a preliminary comparison of the asteroseismic performances of TESS and K2. We estimate the ratio of the observed oscillation amplitudes for this star to be , consistent with the expected ratio of ∼0.85 due to the redder bandpass of TESS.

Stellar Properties of KIC 8736245: An Eclipsing Binary with a Solar-type Star Leaving the Main Sequence

Abstract There is a well-known stellar parameter discrepancy for late K and M dwarfs, in that the observed radii and temperatures are often respectively larger and cooler than predicted by theory by several percent. In an ongoing effort to elucidate this issue, we examine the double-lined Kepler eclipsing binary star system KIC 8736245. We supplement the near-continuous 4 yr Kepler light curve with ground-based multicolor photometry from Mount Laguna Observatory and spectroscopy from the Hobby–Eberly Telescope. The binary has an edge-on, circular 5.07 days orbit with stellar masses equal to 0.987 ± 0.009 and 0.782 ± 0.009 M ⊙ and radii of 1.311 ± 0.006 and 0.804 ± 0.004 R ⊙, respectively, and an estimated age of 7–9 Gyr. We find that the stellar radii are consistent with theoretical models within the uncertainties, whereas the temperature of the secondary star is ∼6% cooler than predicted. An important aspect of this work is that the uncertainties derived from a single epoch (individual night of observations) underestimate the overall system parameter uncertainties due to the effect of the 1%–4% fluctuations caused by stellar activity. Our error estimates come from the spread in parameters measured at eight epochs. From the periodicities in the light curve and from the eclipse times, we measure candidate spin periods to be approximately 4.98 and 5.87 days for the primary and secondary star. Surprisingly, these imply super- and subsynchronous rotation compared to the orbital period. Thus KIC 8736245 serves as an interesting case study for the exchange of angular momentum and general stellar astrophysics as stars in binaries evolve off the main sequence.

Hot Jupiters Are Destroyed by Tides While Their Host Stars Are on the Main Sequence

Abstract While cooler giant planets are often observed with nonzero eccentricities, the short-period circular orbits of hot Jupiters suggest that they lose orbital energy and angular momentum due to tidal interactions with their host stars. However, orbital decay has never been unambiguously observed. We use data from Gaia Data Release 2 to show that hot Jupiter host stars have a smaller Galactic velocity dispersion than a similar population of stars without hot Jupiters. Since Galactic velocity dispersion is correlated with age, this observation implies that the population of hot Jupiter host stars is on average younger than the field population. The best explanation for this inference is that tidal interactions cause hot Jupiters to inspiral while their host stars are on the main sequence. This observation requires that the typical modified stellar tidal quality factor for solar-type stars is in the range .

Exploring the Cycle Period and Parity of Stellar Magnetic Activity with Dynamo Modeling

Abstract Observations of chromospheric and coronal emissions from various solar-type stars show that the stellar magnetic activity varies with the rotation rates of the stars. The faster the star rotates, the stronger its magnetic activity becomes, but the activity cycle period does not show a straightforward variation with the rotation rate. For slowly rotating stars, the cycle period decreases with the increase in rotation rate, while for the fast rotators, the dependency of cycle period on rotation is presently quite complicated. We aim to provide an explanation of these observational trends of stellar magnetic activity using a dynamo model. We construct a theoretical dynamo model for stars of mass 1 M ⊙ based on the kinematic flux transport dynamo model including radial pumping near the surface of the stars. The inclusion of this near-surface downward radial pumping is found to be necessary to match the observed surface magnetic field in the Sun. The main ingredients of our dynamo model, meridional circulation and differential rotation for stars, are obtained from a mean-field hydrodynamic model. Our model shows a decrease in cycle period with increasing rotation rate in the slowly rotating regime and a slight increase in cycle period with rotation rate for the rapid rotators. The strength of the magnetic field is found to increase as the rotation rate of the star increases. We also find that the parity of the stellar magnetic field changes with rotation. According to our model, the parity flips to quadrupolar from dipolar if the rotation period of the star is less than 17 days.

From Scattered-light to Millimeter Emission: A Comprehensive View of the Gigayear-old System of HD 202628 and its Eccentric Debris Ring

Abstract We present here new observations of the eccentric debris ring surrounding the Gyr-old solar-type star HD 202628: at millimeter wavelengths with ALMA, at far-infrared wavelengths with Herschel, and in scattered light with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The ring inner edge is found to be consistent between ALMA and HST data. As radiation pressure affects small grains seen in scattered-light, the ring appears broader at optical than at millimeter wavelengths. The best fit to the ring seen with ALMA has inner and outer edges at 143.1 ± 1.7 au and 165.5 ± 1.4, respectively, and an inclination of 57.°4 ± 0.4 from face-on. The offset of the ring center of symmetry from the star allows us to quantify its eccentricity to be . This eccentric feature is also detected in low resolution Herschel/PACS observations, under the form of a pericenter-glow. Combining the infrared and millimeter photometry, we retrieve a disk grain size distribution index of ∼−3.4, and therefore exclude in situ formation of the inferred belt-shaping perturber, for which we provide new dynamical constraints. Finally, ALMA images show four point-like sources that exceed 100 μJy, one of them being just interior to the ring. Although the presence of a background object cannot be excluded, we cannot exclude either that this source is circumplanetary material surrounding the belt-shaper, in which case degeneracies between its mass and orbital parameters could be lifted, allowing us to fully characterize such a distant planet in this mass and age regime for the very first time.

Signatures of Magnetic Activity: On the Relation between Stellar Properties and p-mode Frequency Variations

Abstract In the Sun, the properties of acoustic modes are sensitive to changes in the magnetic activity. In particular, mode frequencies are observed to increase with increasing activity level. Thanks to CoRoT and Kepler, such variations have been found in other solar-type stars and encode information on the activity-related changes in their interiors. Thus, the unprecedented long-term Kepler photometric observations provide a unique opportunity to study stellar activity through asteroseismology. The goal of this work is to investigate the dependencies of the observed mode frequency variations on the stellar parameters and whether those are consistent with an activity-related origin. We select the solar-type oscillators with highest signal-to-noise ratio, in total, 75 targets. Using the temporal frequency variations determined in Santos et al., we study the relation between those variations and the fundamental stellar properties. We also compare the observed frequency shifts with chromospheric and photometric activity indexes, which are only available for a subset of the sample. We find that frequency shifts increase with increasing chromospheric activity, which is consistent with an activity-related origin of the observed frequency shifts. Frequency shifts are also found to increase with effective temperature, which is in agreement with the theoretical predictions for the activity-related frequency shifts by Metcalfe et al. Frequency shifts are largest for fast rotating and young stars, which is consistent with those being more active than slower rotators and older stars. Finally, we find evidence for frequency shifts increasing with stellar metallicity.

The likelihood of detecting young giant planets with high-contrast imaging and interferometry

ABSTRACT Giant planets are expected to form at orbital radii that are relatively large compared to transit and radial velocity detections (>1 au). As a result, giant planet formation is best observed through direct imaging. By simulating the formation of giant (0.3–5MJ) planets by core accretion, we predict planet magnitude in the near-infrared (2–4 μm) and demonstrate that, once a planet reaches the runaway accretion phase, it is self-luminous and is bright enough to be detected in near-infrared wavelengths. Using planet distribution models consistent with existing radial velocity and imaging constraints, we simulate a large sample of systems with the same stellar and disc properties to determine how many planets can be detected. We find that current large (8–10 m) telescopes have at most a 0.2 per cent chance of detecting a core-accretion giant planet in the L’ band and 2 per cent in the K band for a typical solar-type star. Future instruments such as METIS and VIKiNG have higher sensitivity and are expected to detect exoplanets at a maximum rate of 2 and 8 per cent, respectively.

Soft X-ray heating as a mechanism of optical continuum generation in solar-type star superflares

ABSTRACT Superflares on the solar-type stars observed by Kepler demonstrate the contrast in the optical continuum of the order 0.1–1 per cent. The mechanism of formation of this radiation is not firmly established. We consider a model where the stellar atmosphere is irradiated by the soft X-rays emitted from the flaring loop filled with the hot plasma. This radiation heats a large area beneath the loop. Subsequent cooling due to h− and hydrogen free–bound emission can contribute to the observed enhanced continuum. We solve the equations of radiative transfer, statistical equilibrium, ionization balance, and radiative equilibrium in the model atmosphere illuminated by the soft X-rays; compute the temperature and the electron density in the atmosphere; and find the emergent radiation. We found that a flare loop of the length ∼1010 cm and plasma density 1012 cm−3 at the temperature T = 20 MK can provide the contrast in the Kepler bandpass of 0.1 and 0.8 per cent if the heated region covers ∼1 and 10 per cent of the visible stellar surface, respectively. The required emission measure is of the order of 1055 cm−3.

Role of Planetary Obliquity in Regulating Atmospheric Escape: G-dwarf versus M-dwarf Earth-like Exoplanets

Abstract We present a three-species (H+, O+ and e−) multi-fluid magnetohydrodynamic model, endowed with the requisite upper-atmospheric chemistry, that is capable of accurately quantifying the magnitude of oxygen ion losses from “Earth-like” exoplanets in habitable zones, whose magnetic and rotational axes are roughly coincidental with one another. We apply this model to investigate the role of planetary obliquity in regulating atmospheric losses from a magnetic perspective. For Earth-like exoplanets orbiting solar-type stars, we demonstrate that the dependence of the total atmospheric ion loss rate on the planetary (magnetic) obliquity is relatively weak; the escape rates are found to vary between 2.19 × 1026 s−1 to 2.37 × 1026 s−1. In contrast, the obliquity can influence the atmospheric escape rate (∼1028 s−1) by more than a factor of 2 (or 200%) in the case of Earth-like exoplanets orbiting late-type M-dwarfs. Thus, our simulations indicate that planetary obliquity may play a weak-to-moderate role insofar as the retention of an atmosphere (necessary for surface habitability) is concerned.

Gravitational wave emission from unstable accretion discs in tidal disruption events

Abstract Gravitational waves can be emitted by accretion discs if they undergo instabilities that generate a time varying mass quadrupole. In this work we investigate the gravitational signal generated by a thick accretion disc of 1 M⊙ around a static supermassive black hole of 106 M⊙, assumed to be formed after the tidal disruption of a solar type star. This torus has been shown to be unstable to a global non-axisymmetric hydrodynamic instability, the Papaloizou–Pringle instability, in the case where it is not already accreting and has a weak magnetic field. We start by deriving analytical estimates of the maximum amplitude of the gravitational wave signal, with the aim to establish its detectability by the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). Then, we compare these estimates with those obtained through a numerical simulation of the torus, made with a 3D smoothed particle hydrodynamics code. Our numerical analysis shows that the measured strain is two orders of magnitude lower than the maximum value obtained analytically. However, accretion discs affected by the Papaloizou–Pringle instability may still be interesting sources for LISA, if we consider discs generated after deeply penetrating tidal disruptions of main-sequence stars of higher mass.

Blue Lurkers: Hidden Blue Stragglers on the M67 Main Sequence Identified from Their Kepler/K2 Rotation Periods

Abstract At an age of 4 Gyr, typical solar-type stars in M67 have rotation rates of 20–30 days. Using K2 Campaign 5 and 16 light curves and the spectral archive of the WIYN Open Cluster Study, we identify 11 3D kinematic members of M67 with anomalously fast rotation periods of 2–8 days, implying ages of less than 1 Gyr. We hypothesize that these anomalously fast rotators have been spun up by mass transfer, mergers, or stellar collisions during dynamical encounters within the 1 Gyr and thus represent lower-luminosity counterparts to the blue straggler stars. These 11 candidate post-interaction stellar systems have much in common with the blue stragglers, including a high binary fraction (73%); a number of long-period, low-eccentricity binary systems; and in at least one case a UV excess consistent with the presence of a hot white dwarf companion. The identification of these 11 systems provides the first picture of the low-luminosity end of the blue straggler distribution, providing new constraints for detailed binary evolution models and cluster population studies. This result also clearly demonstrates the need to properly account for the impact of binaries on stellar evolution, as significant numbers of post-interaction binaries likely exist on cluster main sequences and in the field. These stars are not always easy to identify but make up ∼10% or more of the spectroscopic binary population among the solar-type stars in M67.

Formation of hot Jupiters through disk migration and evolving stellar tides

Since the discovery of Jupiter-sized planets in extremely close orbits around Sun-like stars, several mechanisms have been proposed to produce these “hot Jupiters”. Here we address their pile-up at 0.05 AU observed in stellar radial velocity surveys, their long-term orbital stability in the presence of stellar tides, and their occurrence rate of 1.2 ± 0.38% in one framework. We calculate the combined torques on the planet from the stellar dynamical tide and from the protoplanetary disk in the type-II migration regime. The disk is modeled as a 2D nonisothermal viscous disk parameterized to reproduce the minimum-mass solar nebula. We simulate an inner disk cavity at various radial positions near the star and simulate stellar rotation periods according to observations of young star clusters. The planet is on a circular orbit in the disk midplane and in the equatorial plane of the star. We show that the two torques can add up to zero beyond the corotation radius around young, solar-type stars and stop inward migration. Monte Carlo simulations with plausible variations of our nominal parameterization of the star-disk-planet model predict hot-Jupiter survival rates between about 3% (for an α disk viscosity of 10−1) and 15% (for α = 10−3) against consumption by the star. Once the protoplanetary disk has been fully accreted, the surviving hot Jupiters are pushed outward from their tidal migration barrier and pile up at about 0.05 AU, as we demonstrate using a numerical implementation of a stellar dynamical tide model coupled with stellar evolution tracks. Orbital decay is negligible on a one-billion-year timescale due to the contraction of highly dissipative convective envelopes in young Sun-like stars. We find that the higher pile-up efficiency around metal-rich stars can at least partly explain the observed positive correlation between stellar metallicity and hot-Jupiter occurrence rate. Combined with the observed hot-Jupiter occurrence rate, our results for the survival rate imply that ≲8% (α = 10−3) to ≲43% (α = 10−1) of sun-like stars initially encounter an inwardly migrating hot Jupiter. Our scenario reconciles models and observations of young spinning stars with the observed hot-Jupiter pile up and hot-Jupiter occurrence rates.

Modeling a Carrington-scale Stellar Superflare and Coronal Mass Ejection from κ 1 Cet.

Observations from the Kepler mission have revealed frequent superflares on young and active solar-like stars. Superflares result from the large-scale restructuring of stellar magnetic fields, and are associated with the eruption of coronal material (a coronal mass ejection, or CME) and energy release that can be orders of magnitude greater than those observed in the largest solar flares. These catastrophic events, if frequent, can significantly impact the potential habitability of terrestrial exoplanets through atmospheric erosion or intense radiation exposure at the surface. We present results from numerical modeling designed to understand how an eruptive superflare from a young solar-type star, κ 1 Cet, could occur and would impact its astrospheric environment. Our data-inspired, three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic modeling shows that global-scale shear concentrated near the radial-field polarity inversion line can energize the closed-field stellar corona sufficiently to power a global, eruptive superflare that releases approximately the same energy as the extreme 1859 Carrington event from the Sun. We examine proxy measures of synthetic emission during the flare and estimate the observational signatures of our CME-driven shock, both of which could have extreme space-weather impacts on the habitability of any Earth-like exoplanets. We also speculate that the observed 1986 Robinson-Bopp superflare from κ 1 Cet was perhaps as extreme for that star as the Carrington flare was for the Sun.

What Sets the Magnetic Field Strength and Cycle Period in Solar-type Stars?

Abstract Two fundamental properties of stellar magnetic fields have been determined by observations for solar-like stars with different Rossby numbers ( ), namely, the magnetic field strength and the magnetic cycle period. The field strength exhibits two regimes: (1) for fast rotation, it is independent of , and (2) for slow rotation, it decays with following a power law. For the magnetic cycle period, two regimes of activity, the active and inactive branches, have also been identified. For both of them, the longer the rotation period, the longer the activity cycle. Using global dynamo simulations of solar-like stars with Rossby numbers between ∼0.4 and ∼2, this paper explores the relevance of rotational shear layers in determining these observational properties. Our results, consistent with nonlinear dynamos, show that the total magnetic field strength is independent of the rotation period. Yet at surface levels, the origin of the magnetic field is determined by . While for , it is generated in the convection zone, for , strong toroidal fields are generated at the tachocline and rapidly emerge toward the surface. In agreement with the observations, the magnetic cycle period increases with the rotational period. However, a bifurcation is observed for , separating a regime where oscillatory dynamos operate mainly in the convection zone from the regime where the tachocline has a predominant role. In the latter, the cycles are believed to result from the periodic energy exchange between the dynamo and the magneto-shear instabilities developing in the tachocline and the radiative interior.

Ultra-deep tidal disruption events: prompt self-intersections and observables

ABSTRACT A star approaching a supermassive black hole (SMBH) can be torn apart in a tidal disruption event (TDE). We examine ultra-deep TDEs, a new regime in which the disrupted debris approaches close to the black hole’s Schwarzschild radius, and the leading part intersects the trailing part at the first pericentre passage. We calculate the range of penetration factors β versus SMBH masses M that produce these prompt self-intersections using a Newtonian analytic estimate and a general relativistic (GR) geodesic model. We find that significant self-intersection of Solar-type stars requires β ∼ 50–127 for M/M⊙ = 104, down to β ∼ 5.6–5.9 forM/M⊙ = 106. We run smoothed particle hydrodynamic (SPH) simulations to corroborate our calculations and find close agreement, with a slightly shallower dependence on M. We predict that the shock from the collision emits an X-ray flare lasting t ∼ 2 s with L ∼ 1047 erg s−1 at E ∼ 2 keV, and the debris has a prompt accretion episode lasting t ∼ several minutes. The events are rare and occur with a rate $\dot{N} \lesssim 10^{-7}$ Mpc−3 yr−1. Ultra-deep TDEs can probe the strong gravity and demographics of low-mass SMBHs.

From exoplanets to exocomets

To date (June 2017), more than 3610 planets orbiting other stars than our Sun are known. We shall briefly review the main detection methods, together with some of the big surprises which arose since the discovery of the first exoplanet around a solar type star in 1995. It is now also possible to characterize the atmospheres of few extrasolar planets and exocomets become detectable.