TY - JOUR A1 - Alexoudi, Xanthippi A1 - Mallonn, Matthias A1 - Keles, Engin A1 - Poppenhäger, Katja A1 - von Essen, Carolina A1 - Strassmeier, Klaus T1 - Role of the impact parameter in exoplanet transmission spectroscopy JF - Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal N2 - Context Transmission spectroscopy is a promising tool for the atmospheric characterization of transiting exoplanets. Because the planetary signal is faint, discrepancies have been reported regarding individual targets. Aims We investigate the dependence of the estimated transmission spectrum on deviations of the orbital parameters of the star-planet system that are due to the limb-darkening effects of the host star. We describe how the uncertainty on the orbital parameters translates into an uncertainty on the planetary spectral slope. Methods We created synthetic transit light curves in seven different wavelength bands, from the near-ultraviolet to the near-infrared, and fit them with transit models parameterized by fixed deviating values of the impact parameter b. First, we performed a qualitative study to illustrate the effect by presenting the changes in the transmission spectrum slope with different deviations of b. Then, we quantified these variations by creating an error envelope (for centrally transiting, off-center, and grazing systems) based on a derived typical uncertainty on b from the literature. Finally, we compared the variations in the transmission spectra for different spectral types of host stars. Results Our simulations show a wavelength-dependent offset that is more pronounced at the blue wavelengths where the limb-darkening effect is stronger. This offset introduces a slope in the planetary transmission spectrum that becomes steeper with increasing b values. Variations of b by positive or negative values within its uncertainty interval introduce positive or negative slopes, thus the formation of an error envelope. The amplitude from blue optical to near-infrared wavelength for a typical uncertainty on b corresponds to one atmospheric pressure scale height and more. This impact parameter degeneracy is confirmed for different host types; K stars present prominently steeper slopes, while M stars indicate features at the blue wavelengths. Conclusions We demonstrate that transmission spectra can be hard to interpret, basically because of the limitations in defining a precise impact parameter value for a transiting exoplanet. This consequently limits a characterization of its atmosphere. KW - planets and satellites: atmospheres KW - planets and satellites: gaseous KW - planets Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-605378 SN - 0004-6361 SN - 1432-0746 VL - 640 PB - EDP Sciences CY - Les Ulis ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Alvarado-Gómez, Julián D. A1 - Cohen, Ofer A1 - Drake, Jeremy J. A1 - Fraschetti, Federico A1 - Poppenhäger, Katja A1 - Garraffo, Cecilia A1 - Chebly, Judy A1 - Ilin, Ekaterina A1 - Harbach, Laura A1 - Kochukhov, Oleg T1 - Simulating the space weather in the AU Mic system: stellar winds and extreme coronal mass ejections JF - Astrophysical journal N2 - Two close-in planets have been recently found around the M-dwarf flare star AU Microscopii (AU Mic). These Neptune-sized planets (AU Mic b and c) seem to be located very close to the so-called "evaporation valley" in the exoplanet population, making this system an important target for studying atmospheric loss on exoplanets. This process, while mainly driven by high-energy stellar radiation, will be strongly mediated by the space environment surrounding the planets. Here we present an investigation of this last area, performing 3D numerical modeling of the quiescent stellar wind from AU Mic, as well as time-dependent simulations describing the evolution of a highly energetic coronal mass ejection (CME) event in this system. Observational constraints on the stellar magnetic field and properties of the eruption are incorporated in our models. We carry out qualitative and quantitative characterizations of the stellar wind, the emerging CMEs, as well as the expected steady and transient conditions along the orbit of both exoplanets. Our results predict extreme space weather for AU Mic and its planets. This includes sub-Alfvenic regions for the large majority of the exoplanet orbits, very high dynamic and magnetic pressure values in quiescence (varying within 10(2)-10(5) times the dynamic pressure experienced by Earth), and an even harsher environment during the passage of any escaping CME associated with the frequent flaring observed in AU Mic. These space weather conditions alone pose an immense challenge for the survival of exoplanetary atmospheres (if any) in this system. Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ac54b8 SN - 0004-637X SN - 1538-4357 VL - 928 IS - 2 PB - IOP Publishing CY - Bristol ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Diercke, Andrea A1 - Kuckein, Christoph A1 - Cauley, Paul Wilson A1 - Poppenhäger, Katja A1 - Alvarado-Gómez, Julián David A1 - Dineva, Ekaterina Ivanova A1 - Denker, Carsten T1 - Solar H alpha excess during Solar Cycle 24 from full-disk filtergrams of the Chromospheric Telescope JF - Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal N2 - Context The chromospheric H alpha spectral line is a strong line in the spectrum of the Sun and other stars. In the stellar regime, this spectral line is already used as a powerful tracer of stellar activity. For the Sun, other tracers, such as Ca II K, are typically used to monitor solar activity. Nonetheless, the Sun is observed constantly in H alpha with globally distributed ground-based full-disk imagers. Aims The aim of this study is to introduce the imaging H alpha excess and deficit as tracers of solar activity and compare them to other established indicators. Furthermore, we investigate whether the active region coverage fraction or the changing H alpha excess in the active regions dominates temporal variability in solar H alpha observations. Methods We used observations of full-disk H alpha filtergrams of the Chromospheric Telescope and morphological image processing techniques to extract the imaging H alpha excess and deficit, which were derived from the intensities above or below 10% of the median intensity in the filtergrams, respectively. These thresholds allowed us to filter for bright features (plage regions) and dark absorption features (filaments and sunspots). In addition, the thresholds were used to calculate the mean intensity I-mean(E/D) for H alpha excess and deficit regions. We describe the evolution of the H alpha excess and deficit during Solar Cycle 24 and compare it to the mean intensity and other well established tracers: the relative sunspot number, the F10.7 cm radio flux, and the Mg II index. In particular, we tried to determine how constant the H alpha excess and number density of H alpha excess regions are between solar maximum and minimum. The number of pixels above or below the intensity thresholds were used to calculate the area coverage fraction of H alpha excess and deficit regions on the Sun, which was compared to the imaging H alpha excess and deficit and the respective mean intensities averaged for the length of one Carrington rotation. In addition, we present the H alpha excess and mean intensity variation of selected active regions during their disk passage in comparison to the number of pixels of H alpha excess regions. Results. The H alpha excess and deficit follow the behavior of the solar activity over the course of the cycle. They both peak around solar maximum, whereby the peak of the H alpha deficit is shortly after the solar maximum. Nonetheless, the correlation of the monthly averages of the H alpha excess and deficit is high with a Spearman correlation of rho =  0.91. The H alpha excess is closely correlated to the chromospheric Mg II index with a correlation of 0.95. The highest correlation of the H alpha deficit is found with the F10.7 cm radio flux, with a correlation of 0.89, due to their peaks after the solar activity maximum. Furthermore, the H alpha deficit reflects the cyclic behavior of polar crown filaments and their disappearance shortly before the solar maximum. We investigated the mean intensity distribution for H alpha excess regions for solar minimum and maximum. The shape of the distributions for solar minimum and maximum is very similar, but with different amplitudes. Furthermore, we found that the area coverage fraction of H alpha excess regions and the H alpha excess are strongly correlated with an overall Spearman correlation of 0.92. The correlation between the H alpha excess and the mean intensity of H alpha excess regions is 0.75. The correlation of the area coverage fraction and the mean intensity of H alpha excess regions is in general relatively low (rho = 0.45) and only for few active regions is this correlation above 0.7. The weak correlation between the area coverage fraction and mean intensity leaves us pessimistic that the degeneracy between these two quantities can be broken for the modeling of unresolved stellar surfaces. KW - methods: observational KW - Sun: chromosphere KW - Sun: activity KW - Sun: faculae, plages KW - Sun: filaments KW - stars: atmospheres KW - prominences Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202040091 SN - 1432-0746 VL - 661 PB - EDP Sciences CY - Les Ulis ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Eigmüller, Philipp A1 - Chaushev, Alexander A1 - Gillen, Edward A1 - Smith, Alexis A1 - Nielsen, Louise D. A1 - Turner, Oliver A1 - Csizmadia, Szilard A1 - Smalley, Barry A1 - Bayliss, Daniel A1 - Belardi, Claudia A1 - Bouchy, Francois A1 - Burleigh, Matthew R. A1 - Cabrera, Juan A1 - Casewell, Sarah L. A1 - Chazelas, Bruno A1 - Cooke, Benjamin F. A1 - Erikson, Anders A1 - Gansicke, Boris T. A1 - Guenther, Maximilian N. A1 - Goad, Michael R. A1 - Grange, Andrew A1 - Jackman, James A. G. A1 - Jenkins, James S. A1 - McCormac, James A1 - Moyano, Maximiliano A1 - Pollacco, Don A1 - Poppenhäger, Katja A1 - Queloz, Didier A1 - Raynard, Liam A1 - Rauer, Heike A1 - Udry, Stephane A1 - Walker, Simon. R. A1 - Watson, Christopher A. A1 - West, Richard G. A1 - Wheatley, Peter J. T1 - NGTS-5b BT - a highly inflated planet offering insights into the sub-Jovian desert JF - Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal N2 - Context. Planetary population analysis gives us insight into formation and evolution processes. For short-period planets, the sub-Jovian desert has been discussed in recent years with regard to the planet population in the mass/period and radius/period parameter space without taking stellar parameters into account. The Next Generation Transit Survey (NGTS) is optimised for detecting planets in this regime, which allows for further analysis of the sub-Jovian desert. Aims. With high-precision photometric surveys (e.g. with NGTS and TESS), which aim to detect short period planets especially around M/K-type host stars, stellar parameters need to be accounted for when empirical data are compared to model predictions. Presenting a newly discovered planet at the boundary of the sub-Jovian desert, we analyse its bulk properties and use it to show the properties of exoplanets that border the sub-Jovian desert. Methods. Using NGTS light curve and spectroscopic follow-up observations, we confirm the planetary nature of planet NGTS-5b and determine its mass. Using exoplanet archives, we set the planet in context with other discoveries. Results. NGTS-5b is a short-period planet with an orbital period of 3.3569866 +/- 0.0000026 days. With a mass of 0.229 +/- 0.037 M-Jup and a radius of 1.136 +/- 0.023 R-Jup, it is highly inflated. Its mass places it at the upper boundary of the sub-Jovian desert. Because the host is a K2 dwarf, we need to account for the stellar parameters when NGTS-5b is analysed with regard to planet populations. Conclusions. With red-sensitive surveys (e.g. with NGTS and TESS), we expect many more planets around late-type stars to be detected. An empirical analysis of the sub-Jovian desert should therefore take stellar parameters into account. KW - planets and satellites: detection KW - planets and satellites: gaseous planets Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201935206 SN - 1432-0746 VL - 625 PB - EDP Sciences CY - Les Ulis ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Foster, Grace A1 - Poppenhäger, Katja T1 - Identifying interesting planetary systems for future X-ray observations JF - Astronomische Nachrichten = Astronomical notes N2 - X-ray observations of star-planet systems are important to grow our understanding of exoplanets; these observations allow for studies of photoevaporation of the exoplanetary atmosphere, and in some cases even estimations of the size of the outer planetary atmosphere. The German-Russian eROSITA instrument onboard the SRG (Spectrum Roentgen Gamma) mission is performing the first all-sky X-ray survey since the 1990s, and provides X-ray fluxes and spectra of exoplanet host stars over a much larger volume than was accessible before. Using new eROSITA data as well as archival data from XMM-Newton, Chandra, and ROSAT, we estimate mass-loss rates of exoplanets under an energy-limited escape scenario and identify several exoplanets with strong X-ray irradiation and expected mass loss that are amenable to follow-up observations at other wavelengths. We model sample spectra using a toy model of an exoplanetary atmosphere to predict what exoplanet transit observations with future X-ray missions such as Athena will look like and estimate the observable X-ray transmission spectrum for a typical hot Jupiter-type exoplanet. KW - planets and satellites KW - general KW - stars KW - activity KW - coronae KW - planetary systems KW - X-rays Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/asna.20220007 SN - 1521-3994 VL - 343 IS - 4 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Berlin ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Foster, Mary Grace A1 - Poppenhäger, Katja A1 - Alvarado-Gómez, Julián David A1 - Schmitt, Jürgen T1 - The corona of GJ 1151 in the context of star-planet interaction JF - Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society N2 - The low-mass star GJ 1151 has been reported to display variable low-frequency radio emission, which has been interpreted as a signpost of coronal star-planet interactions with an unseen exoplanet. Here we report the first X-ray detection of GJ 1151's corona based on the XMM-Newton data. We find that the star displays a small flare during the X-ray observation. Averaged over the observation, we detect the star with a low coronal temperature of 1.6 MK and an X-ray luminosity of L-X = 5.5 x 10(26) erg s(-1). During the quiescent time periods excluding the flare, the star remains undetected with an upper limit of L-X,L- qui <= 3.7 x 10(26) erg s(-1). This is compatible with the coronal assumptions used in a recently published model for a star-planet interaction origin of the observed radio signals from this star. KW - planet KW - star interactions KW - stars: coronae KW - X-rays: individual: GJ 1151 Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/staa1982 SN - 0035-8711 SN - 1365-2966 VL - 497 IS - 1 SP - 1015 EP - 1019 PB - Oxford Univ. Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Foster, Mary Grace A1 - Poppenhäger, Katja A1 - Ilić Petković, Nikoleta A1 - Schwope, Axel T1 - Exoplanet X-ray irradiation and evaporation rates with eROSITA JF - Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal N2 - High-energy irradiation is a driver for atmospheric evaporation and mass loss in exoplanets. This work is based on data from eROSITA, the soft X-ray instrument on board the Spectrum Roentgen Gamma mission, as well as on archival data from other missions. We aim to characterise the high-energy environment of known exoplanets and estimate their mass-loss rates. We use X-ray source catalogues from eROSITA, XMM-Newton, Chandra, and ROSAT to derive X-ray luminosities of exoplanet host stars in the 0.2–2 keV energy band with an underlying coronal, that is, optically thin thermal spectrum. We present a catalogue of stellar X-ray and EUV luminosities, exoplanetary X-ray and EUV irradiation fluxes, and estimated mass-loss rates for a total of 287 exoplanets, 96 of which are characterised for the first time based on new eROSITA detections. We identify 14 first-time X-ray detections of transiting exoplanets that are subject to irradiation levels known to cause observable evaporation signatures in other exoplanets. This makes them suitable targets for follow-up observations. KW - stars: coronae KW - stars: activity KW - planet-star interactions KW - planets and KW - satellites: atmospheres KW - X-rays: stars Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202141097 SN - 0004-6361 SN - 1432-0746 VL - 661 PB - EDP Sciences CY - Les Ulis ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ilin, Ekaterina A1 - Poppenhäger, Katja T1 - Searching for flaring star-planet interactions in AU Mic TESS observations JF - Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society N2 - Planets that closely orbit magnetically active stars are thought to be able to interact with their magnetic fields in a way that modulates stellar activity. This modulation in phase with the planetary orbit, such as enhanced X-ray activity, chromospheric spots, radio emission, or flares, is considered the clearest sign of magnetic star-planet interaction (SPI). However, the magnitude of this interaction is poorly constrained, and the intermittent nature of the interaction is a challenge for observers. AU Mic is an early M dwarf, and the most actively flaring planet host detected to date. Its innermost companion, AU Mic b, is a promising target for magnetic SPI observations. We used optical light curves of AU Mic obtained by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite to search for signs of flaring SPI with AU Mic b using a customized Anderson-Darling test. In the about 50 d of observations, the flare distributions with orbital, rotational, and synodic periods were generally consistent with intrinsic stellar flaring. We found the strongest deviation (p = 0.07, n = 71) from intrinsic flaring with the orbital period of AU Mic b, in the high-energy half of our sample (ED > 1 s). If it reflects the true SPI signal from AU Mic b, extending the observing time by a factor of 2-3 will yield a >3 sigma detection. Continued monitoring of AU Mic may therefore reveal flaring SPI with orbital phase, while rotational modulation will smear out due to the star's strong differential rotation. KW - planets and satellites: individual: AU Mic b KW - planet-star interactions KW - stars: flare KW - stars: individual: AU Mic Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stac1232 SN - 0035-8711 SN - 1365-2966 VL - 513 IS - 3 SP - 4579 EP - 4586 PB - Oxford Univ. Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ilin, Ekaterina A1 - Poppenhäger, Katja A1 - Alvarado-Gómez, Julián David T1 - Localizing flares to understand stellar magnetic fields and space weather in exo-systems JF - Astronomische Nachrichten = Astronomical notes N2 - Stars are uniform spheres, but only to first order. The way in which stellar rotation and magnetism break this symmetry places important observational constraints on stellar magnetic fields, and factors in the assessment of the impact of stellar activity on exoplanet atmospheres. The spatial distribution of flares on the solar surface is well known to be nonuniform, but elusive on other stars. We briefly review the techniques available to recover the loci of stellar flares, and highlight a new method that enables systematic flare localization directly from optical light curves. We provide an estimate of the number of flares we may be able to localize with the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, and show that it is consistent with the results obtained from the first full sky scan of the mission. We suggest that nonuniform flare latitude distributions need to be taken into account in accurate assessments of exoplanet habitability. KW - stars KW - activity - stars KW - flare - stars KW - magnetic fields - methods KW - data KW - analysis Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/asna.20210111 SN - 1521-3994 VL - 343 IS - 4 PB - Berlin CY - Wiley-VCH ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ilić Petković, Nikoleta A1 - Poppenhäger, Katja A1 - Hosseini, Seyede Marzieh T1 - Tidal star-planet interaction and its observed impact on stellar activity in planet-hosting wide binary systems JF - Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society N2 - Tidal interaction between an exoplanet and its host star is a possible pathway to transfer angular momentum between the planetary orbit and the stellar spin. In cases where the planetary orbital period is shorter than the stellar rotation period, this may lead to angular momentum being transferred into the star's rotation, possibly counteracting the intrinsic stellar spin-down induced by magnetic braking. Observationally, detecting altered rotational states of single, cool field stars is challenging, as precise ages for such stars are rarely available. Here we present an empirical investigation of the rotation and magnetic activity of a sample of planet-hosting stars that are accompanied by wide stellar companions. Without needing knowledge about the absolute ages of the stars, we test for relative differences in activity and rotation of the planet hosts and their co-eval companions, using X-ray observations to measure the stellar activity levels. Employing three different tidal interaction models, we find that host stars with planets that are expected to tidally interact display elevated activity levels compared to their companion stars. We also find that those activity levels agree with the observed rotational periods for the host stars along the usual rotation-activity relationships, implying that the effect is indeed caused by a tidal interaction and not a purely magnetic interaction that would be expected to affect the stellar activity, but not necessarily the rotation. We conclude that massive, close-in planets have an impact on the stellar rotational evolution, while the smaller, more distant planets do not have a significant influence. KW - planet-star interactions KW - stars: activity KW - binaries: general KW - stars: KW - evolution KW - planets and satellites: general KW - X-rays: stars Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stac861 SN - 0035-8711 SN - 1365-2966 VL - 513 IS - 3 SP - 4380 EP - 4404 PB - Oxford Univ. Press CY - Oxford ER -