Related papers: Star-planet interaction in the Proxima system
Alpha Centauri A is the closest solar-type star to the Sun and offers an excellent opportunity to detect the thermal emission of a mature planet heated by its host star. The MIRI coronagraph on JWST can search the 1-3 AU (1"-2") region…
Magnetic (or tidal) interactions between "hot Jupiters" and their host stars can potentially enhance chromospheric and coronal activity. An ideal testbed for investigating this effect is provided by the extreme WASP-18 system, which…
Using the XMM-Newton X-ray observatory to monitor the nearest star to the Sun, Proxima Centauri, we recorded the weakest X-ray flares on a magnetically active star ever observed. Correlated X-ray and optical variability provide strong…
We present a study of four different formation scenarios that may be able to explain the origin of the recently announced planet (`Proxima b') orbiting Proxima Centauri. The aim is to examine how the formation scenarios differ in their…
Proxima Centauri, our closest stellar neighbour, is a low-mass M5 dwarf orbiting in a triple system. An Earth-mass planet with an 11 day period has been discovered around this star. The star's mass has been estimated only indirectly using a…
We present new analyses of ALMA 12-m and ACA observations at 233 GHz (1.3 mm) of the Proxima Centauri system with sensitivities of 9.5 and 47 $\mu$Jy beam$^{-1}$, respectively, taken from 2017 January 21 through 2017 April 25. These…
The field of exoplanetary science has seen discovery rates increase dramatically over recent years, due largely to the data from the Kepler mission. Even so, individual discoveries of planets orbiting nearby stars are very important for…
In many star-planet systems discovered so far, the innermost planet orbits within only a few stellar radii. In these systems, planets could become in-situ probes of the extended stellar magnetic field. Because they disturb the field as they…
We have observed Proxima Centauri and Barnard's Star with Hubble Space Telescope Fine Guidance Sensor 3. Proxima Centauri exhibits small-amplitude, periodic photometric variations. Once several sources of systematic photometric error are…
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,…
Recent observations suggest that stellar magnetic activity may be influenced by the presence of a close-by giant planet. Specifically, chromospheric hot spots rotating in phase with the planet orbital motion have been observed during some…
We study temporal variations of the emission lines of Halpha, Hepsilon, H and K Ca II, D1 and D2 Na I, 4026 and 5876 A He I in the HARPS spectra of Proxima Centauri across an extended time of 13.2 years, from May 27, 2004, to September 30,…
We present the most comprehensive near-ultraviolet (NUV: 2550-3255 Angstrom) activity record to date for the Alpha Centauri AB system, combining archival IUE and HST observations spanning nearly five decades with new high-cadence CUTE…
A small percentage of normal stars harbor giant planets that orbit within a few tenths of an astronomical unit. At such distances the potential exists for significant tidal and magnetic field interaction resulting in energy dissipation that…
It has been proposed that magnetic activity could be enhanced due to interactions between close-in massive planets and their host stars. In this article, I present a brief overview of the connection between stellar magnetic activity and…
The motion of planetesimals was studied in the Proxima Centauri and TRAPPIST 1 exoplanetary systems. The size of the feeding zone of planet Proxima Centauri c is discussed. It was noted that after hundreds of Myrs, some planetesimals could…
The newly detected Earth-mass planet in the habitable zone of Proxima Centauri could potentially host life - if it has an atmosphere that supports surface liquid water. We show that thermal phase curve observations with the James Webb Space…
The interaction between planets and their host stars is governed by the forces of gravity, radiation, and magnetic fields. For planets orbiting their stars at distances of approximately 10 stellar radii or less, these effects are…
At a distance of about 4.22 lightyears, it would take about 100,000 years for humans to visit our closest stellar neighbor Proxima Centauri using modern chemical thrusters. New technologies are now being developed that involve high-power…
Since the first discovery of an extrasolar planetary system more than a decade ago, hundreds more have been discovered. Surprisingly, many of these systems harbor Jupiter-class gas giants located close to the central star, at distances of…