A Window into Planetary Magnetism with Exo-Aurorae
Abstract
Planetary magnetic fields influence atmospheric evaporation from space weather, yield insights into planet interiors, and are essential for producing aurorae. The most direct way of measuring magnetic fields on exoplanets is by observing exo-aurorae at radio frequencies. Our discovery of the first radio exo-aurora on the 12.7 MJ brown dwarf SIMP J01365662+0933473 marks the beginning of an era for directly probing magnetism at planetary masses. Low-frequency radio arrays such as the Owens Valley LWA and the Square Kilometre Array will soon be sensitive to exoplanet aurorae, providing a new means of exoplanet detection and characterization. Now is a critical time to prepare for these upcoming searches by harnessing detailed studies of exo-aurorae on observationally accessible exoplanet analogs, planetary-mass brown dwarfs. I will synthesize the state of the art for searches of brown dwarf exo-aurorae, including our new results from a survey of young, planetary-mass objects and the deepest study to date of an 11-12 MJ brown dwarf. I will discuss implications for and highlight opportunities to probe exoplanet magnetism with the next generation of ground- and space-based radio facilities.
- Publication:
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AAS/Division for Extreme Solar Systems Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- August 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019ESS.....450006K