Observed effects of star-planet interaction

Since soon after the discovery of hot Jupiters, it had been suspected that interaction of these massive bodies with their host stars could give rise to observable signals. We discuss the observational evidence for star-planet interactions (SPI) of tidal and magnetic origin observed in X-rays and FUV. Hot Jupiters can significantly impact the activity of their host stars through tidal and magnetic interaction, leading to either increased or decreased stellar activity - depending on the internal structure of the host star and the properties of the hosted planet. In HD 189733, X-ray and FUV flares are preferentially in a very restricted range of planetary phases. Matsakos et al. (2015) show, using MHD simulations, planetary gas can be liberated, forming a stream of material that gets compressed and accretes onto the star with a phase lag of 70-90 degrees. This scenario explains many features observed both in X-rays and the FUV (Pillitteri et al. 2015). On the other hand, WASP-18 - an F6 star with a massive hot Jupiter, shows no signs of activity in X-rays or UV. Several age indicators (isochrone fitting, Li abundance) point to a young age (~0.5 -1.0 Gyr) and thus significant activity was expected. In this system, tidal SPI between the star and the very close-in and massive planet appears to destroy the formation of magnetic dynamo and thus nullify the stellar activity.