Outline

Introduction
Methods
Stellar Activity
Discussion
Conclusions

Detectability of Exoplanets in the Vicinity of

Active Stars
Bad news for habitable Exoplanets?

Jörg Weingrill1

1 Institute of Space Sciences

Austrian Academy of Sciences

Institute of Physics
Karl-Franzens-University Graz

July 13, 2010

Weingrill Exoplanets at Active Stars

 Outline
Introduction
Methods
Stellar Activity
Discussion
Conclusions

1 Introduction
Solar/Stellar Activity
Intrinsic stellar variability
Extrinsic stellar variability

2 Methods
What stars are we looking at?

3 Stellar Activity
Analysis

4 Discussion

5 Conclusions

Weingrill Exoplanets at Active Stars

 Outline
Introduction
Solar/Stellar Activity
Methods
Intrinsic stellar variability
Stellar Activity
Extrinsic stellar variability
Discussion
Conclusions

The sun as a star

Solar activity
Solar oscillations (p-mode, g-modes, f-modes)
Sunspots (Stellar rotation, short-term variability)
Solar irradiance (solar cycle, long-term variability)

Weingrill Exoplanets at Active Stars

 Outline
Introduction
Solar/Stellar Activity
Methods
Intrinsic stellar variability
Stellar Activity
Extrinsic stellar variability
Discussion
Conclusions

Intrinsic stellar variability

Intrinsic stellar variability

Pulsating variable stars (Cepheids, WDs, Solar-like
oscillations)
Eruptive variable stars (Protostars, Wolf-Rayet, Flare-stars)
Cataclysmic variables (Novae, Supernovae)

Weingrill Exoplanets at Active Stars

 Outline
Introduction
Solar/Stellar Activity
Methods
Intrinsic stellar variability
Stellar Activity
Extrinsic stellar variability
Discussion
Conclusions

Extrinsic stellar variability

Extrinsic stellar variability

Rotating variables/Stellar spots (FK Com)
Eclipsing Binaries
Planetary Transits

Weingrill Exoplanets at Active Stars

 Outline
Introduction
Methods
What stars are we looking at?
Stellar Activity
Discussion
Conclusions

Weingrill Exoplanets at Active Stars

 Outline
Introduction
Methods
What stars are we looking at?
Stellar Activity
Discussion
Conclusions

Weingrill Exoplanets at Active Stars

 Outline
Introduction
Methods
What stars are we looking at?
Stellar Activity
Discussion
Conclusions

Weingrill Exoplanets at Active Stars

 Outline
Introduction
Methods
What stars are we looking at?
Stellar Activity
Discussion
Conclusions

Weingrill Exoplanets at Active Stars

 Outline
Introduction
Methods
What stars are we looking at?
Stellar Activity
Discussion
Conclusions

Weingrill Exoplanets at Active Stars

 Outline
Introduction
Methods
Analysis
Stellar Activity
Discussion
Conclusions

Figure: M6III star; red crosses mark the data gaps > 2084 seconds.

Weingrill Exoplanets at Active Stars

 Outline
Introduction
Methods
Analysis
Stellar Activity
Discussion
Conclusions

Star shows asymmetric periodic variations.

stellar rotation,
stellar oscillation,
stellar activity
Stellar flux decreases due to unidentified reasons:
instrumental effects,
interstellar dust,
long term stellar oscillation

Weingrill Exoplanets at Active Stars

 Outline
Introduction
Methods
Stellar Activity
Discussion
Conclusions

Figure: Probably planetary candidate. (G2V star)

Weingrill Exoplanets at Active Stars

 Outline
Introduction
Methods
Stellar Activity
Discussion
Conclusions

Figure: Periodogram of the filtered light curve

Weingrill Exoplanets at Active Stars

 Outline
Introduction
Methods
Stellar Activity
Discussion
Conclusions

Conclusions

Photometric space missions like Kepler and Plato help to

characterize stellar variability.
We see different types of stellar activity at any time-scale.
Orbital periods are in the frequency domain of stellar activity
due to observational bias.
What is the impact of stellar activity on exoplanets?
The sun is a quiet star and therefor is a bad proxy.

Weingrill Exoplanets at Active Stars

 Outline
Introduction
Methods
Stellar Activity
Discussion
Conclusions

To be continued. . .

Weingrill Exoplanets at Active Stars