We present calculations of auroral radio emission for an Earth-like planet produced by field-aligned current (FAC) driven electron acceleration using a coupled global magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) and inner magnetosphere model, extending the capabilities of previous works which focus solely on the direct transmission of magnetic energy between the stellar wind and ionosphere. Magnetized exoplanets are expected to produce radio emission via interaction between the host star’s stellar wind and planetary magnetosphere-ionosphere system. The empirically derived Radiometric Bode’s Law (RBL) is a linear relation between the magnetic solar wind power and total emitted radio power from magnetized Solar System planets, and is often extrapolated to extreme exoplanet systems. It has been shown that the magnitudes of the FACs coupling the stellar wind to planetary ionospheres are likely to be significantly limited (often referred to as ionospheric saturation), resulting in an estimated radio power up to several orders of magnitude less than that predicted by RBL. In this paper, we demonstrate the significance of intense, sporadic FACs, driven by nightside magnetic reconnection and inner magnetosphere plasma flow, to the total radio power produced by wind–ionosphere interaction in terrestrial planets. During periods of strong stellar wind variability, the contribution from these secondary currents can be over an order of magnitude greater than the primary current systems that previous models describe. The results highlight the role of the variability of the stellar wind on the magnitude and location of the resulting emission, subsequently affecting the conditions for detectability.

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We apply a surface flux transport model developed for the Sun to reconstruct the stellar activity-rotation relationship, L X /L bol versus Ro, observed for unsaturated cool stars (Rossby numbers Ro ≳ 0.1). This empirical flux transport model incorporates modulations of magnetic flux strength consistent with observed solar activity cycles, as well as surface flux dynamics consistent with observed and modeled stellar relationships. We find that for stellar flux models corresponding to a range of 0.1 ≲ (Ro/Ro Sun) ≲ 1.2, the L X /L bol versus Ro relation matches well the power-law behavior observed in the unsaturated regime of cool stars. Additionally, the magnetic activity cycles captured by the stellar simulations produce a spread about the power-law relation consistent with that observed in cool star populations, indicating that the observed spread may be caused by intrinsic variations resulting from cyclic stellar behavior. The success of our flux transport modeling in reproducing the observed activity relationship across a wide range of late-F, G, K, and M stars suggests that the photospheric magnetic fields of all unsaturated cool stars exhibit similar flux emergence and surface dynamic behavior, and may hint at possible similarities in stellar dynamo action across a broad range of stellar types.

Traditionally, heliophysics is characterized as the study of the near-Earth space environment, where plasmas and neutral gases originating from the Earth, the Sun, and other solar system bodies interact in ways that are detectable only through in-situ or close-range (usually within ∼10 AU) remote sensing. As a result, heliophysics has data from the space environment around a handful of solar system objects, in particular the Sun and Earth. Comparatively, astrophysics has data from an extensive array of objects, but is more limited in temporal, spatial, and wavelength information from any individual object. Thus, our understanding of planetary space environments as a complex, multi-dimensional network of specific interacting systems may in the past have seemed to have little to do with the highly diverse space environments detected through astrophysical methods. Recent technological advances have begun to bridge this divide. Exoplanetary studies are opening up avenues to study planetary environments beyond our solar system, with missions like Kepler, TESS, and JWST, along with increasing capabilities of ground-based observations. At the same time, heliophysics studies are pushing beyond the boundaries of our heliosphere with Voyager, IBEX, and the future IMAP mission.The interdisciplinary field of star-exoplanet interactions is a critical, growing area of study that enriches heliophysics. A multidisciplinary approach to heliophysics enables us to better understand universal processes that operate in diverse environments, as well as the evolution of our solar system and extreme space weather. The expertise, data, theory, and modeling tools developed by heliophysicists are crucial in understanding the space environments of exoplanets, their host stars, and their potential habitability. The mutual benefit that heliophysics and exoplanetary studies offer each other depends on strong, continuing solar system-focused and Earth-focused heliophysics studies. The heliophysics discipline requires new targeted funding to support inter-divisional opportunities, including small multi-disciplinary research projects, large collaborative research teams, and observations targeting the heliophysics of planetary and exoplanet systems. Here we discuss areas of heliophysics-relevant exoplanetary research, observational opportunities and challenges, and ways to promote the inclusion of heliophysics within the wider exoplanetary community.

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