How Hospitable Are Space Weather Affected Habitable Zones? The Role of Ion Escape

Airapetian, Vladimir S.; Glocer, A.; Khazanov, G. V.; Loyd, R. O. Parke; Sojka, J. J.; Danchi, W. C.; Liemohn, Michael W.

doi:10.3847/2041-8213/836/1/l3

Cited by 228 publications

(222 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…if they lie within the star's Alfvén sphere, leaving them without magnetospheric protection (e.g. Lammer et al 2010;Airapetian et al 2017a). Including the impact of stellar high energetic particles in habitability studies in a self-consistent way requires a broad understanding of stellar, astrospheric, magnetospheric, and ion-and neutral chemical processes within the planet's atmosphere.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Proxima Centauri b: A Strong Case for Including Cosmic-Ray-induced Chemistry in Atmospheric Biosignature Studies

Scheucher

Herbst

Schmidt

et al. 2020

ApJ

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Due to its Earth-like minimum mass of 1.27 M E and its close proximity to our Solar system, Proxima Centauri b is one of the most interesting exoplanets for habitability studies. Its host star, Proxima Centauri, is however a strongly flaring star, which is expected to provide a very hostile environment for potentially habitable planets. We perform a habitability study of Proxima Centauri b assuming an Earth-like atmosphere under high stellar particle bombardment, with a focus on spectral transmission features. We employ our extensive model suite calculating energy spectra of stellar particles, their journey through the planetary magnetosphere, ionosphere, and atmosphere, ultimately providing planetary climate and spectral characteristics, as outlined in Herbst et al. (2019b). Our results suggest that together with the incident stellar energy flux, high particle influxes can lead to efficient heating of the planet well into temperate climates, by limiting CH 4 amounts, which would otherwise run into anti-greenhouse for such planets around M-stars. We identify some key spectral features relevant for future spectral observations: First, NO 2 becomes the major absorber in the visible, which greatly impacts the Rayleigh slope. Second, H 2 O features can be masked by CH 4 (near infra-red) and CO 2 (mid to far infra-red), making them non-detectable in transmission. Third, O 3 is destroyed and instead HNO 3 features become clearly visible in the mid to far infra-red. Lastly, assuming a few percent of CO 2 in the atmosphere, CO 2 absorption at 5.3 µm becomes significant (for flare and non-flare cases), strongly overlapping with a flare related NO feature in Earth's atmosphere.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Proxima Centauri b: A Strong Case for Including Cosmic-Ray-induced Chemistry in Atmospheric Biosignature Studies

Scheucher

Herbst

Schmidt

et al. 2020

ApJ

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“…The upcoming James Webb telescope can yield important information of their atmospheric constituents, and hence, find proxies for possible life. However, the atmospheres of these planets may be Vida et al (2016), copyright by ESO significantly influenced due to erosion as response to stellar eruptions (e.g., Airapetian et al 2017).…”

Section: Icmes Beyond the Solar Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coronal mass ejections and their sheath regions in interplanetary space

Kilpua

Koskinen

Pulkkinen

2017

Living Rev Sol Phys

333

347

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Interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) are large-scale heliospheric transients that originate from the Sun. When an ICME is sufficiently faster than the preceding solar wind, a shock wave develops ahead of the ICME. The turbulent region between the shock and the ICME is called the sheath region. ICMEs and their sheaths and shocks are all interesting structures from the fundamental plasma physics viewpoint. They are also key drivers of space weather disturbances in the heliosphere and planetary environments. ICME-driven shock waves can accelerate charged particles to high energies. Sheaths and ICMEs drive practically all intense geospace storms at the Earth, and they can also affect dramatically the planetary radiation environments and atmospheres. This review focuses on the current understanding of observational signatures and properties of ICMEs and the associated sheath regions based on five decades of studies. In addition, we discuss modelling of ICMEs and many fundamental outstanding questions on their origin, evolution and effects, largely due to the limitations of single spacecraft observations of these macro-scale structures. We also present current understanding of space weather consequences of these large-scale solar wind structures, including effects at the other Solar System planets and exoplanets. We specially emphasize the different origin, properties and consequences of the sheaths and ICMEs.

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“…Such processes are not limited to our solar system; other stars are expected to produce even larger CMEs, stronger shocks and more powerful particle acceleration [2]. Particles accelerated by these powerful eruptions from other stars can even affect the habitability of exoplanets [3]. Since observations of stellar eruptions are very limited, studying particle acceleration at the Sun is of crucial importance for understanding these processes universally.Fast CMEs (with speeds up to ∼3,500 km/s [4,5]) are powerful drivers of plasma shocks that can accelerate particles up to relativistic speeds producing bursts of plasma emission at radio wavelengths [6].…”

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confidence: 99%

Multiple regions of shock-accelerated particles during a solar coronal mass ejection

et al. 2019

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The Sun is an active star that can launch large eruptions of magnetised plasma into the heliosphere, called coronal mass ejections (CMEs). These ejections can drive shocks that accelerate particles to high energies, often resulting in radio emission at low frequencies (<200 MHz). To date, the relationship between the expansion of CMEs, shocks and particle acceleration is not well understood, partly due to the lack of radio imaging at low frequencies during the onset of shock-producing CMEs. Here, we report multi-instrument radio, white-light and ultraviolet imaging of the second largest flare in Solar Cycle 24 (2008-present) and its associated fast CME (3038±288 km/s). We identify the location of a multitude of radio shock signatures, called herringbones, and find evidence for shock accelerated electron beams at multiple locations along the expanding CME. These observations support theories of non-uniform, rippled shock fronts driven by an expanding CME in the solar corona.Particles accelerated in collisionless shocks are of particular interest in space plasmas and are often associated with CMEs from the Sun. Shocks and related high-energy particles can propagate through the heliosphere, influencing planetary ionospheres and atmospheres, and also affecting technological systems at Earth (for a review see [1]). Such processes are not limited to our solar system; other stars are expected to produce even larger CMEs, stronger shocks and more powerful particle acceleration [2]. Particles accelerated by these powerful eruptions from other stars can even affect the habitability of exoplanets [3]. Since observations of stellar eruptions are very limited, studying particle acceleration at the Sun is of crucial importance for understanding these processes universally.Fast CMEs (with speeds up to ∼3,500 km/s [4,5]) are powerful drivers of plasma shocks that can accelerate particles up to relativistic speeds producing bursts of plasma emission at radio wavelengths [6]. The most obvious manifestations of shocks at radio wavelengths on the Sun are a class of radio bursts, Type II bursts, mostly observed at frequencies <150 MHz [7,8,9]. They usually show two emission lanes slowly drifting to lower frequencies in dynamic spectra, with a 2:1 frequency ratio representing emission at the fundamental and harmonic plasma frequency. Type II bursts have been imaged on multiple occasions showing sources closely associated with CMEs [8,10,11], while simulations and CME reconstructions closely associate Type IIs with CME shocks [12,13]. In some cases, 'bursty' signatures of individual electron beams accelerated by CME shocks can be identified in 2 dynamic spectra superimposed on Type II bursts [14]. These electron beam signatures, called 'herringbones', are identified as narrow bursts of radiation drifting towards higher and lower frequencies, categorised as distinct emission from the accompanying Type II burst [15,16], and sometimes even observed without a Type II [15,17]. Despite the wealth of publications on Type II bursts, there ha...

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How Hospitable Are Space Weather Affected Habitable Zones? The Role of Ion Escape

Cited by 228 publications

References 52 publications

Proxima Centauri b: A Strong Case for Including Cosmic-Ray-induced Chemistry in Atmospheric Biosignature Studies

Proxima Centauri b: A Strong Case for Including Cosmic-Ray-induced Chemistry in Atmospheric Biosignature Studies

Coronal mass ejections and their sheath regions in interplanetary space

Multiple regions of shock-accelerated particles during a solar coronal mass ejection

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