European Planetary Science Congress 2018
16–21 September 2018
TU Berlin | Berlin | Germany

EXO5

Plasma and magnetospheric environments of exoplanets: Modelling and probing
Convener: Maxim Khodachenko  | Co-conveners: Ildar F. Shaikhislamov , Navin Dwivedi , Igor Alekseev 
Oral programme
 / Wed, 19 Sep, 08:30–10:00  / Room Venus
Poster programme
 / Attendance Wed, 19 Sep, 16:15–18:00  / Display Wed, 19 Sep, 08:00–20:00  / Poster area

Among the challenges of modern exoplanetary science is the problem of stellar - planetary interactions, including the impact of stellar radiation and plasma flows on planetary environments and evolution of planets. Stellar radiation energizes and heats the upper atmospheres of close-orbit exoplanets resulting in their expansion and complex interaction with the upcoming flow of the stellar wind. This produces around the planet a dynamical plasma environment which controls the process of the planetary atmosphere mass loss, and therefore the whole evolution of the planet. Magnetic fields, those connected with the planetary intrinsic magnetism, as well as the magnetic fields associated with the electric current systems induced in the planetary close surroundings, play here an important role. The spectral measurements of the absorption of the stellar radiation during the exoplanetary transits have been proven nowadays to be an efficient tool for the probing of the co-moving exoplanetary close surroundings.

The session is focused on the topics such as the stellar and planetary winds interaction, stellar plasmas and radiative impacts on planetary environments (exoplanetary space-weather), planetary mass loss, magnetospheric protection, and observational diagnostics with transiting spectra. Due to the generality of the session scope, it welcomes participants from the broad circle of stellar and exoplanetary physics, including the topics like stellar activity, observation and characterization of planetary surroundings, stellar-planetary relations, planetary evolution, dedicated computational modeling, observations and data analysis. An additional emphasis of the session will be on making use of the experiences and knowledge, gained during the investigation of the Solar System planets, properly generalized and adapted to the exoplanetary specifics, taking into account the peculiarities of planets orbital location, atmosphere composition, stellar activity, etc.