Planetary magnetosphere evolution around post-main-sequence stars. Issue 2 (24th June 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Veras, Dimitri; Vidotto, Aline A
• Is Part Of: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. Volume 506:Issue 2(2021)
• Page Start: 1697
• Page End: 1703
• Publication Date: 2021-06-24
• Subjects: magnetic fields -- planets and satellites: dynamical evolution and stability -- planet–star interactions -- stars: AGB and post-AGB -- stars: evolution -- white dwarfs; Astronomy -- Periodicals; Periodicals; 520.5
• DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stab1772
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0035-8711

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Accompanying the mounting detections of planets orbiting white dwarfs and giant stars are questions about their physical history and evolution, particularly regarding detectability of their atmospheres and potential for habitability. Here we determine how the size of planetary magnetospheres evolves over time from the end of the main sequence through to the white dwarf phase due to the violent winds of red giant and asymptotic giant branch stars. By using a semi-analytic prescription, we investigate the entire relevant phase space of planet type, planet orbit, and stellar host mass ($1\!-\!7\, {\rm M}_{\odot }$ ). We find that a planetary magnetosphere will always be quashed at some point during the giant branch phases unless the planet's magnetic field strength is at least two orders of magnitude higher than Jupiter's current value. We also show that the time variation of the stellar wind and density generates a net increase in wind ram pressure and does not allow a magnetosphere to be maintained at any time for field strengths less than 10 −5 T (0.1 G). This lack of protection hints that currently potentially habitable planets orbiting white dwarfs would have been previously inhospitable.