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PLATO (PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars) is ESA's M3 mission designed to detect and characterise extrasolar planets and perform asteroseismic monitoring of a large number of stars. PLATO will detect small planets (down to <2 R_(Earth)) around bright stars (<11 mag), including terrestrial planets in the habitable zone of solar-like stars. With the complement of radial velocity observations from the ground, planets will be characterised for their radius, mass, and age with high accuracy (5 %, 10 %, 10 % for an Earth-Sun combination respectively). PLATO will provide us with a large-scale catalogue of well-characterised small planets up to intermediate orbital periods, relevant for a meaningful comparison to planet formation theories and to better understand planet evolution. It will make possible comparative exoplanetology to place our Solar System planets in a broader context. In parallel, PLATO will study (host) stars using asteroseismology, allowing us to determine the stellar properties with high accuracy, substantially enhancing our knowledge of stellar structure and evolution. The payload instrument consists of 26 cameras with 12cm aperture each. For at least four years, the mission will perform high-precision photometric measurements. Here we review the science objectives, present PLATO's target samples and fields, provide an overview of expected core science performance as well as a description of the instrument and the mission profile at the beginning of the serial production of the flight cameras. PLATO is scheduled for a launch date end 2026. This overview therefore provides a summary of the mission to the community in preparation of the upcoming operational phases.

Among Neptunian mass exoplanets ($20-50$ M$_\oplus$), puffy hot Neptunes are extremely rare, and their unique combination of low mass and extended radii implies very low density ($\rho < 0.3$~g~cm$^{-3}$). Over the last decade, only a few puffy planets have been detected and precisely characterized with both transit and radial velocity observations, most notably including WASP-107~$b$, TOI-1420~$b$, and WASP-193 $b$. In this paper, we report the discovery of TOI-1173 A $b$, a low-density ($\rho = 0.195_{-0.017}^{+0.018}$~g~cm$^{-3}$) super-Neptune with $P = 7.06$ days in a nearly circular orbit around the primary G-dwarf star in the wide binary system TOI-1173 A/B. Using radial velocity observations with the MAROON-X and HIRES spectrographs and transit photometry from TESS, we determined a planet mass of $M_{\rm{p}} = 27.4\pm1.7\ M_{\oplus}$ and radius of $R_{\rm{p}} = 9.19\pm0.18\ R_{\oplus}$. TOI-1173 A $b$ is the first puffy Super-Neptune planet detected in a wide binary system (projected separation $\sim 11,400$~AU). We explored several mechanisms to understand the puffy nature of TOI-1173 A $b$, and showed that tidal heating is the most promising explanation. Furthermore, we demonstrate that TOI-1173 A $b$ likely has maintained its orbital stability over time and may have undergone von-Zeipel-Lidov-Kozai migration followed by tidal circularization given its present-day architecture, with important implications for planet migration theory and induced engulfment into the host star. Further investigation of the atmosphere of TOI-1173 A $b$ will shed light on the origin of close-in low-density Neptunian planets in field and binary systems, while spin-orbit analyses may elucidate the dynamical evolution of the system., Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journal on June 2, 2024

The evolution of a planet's atmosphere depends strongly on its host star's properties. When their host stars are younger, planets can experience stronger winds and EUV emissions. This is particularly true for planets orbiting M-dwarfs due to their close proximity to the host star. To determine if these planets retain an atmosphere, we consider the impacts from stellar wind and EUV fluxes in driving atmospheric escape throughout the planet's lifetime. For this, we determined the atmospheric mass loss due to stellar wind and photoevaporation on 4 planets in close orbit and 34 in their star's habitable zone (HZ). The M-dwarf host stars' wind velocity, density, and EUV flux were calculated through rotation period and X-ray flux scaling over time. The mass loss rate due to stellar wind and photoevaporation was then computed as a function of time and accumulated throughout the planet's age to determine the total atmospheric mass loss of the planet's initial H/He envelope. We find that for HZ planets at orbits $<$ 0.1 AU, stellar wind can only remove $\leq 1\%$ of the H/He envelope, while photoevaporation is essential for completely removing the H/He envelope of most targets. Moreover, due to either mechanism, most planets orbiting at $>$ 0.1 AU do not have their primordial envelope stripped. Overall, out of the 38 planets studied, 13 were predicted to have lost the primordial envelope due to photoevaporation, while 2 planets lost the envelope due to both stellar wind and photoevaporation., Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures, published in MNRAS

Stellar rotation is crucial for studying stellar evolution since it provides information about age, angular momentum transfer, and magnetic fields of stars. In the case of the Sun, due to its proximity, detailed observation of sunspots at various latitudes and longitudes allows the precise estimate of the solar rotation period and its differential rotation. Here, we present for the first time an analysis of stellar differential rotation using starspot transit mapping as a means of detecting differential shear in solar-type and M stars. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between rotational shear, $\Delta\Omega$, with both the star's effective temperature ($T_{\text{eff}}$) and average rotation period ($P_{\text{r}}$). We present differential rotation profiles derived from previously collected spot transit mapping data for 13 slowly rotating stars ($P_{\text{rot}} \geq 4.5$ days), with spectral types ranging from M to F, which were observed by the Kepler and CoRoT satellites. Our findings reveal a significant negative correlation between rotational shear and the mean period of stellar rotation (correlation coefficient of -0.77), which may be an indicator of stellar age. On the other hand, a weak correlation was observed between differential rotation and the effective temperature of the stars. Overall, the study provides valuable insights into the complex relationship between stellar parameters and differential rotation, which may enhance our understanding of stellar evolution and magnetic dynamos., Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures

Every 11 years, the Sun goes through periods of activity, with the occurrence of many solar flares and mass ejections, both energetic phenomena of magnetic origin. Due to its effects on Earth, the study of solar activity is of paramount importance. POEMAS (Polarization of Millimeter Emission of Solar Activity) is a system of two telescopes, installed at CASLEO (El Leoncito Astronomical Complex) in Argentina, which monitors the Sun at two millimeter wavelengths (corresponding frequencies of 45 and 90 GHz). The objective of this work is to automatically detect solar flares observed by the polarimeter. First it is necessary to eliminate the background noise, caused mainly by instrumental problems, from the light curves of millimeter solar emission. The methodology used to exclude the noise proposed in this work is to use the tendency of time series. The subtraction of this model from the light curves provides the input to automate the detection of solar flares using artificial intelligence techniques. A Neural Network was trained to recognize patterns and analyze a dataset in order to identify solar flares. Previously, a total of 30 flares had been visually identified and analyzed in the POEMAS database between 2011/11/22 and 2013/12/10. The methodology presented here confirmed 87% of these events, moreover the neural network was able to identify at least 9 new events. As the neural network was trained to detect impulsive events (lasting less than 5 min), long duration bursts were not automatically detected, nor were they detected visually due to the background noise of the telescope. Visual inspection of the POEMAS data, when comparing with microwave data from the RSTN, allowed the identification of an additional 10 long-duration solar flares at 45 GHz. We discuss some problems encountered and possible solutions for future work., Comment: 23 pages, 9 figures, 6 tables

Understanding the physical processes that trigger solar flares is paramount to help with forecasting space weather and mitigating the effects on our technological infrastructure. A previously unknown phenomenon was recently identified in solar flares: the plasma temperature, derived from soft X-ray (SXR) data, at the onset of four flares, was revealed to be in the range 10-15 MK, without evidence of gradual heating. To investigate how common the hot-onset phenomenon may be, we extend this investigation to solar flares of B1.2- X6.9 classes recorded by the X-ray Sensor (XRS) on-board the GOES-14 and GOES-15 satellites between 2010 and 2011. For this statistical study, we employed the same methodology as in recent work, where the pre-flare SXR flux of each flare is obtained manually, and the temperature and emission measure values are obtained by the flux ratio of the two GOES/XRS channels using the standard software. From 3224 events listed in the GOES flare catalog for 2010-2011, we have selected and analyzed 745 events for which the flare heliographic location was provided in the list, to investigate center-to-limb effects of the hot-onset phenomenon. Our results show that 559 out of 745 flares (75%) exhibit an onset temperature above 8.6 MK (the first quartile), with respective log10 of the emission measure values between 46.0 - 47.25 cm-3, indicating that small amounts of plasma are quickly heated to high temperatures. These results suggest that the hot-onset phenomenon is very common in solar flares., Comment: 6 pages,7 figures

The Solar Submillimeter Telescope (SST) is an unique instrument that has been observing the Sun daily since 2001 bringing a wealth of information and raising new questions about the particle acceleration and transport, and emission mechanisms during flares. We are now designing its successor, the SSTng, that will expand the scientific goals of the instrument, including non-solar source observations., Comment: Accepted for the URSI GASS 2023, Sapporo, japan, 19-26 August 2023. 4 pages, 4 figures

The Sun and other solar-type stars have magnetic fields that permeate their interior and surface, extends through the interplanetary medium, and is the main driver of stellar activity. Stellar magnetic activity affects physical processes and conditions of the interplanetary medium and orbiting planets. Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are the most impacting of these phenomena in near-Earth space weather, and consist of plasma clouds, with magnetic field, ejected from the solar corona. Precisely predicting the trajectory of CMEs is crucial in determining whether a CME will hit a planet and impact its magnetosphere and atmosphere. Despite the rapid developments in the search for stellar CMEs, their detection is still very incipient. In this work we aim to better understand the propagation of CMEs by analysing the influence of initial parameters on CME trajectories, such as position, velocities, and stellar magnetic field's configuration. We reconstruct magnetograms for Kepler-63 (KIC 11554435) and Kepler-411 (KIC 11551692) from spot transit mapping, and use a CME deflection model, ForeCAT, to simulate trajectories of hypothetical CMEs launched into the interplanetary medium from Kepler-63 and Kepler-411. We apply the same methodology to the Sun, for comparison. Our results show that in general, deflections and rotations of CMEs decrease with their radial velocity, and increase with ejection latitude. Moreover, magnetic fields stronger than the Sun's, such as Kepler-63's, tend to cause greater CME deflections.

How do the characteristics of starspots influence the triggering of stellar flares? Here we investigate the activity of two K-type stars, similar in every way from mass to rotation periods and planetary systems. Both stars exhibit about a hundred spots, however, Kepler-411 produced 65 superflares, while Kepler-210 presented none. The spots of both stars were characterized using the planetary transit mapping technique, which yields the intensity, temperature, and radius of starspots. The average radius was $(17\pm7) \times 10^3$ km and $(58 \pm 23) \times 10^3$ km, while the intensity ratio with respect to the photosphere was $(0.35\pm0.24)$ $I_{c}$ and $(0.64\pm0.15)$ $I_{c}$, and the temperature was $(3800 \pm 700)$ K and $(4180 \pm 240)$ K for spots of Kepler-411 and Kepler-210, respectively. Therefore, spots on the star with no superflares, Kepler-210, are mostly larger, less dark, and warmer than those on the flaring star, Kepler-411. This may indicate magnetic fields with smaller magnitude and complexity of the spots on Kepler-210 when compared to those on Kepler-411. Thus, starspot area appears not to be the main culprit of superflares triggering. Perhaps the magnetic complexity of active regions is more important., Comment: 5 pages,4 Figures

In recent decades our understanding of solar active regions (ARs) has improved substantially due to observations made with better angular resolution and wider spectral coverage. While prior AR observations have shown that these structures were always brighter than the quiet Sun at centimeter wavelengths, recent observations at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths have shown ARs with well defined dark umbrae. Given this new information, it is now necessary to update our understanding and models of the solar atmosphere in active regions. In this work, we present a data-constrained model of the AR solar atmosphere, in which we use brightness temperature measurements of NOAA 12470 at three radio frequencies: 17 (NoRH), 100 and 230 GHz (ALMA). Based on our model, which assumes that the radio emission originates from thermal free-free and gyroresonance processes, we calculate radio brightness temperature maps that can be compared with the observations. The magnetic field at distinct atmospheric heights was determined in our modelling process by force-free field extrapolation using photospheric magnetograms taken by HMI/SDO. In order to determine the best plasma temperature and density height profiles necessary to match the observations, the model uses a genetic algorithm that modifies a standard quiet Sun atmospheric model. Our results show that the height of the transition region (TR) of the modelled atmosphere varies with the type of region being modelled: for umbrae the TR is located at 1080 +/- 20 km above the solar surface; for penumbrae, the TR is located at 1800 +/- 50 km; and for bright regions outside sunspots, the TR is located at 2000 +/- 100 km. With these results, we find good agreement with the observed AR brightness temperature maps. Our modelled AR can be used to estimate the emission at frequencies without observational coverage., Comment: 20 pages, 8 figures, 4 tables, accepted for publication in Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences

Study Analysis Group 21 (SAG21) of NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program Analysis Group (ExoPAG) was organized to study the effect of stellar contamination on space-based transmission spectroscopy, a method for studying exoplanetary atmospheres by measuring the wavelength-dependent radius of a planet as it transits its star. Transmission spectroscopy relies on a precise understanding of the spectrum of the star being occulted. However, stars are not homogeneous, constant light sources but have temporally evolving photospheres and chromospheres with inhomogeneities like spots, faculae, plages, granules, and flares. This SAG brought together an interdisciplinary team of more than 100 scientists, with observers and theorists from the heliophysics, stellar astrophysics, planetary science, and exoplanetary atmosphere research communities, to study the current research needs that can be addressed in this context to make the most of transit studies from current NASA facilities like HST and JWST. The analysis produced 14 findings, which fall into three Science Themes encompassing (1) how the Sun is used as our best laboratory to calibrate our understanding of stellar heterogeneities ("The Sun as the Stellar Benchmark"), (2) how stars other than the Sun extend our knowledge of heterogeneities ("Surface Heterogeneities of Other Stars") and (3) how to incorporate information gathered for the Sun and other stars into transit studies ("Mapping Stellar Knowledge to Transit Studies"). In this invited review, we largely reproduce the final report of SAG21 as a contribution to the peer-reviewed literature., Comment: Invited review in press at RASTI. Based on the ExoPAG SAG21 report (arXiv:2201.09905v1) and refined via feedback from three reviewers. 75 pages, 30 figures, 5 tables

Measurements of the radius and limb brightening of the Sun provide important information about the solar atmosphere structure and temperature. The solar radius increases as the observation at radio frequency decreases, indicating that each emission originates higher in the atmosphere. Thus, different layers of the solar atmosphere can be probed by observing at multiple wavelengths. In this work, we determined the average radius and limb brightening at 100, 212, 230, and 405 GHz, using data from the Solar Submillimeter Telescope and ALMA's single-dish observations. For the first time, limb brightening values for frequencies of 212 and 405 GHz were estimated. At sub-THz frequencies, the observed limb brightening may affect the solar radius measurements. We use two different and well known approaches to determine the radius: the half-power method and the inflection-point method. We investigate how the antenna beam size and the limb brightening level, LB, can affect the radius measurements using both methods. Our results showed that the inflection-point method is the least affected by these parameters, and should thus be used for solar radius estimates at radio wavelengths. The measured average radii are 968"~$\pm$~3" (100 GHz), 963"~$\pm$~3" (212 GHz), 963"~$\pm$~2" (230 GHz), and 963"~$\pm$~5" (405 GHz). Finally, we used forward modeling to estimate the ranges of LB of the solar disk resulting in 5%-19% (100 GHz), 2%-12% (212 GHz), 6%-18% (230 GHz), and 3%-17% (405 GHz). Both radius and limb brightening estimates agree with previous measurements reported in the literature.

Stellar magnetic activity, just like that of the Sun, manifests itself in the form of flares and spots on the surface of the star. In the solar case, the largest flares originate from large active regions. In this work, we present a study of the activity of the star Kepler-411, including spot modeling from planetary transits. Our goal was to search for a connection between the area of starspots with the energy of superflares produced by this star. Kepler-411 is a K2V-type star with an average rotation period of 10.52 days, radius of 0.79 $R_{\odot}$ and a mass of 0.83 $M_{\odot} $, which was observed by the Kepler satellite for about 600 days. Transit mapping allowed for the characterization of 198 starspots with estimates of their radius and temperature. Kepler-411 starspots had an average radius of $(17 \pm 7)\times 10^3$ km and a mean temperature of $3800 \pm 700$ K. Visual inspection of the light curves of Kepler-411 yields the identification of 65 superflares. The detected superflares lasted from 8 to 260 min and their energy varied from $10^{33} - 10^{35}$ ergs. The power-law index of the flare frequency distribution as a function of energy is (-2.04 $\pm$ 0.13) for the flare on Kepler-411. A positive correlation between the area of starspots and the energy of superflares was found when considering the averages taken every 16 to 35 days, with the highest correlation occurring for averages every 21 days. This timing is probably related to the lifetime of the Kepler-411 spots., Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures

Formation of hazes at microbar pressures has been explored by theoretical models of exoplanet atmospheres to explain Rayleigh scattering and/or featureless transmission spectra, however observational evidence of aerosols in the low pressure formation environments has proved elusive. Here, we show direct evidence of aerosols existing at $\sim$1 microbar pressures in the atmosphere of the warm sub-Saturn WASP-69b using observations taken with Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) and Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) instruments on the Hubble Space Telescope. The transmission spectrum shows a wavelength-dependent slope induced by aerosol scattering that covers 11 scale heights of spectral modulation. Drawing on the extensive studies of haze in our Solar System, we model the transmission spectrum based on a scaled version of Jupiter's haze density profile to show that WASP-69b transmission spectrum can be produced by scattering from an approximately constant density of particles extending throughout the atmospheric column from 40 millibar to microbar pressures. These results are consistent with theoretical expectations based on microphysics of the aerosol particles that have suggested haze can exist at microbar pressures in exoplanet atmospheres., Comment: 15 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication in AJ

We report the detection of an atmosphere on a rocky exoplanet, GJ 1132 b, which is similar to Earth in terms of size and density. The atmospheric transmission spectrum was detected using Hubble WFC3 measurements and shows spectral signatures of aerosol scattering, HCN, and CH$_{4}$ in a low mean molecular weight atmosphere. We model the atmospheric loss process and conclude that GJ 1132 b likely lost the original H/He envelope, suggesting that the atmosphere that we detect has been reestablished. We explore the possibility of H$_{2}$ mantle degassing, previously identified as a possibility for this planet by theoretical studies, and find that outgassing from ultrareduced magma could produce the observed atmosphere. In this way we use the observed exoplanet transmission spectrum to gain insights into magma composition for a terrestrial planet. The detection of an atmosphere on this rocky planet raises the possibility that the numerous powerfully irradiated Super-Earth planets, believed to be the evaporated cores of Sub-Neptunes, may, under favorable circumstances, host detectable atmospheres., Comment: 22 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomical Journal

At subterahertz frequencies -- i.e., millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths -- there is a gap of measurements of the solar radius as well as other parameters of the solar atmosphere. As the observational wavelength changes, the radius varies because the altitude of the dominant electromagnetic radiation is produced at different heights in the solar atmosphere. Moreover, radius variations throughout long time series are indicative of changes in the solar atmosphere that may be related to the solar cycle. Therefore, the solar radius is an important parameter for the calibration of solar atmospheric models enabling a better understanding of the atmospheric structure. In this work we use data from the Solar Submillimeter-wave Telescope (SST) and from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), at the frequencies of 100, 212, 230, and 405 GHz, to measure the equatorial and polar radii of the Sun. The radii measured with extensive data from the SST agree with the radius-vs-frequency trend present in the literature. The radii derived from ALMA maps at 230 GHz also agree with the radius-vs-frequency trend, whereas the 100-GHz radii are slightly above the values reported by other authors. In addition, we analyze the equatorial and polar radius behavior over the years, by determining the correlation coefficient between solar activity and subterahertz radii time series at 212 and 405 GHz (SST). The variation of the SST-derived radii over 13 years are correlated to the solar activity when considering equatorial regions of the solar atmosphere, and anticorrelated when considering polar regions. The ALMA derived radii time series for 100 and 230 GHz show very similar behaviors with those of SST., Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure, 3 tables, 1 equation

The differential rotation of the Sun is a crucial ingredient of the dynamo theory responsible for the generation of its magnetic field. Currently, the rotation profile of a star that hosts one or more transiting planets can be estimated. By detecting the same spot in a later transit, it is possible to infer the stellar rotation period at that latitude. In this work, we apply for the first time transit spot mapping to determine the differential rotation of Kepler-411, a K2V-type star with an average rotation period of 10.52 days, radius of 0.79 R$_\odot$ and mass of 0.83 M$_\odot$. Kepler-411 hosts at least four planets, the inner planet is a super-Earth with a radius of 1.88 R$_\oplus$ and an orbital period of 3.0051 days, whereas the two larger transiting planets are mini Neptunes with radii of 3.27 and 3.31 R$_\oplus$, and periods of 7.834435 and 58.0204 days, respectively. Their orbits are such that they transit the star at latitudes of -11$^{\circ}$, -21$^{\circ}$, and -49$^{\circ}$. Analysis of the transit light curves of the three planets resulted in the detection of a total of 198 spots. For each transit latitude, the rotation period of the star was estimated and the differential rotation pattern estimated independently. Then a solar like differential rotation profile was fit to the three rotation periods at the distinct latitudes, the result agreed extremely well with the previous ones, resulting in a differential shear of $0.0500\pm0.0006$ rd/d or a relative differential rotation of $8.4\pm0.1$\%., Comment: 9 pages

We report the temporal evolution of the excess brightness temperature above solar active regions (ARs) observed with the Solar Submillimeter Telescope (SST) at 212 ({\lambda} = 1.4 mm) and 405 GHz ({\lambda} = 0.7 mm) during Cycles 23 and 24. Comparison with the sunspot number (SSN) yields a Pearson's correlation coefficient R = 0.88 and 0.74 for 212 and 405 GHz, respectively. Moreover, when only Cycle 24 is taken into account the correlation coefficients go to 0.93 and 0.81 for each frequency. We derive the spectral index {\alpha} between SST frequencies and found a slight anti-correlation with the SSN (R = -0.25); however, since the amplitude of the variation is lower than the standard deviation we cannot draw a definite conclusion. Indeed, {\alpha} remains almost constant within the uncertainties with a median value approximate to 0 characteristic of an optically thick thermal source. Since the origin of the AR submillimeter radiation is thermal continuum produced at chromospheric heights, the strong correlation between the excess brightness temperature and the magnetic cycle evolution could be related to the available free magnetic energy to be released in reconnection events., Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal

The discovery of potentially habitable planets around the ultracool dwarf star Trappist-1 naturally poses the question: could Trappist-1 planets be home to life? These planets orbit very close to the host star and are most susceptible to the UV radiation emitted by the intense and frequent flares of Trappist-1. Here we calculate the UV spectra (100 - 450 nm) of a superflare observed on Trappist-1 with the K2 mission. We couple radiative transfer models to this spectra to estimate the UV surface flux on planets in the habitable zone of Trappist-1 (planets $e$, $f$, and $g$), assuming atmospheric scenarios based on a pre-biotic and an oxygenic atmosphere. We quantify the impact of the UV radiation on living organisms on the surface and on a hypothetical planet ocean. Finally, we find that for non-oxygenic planets, UV resistant lifeforms would survive on the surface of planets f and g. Nevertheless, more fragile organisms (i.e. \textit{E. coli}) could be protected from the hazardous UV effects at ocean depths greater than 8m. If the planets have an ozone layer, any lifeforms studied here would survive in the HZ planets., Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in Astrobiology

Polarisation measurements of solar flares at millimetre-waves were used to investigate the magnetic field configuration of the emitting sources. We analyse two solar flares (SOL2013-02-17 and SOL2013-11-05) observed by the POlarisation Emission of Millimetre Activity at the Sun (POEMAS) at 45 and 90 GHz, at microwaves from 1 - 15 GHz by the Radio Solar Telescope Network (RSTN), and at high frequencies (212 GHz) by the Solar Submillimetre Telescope (SST). Also, hard X-rays from these flares were simultaneously detected by the Reuven Ramaty High-Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI). The flux and polarisation radio spectra were fit using a model that simulates gyrosynchrotron emission in a spatially-varying 3D magnetic field loop structure. For the {modelling}, the magnetic loop geometry was fixed and the field strength was the only free parameter of the magnetic field. In addition, a uniform electron distribution was {assumed by} the model, with the number density of energetic electrons and the electron spectral index as free parameters. The fitted model reproduced reasonably well the observed degree of polarisation and radio flux spectra for each event yielding the physical parameters of the loop and flaring sources. Our results indicate that the high degree of polarisation during a solar flare can be explained by two sources located at the {footpoints} of highly asymmetric magnetic loops whereas low polarisation degrees arise from footpoint sources of symmetric magnetic loops., Comment: accepted for publication (Solar Physics). 19 pages, 9 figures

When a planet transits in front of its host star, a fraction of its light is blocked, decreasing the observed flux from the star. The same is expected to occur when observing the stellar radio flux. However, at radio wavelengths, the planet also radiates, depending on its temperature, and thus modifies the transit depths. We explore this scenario simulating the radio lightcurves of transits of hot-Jupiters, Kepler-17b and WASP-12b, around solar-like stars. We calculated the bremsstrahlung radio emission at 17, 100, and 400 GHz originated from the star, considering a solar atmospheric model. The planetary radio emission was calculated modelling the planets in two scenarios: as a blackbody or with a dense and hot extended atmosphere. In both cases the planet radiates and contributes to the total radio flux. For a blackbody planet, the transit depth is in the order of 2-4% and it is independent of the radio frequency. Hot-Jupiters planets with atmospheres appear bigger and brighter in radio, thus having a larger contribution to the total flux of the system. Therefore, the transit depths are larger than in the case of blackbody planets, reaching up to 8% at 17 GHz. Also the transit depth is frequency-dependent. Moreover, the transit caused by the planet passing behind the star is deeper than when the planet transits in front of the star, being as large as 18% at 400GHz. In all cases, the contribution of the planetary radio emission to the observed flux is evident when the planet transits behind the star., Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal

The almost unexplored frequency window from submillimeter to mid-infrared (mid-IR) may bring new clues about the particle acceleration and transport processes and the atmospheric thermal response during solar flares. Because of its technical complexity and the special atmospheric environment needed, observations at these frequencies are very sparse. The High Altitude THz Solar Photometer (HATS) is a full-Sun ground-based telescope designed to observe the continuum from the submillimeter to the mid-IR. It has a 457-mm spherical mirror with the sensor in its primary focus. The sensor is a Golay cell with high sensitivity in a very wide frequency range. The telescope has a polar mount, and a custom-built data acquisition system based on a 32 ksamples per second, 24 bits (72 dB dynamic range), 8 channels analog-to-digital board. Changing only the composition of the low- and band-pass filters in front of the Golay cell, the telescope can be setup to detect very different frequency bands; making the instrument very versatile. In this article we describe the telescope characteristics and its development status. Moreover, we give estimates of the expected fluxes during flares., Comment: Accepted for publication in Solar Physics. 13 pages, 3 Figures and 2 Tables

The observational detection of a localized reduction in the small planet occurrence rate, sometimes termed a 'gap', is an exciting discovery because of the implications for planet evolutionary history. This gap appears to define a transition region in which sub-Neptune planets are believed to have lost their H/He envelope, potentially by photoevaporation or core powered mass loss, and have thus been transformed into bare cores terrestrial planets. Here we investigate the transition between sub-Neptunes and super-Earths using a real sample of observed small close-in planets and applying envelope evolution models of the H/He envelope together with the mass-radius diagram and a photoevaporation model. We find that photoevaporation can explain the H/He envelope loss of most super-Earths in 100Myr, although an additional loss mechanism appears necessary in some planets. We explore the possibility that these planets families have different core mass and find a continuum in the primordial population of the strongly irradiated super-Earths and the sub-Neptunes. Our analysis also shows that close-orbiting sub-Neptunes with R < 3.5 R_oplus typically lose ~ 30% of their primordial envelope., Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures; accepted by ApJ

To better understand the influence of the activity cycle on the solar atmosphere, we report the time variation of the radius observed at 37 GHz ($\lambda$=8.1 mm) obtained by the Mets\"ahovi Radio Observatory (MRO) through Solar Cycles 22 to 24 (1989-2015). Almost 5800 maps were analyzed, however, due to instrumental setups changes the data set showed four distinct behaviors, which requested a normalisation process to allow the whole interval analysis. When the whole period was considered, the results showed a positive correlation index of 0.17 between the monthly means of the solar radius at 37 GHz and solar flux obtained at 10.7 cm (F10.7). This correlation index increased to 0.44, when only the data obtained during the last period without instrumental changes were considered (1999-2015). The solar radius correlation with the solar cycle agrees with the previous results obtained at mm/cm wavelengths (17 and 48 GHz), nevertheless, this result is the opposite of that reported at submillimetre wavelengths (212 and 405 GHz)., Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in Solar Physics

Context. The study of young solar type stars is fundamental for a better understanding of the magnetic activity of the Sun. As a planet in transit crosses in front of its host star, a darkspot on the stellar surface may be occulted, causing a detectable variation in the light curve. Kepler-63 is a young solar-like star withan age of only 210 Myr that exhibit photometric variations compatible with spot signatures. Since its orbiting planet is in an almostpolar orbit, different latitudes of the star can be probed by the method of spot transit mapping. Methods. A total of 150 transits of Kepler-63b were observed in the short cadence light curve, corresponding to a total duration of about 4 years. Each transit light curve was fit by a model that simulates planetary transits and allows the inclusion of starspots on the surface of the host star. This enables the physical characterisation of the spots size, intensity, and location. We determine the spot position in a reference frame that rotates with the star, and thus obtain the latitudinal distribution of the spots. Results. A total of 297 spots were fit and their sizes, intensities, and positions determined. The latitude distribution of spots exhibits a bimodality with a lack of spots around 34{\deg}. The high latitude spots dominate the magnetic cycle of Kepler-63. For a mean stellar rotation period of 5.400d, 59 spots were found at approximately the same longitude and latitude on a later transit. Conclusions. Due to the geometry of the Kepler-63 system, we were able to build a starspot "butterfly diagram". It was also possible to infer Kepler-63 differential rotation from the presence of spots at different latitudes. This star was found to rotate almost rigidly with a period of 5.400d and relative shear close to 0.01% for latitudes less than 34{\deg}, whereas the high latitudes do not follow a well behaved pattern.

Spectroscopic equilibrium allows us to obtain precise stellar parameters in Sun-like stars. It relies on the assumption of the iron excitation and ionization equilibrium. However, several works suggest that magnetic activity may affect chemical abundances of young active stars, calling into question the validity of this widely-used method. We have tested for the first time variations in stellar parameters and chemical abundances for the young solar twin HIP 36515 ($\sim$0.4 Gyr), along its activity cycle. This star has stellar parameters very well established in the literature and we estimated its activity cycle in $\sim$6 years. Using HARPS spectra with high resolving power (115 000) and signal-to-noise ratio ($\sim$270), the stellar parameters of six different epochs in the cycle were estimated. We found that the stellar activity is strongly correlated with the effective temperature, metallicity, and microturbulence velocity. The possibility of changes in the Li I 6707.8 \AA line due to flares and star spots was also investigated. Although the core of the line profile shows some variations with the stellar cycle, it is compensated by changes in the effective temperature, resulting in a non variation of the Li abundance., Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

The study of young Sun-like stars is of fundamental importance to understand the magnetic activity and rotational evolution of the Sun. Space-borne photometry by the Kepler telescope provides unprecedented datasets to investigate these phenomena in Sun-like stars. We present a new analysis of the entire Kepler photometric time series of the moderately young Sun-like star Kepler-17 that is accompanied by a transiting hot Jupiter. We applied a maximum-entropy spot model to the long-cadence out-of-transit photometry of the target to derive maps of the starspot filling factor versus the longitude and the time. These maps are compared to the spots occulted during transits to validate our reconstruction and derive information on the latitudes of the starspots. We find two main active longitudes on the photosphere of Kepler-17, one of which has a lifetime of at least $\sim 1400$ days, although with a varying level of activity. The latitudinal differential rotation is of solar type, that is, with the equator rotating faster than the poles. We estimate a minimum relative amplitude $\Delta \Omega/ \Omega$ between $\sim 0.08 \pm 0.05$ and $0.14 \pm 0.05$, our determination being affected by the finite lifetime of individual starspots and depending on the adopted spot model parameters. We find marginal evidence of a short-term intermittent activity cycle of $\sim 48$ days and an indication of a longer cycle of $400-600$ days characterized by an equatorward migration of the mean latitude of the spots as in the Sun. The rotation of Kepler-17 is likely to be significantly affected by the tides raised by its massive close-by planet. We confirm the reliability of maximum-entropy spot models to map starspots in young active stars and characterize the activity and differential rotation of this young Sun-like planetary host., Comment: Accepted by Astronomy and Astrophysics - 22 pages, 29 figure, 1 table, 2 appendixes

Polar brightening of the Sun at radio frequencies has been studied for almost fifty years and yet a disagreement persists between solar atmospheric models and observations. Some observations reported brightening values much smaller than the expected values obtained from the models, with discrepancies being particularly large at millimeter wavelengths. New clues to calibrate the atmospheric models can be obtained with the advent of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) radio interferometer. In this work, we analyzed the lower limit of the polar brightening observed at 100 and 230 GHz by ALMA, during its Science Verification period, 2015 December 16-20. We find that the average polar intensity is higher than the disk intensity at 100 and 230 GHz, with larger brightness intensities at the South pole in eight of the nine maps analyzed. The observational results were compared with calculations of the millimetric limb brightnening emission for two semi-empirical atmospheric models, FAL- C (Fontenla et al. 1993) and SSC (Selhorst et al. 2005a). Both models presented larger limb intensities than the averaged observed values. The intensities obtained with the SSC model were closer to the observations, with polar brightenings of 10.5% and 17.8% at 100 and 230 GHz, respectively. This discrepancy may be due to the presence of chromospheric features (like spicules) at regions close to the limb., Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in ApJ

The Sun emits radiation at several wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum. In the optical band, the solar radius is 695,700 km and this is what defines the photosphere, the visible surface of the Sun. However, as the altitude increases, the electromagnetic radiation is produced at other frequencies, causing the solar radius to change as function of wavelength. These measurements enable a better understanding of the solar atmosphere and the radius dependence on the solar cycle is a good indicator of the changes that occur in the atmospheric structure. We measure the solar radius at the subterahertz frequencies of 0.212 and 0.405 THz -- i.e., the altitude where these emissions are primarily generated -- and also analyse the radius variation over the 11-year solar activity cycle. For this, we used radio maps of the solar disk for the period between 1999 and 2017, reconstructed from daily scans made by the Solar Submillimeter-wave Telescope (SST), installed at El Leoncito Astronomical Complex (CASLEO) in the Argentinean Andes. Our measurements yield radii of 966.5" $\pm$ 2.8" for 0.2 THz and 966.5" $\pm$ 2.7" for 0.4 THz. This implies a height of $(5.0 \pm 2.0 \times 10^6)$ m above the photosphere. Furthermore, we also observed strong anti-correlation between the radius variation and the solar activity at both frequencies., Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, paper accpeted by Solar Physics in November 2017 (https://doi.org/10.1007/s11207-017-1216-y)

Radio-bright regions near the solar poles are frequently observed in Nobeyama Radioheliograph (NoRH) maps at 17 GHz, and often in association with coronal holes. However, the origin of these polar brightening has not been established yet. We propose that small magnetic loops are the source of these bright patches, and present modeling results that reproduce the main observational characteristics of the polar brightening within coronal holes at 17 GHz. The simulations were carried out by calculating the radio emission of the small loops, with several temperature and density profiles, within a 2D coronal hole atmospheric model. If located at high latitudes, the size of the simulated bright patches are much smaller than the beam size and they present the instrument beam size when observed. The larger bright patches can be generated by a great number of small magnetic loops unresolved by the NoRH beam. Loop models that reproduce bright patches contain denser and hotter plasma near the upper chromosphere and lower corona. On the other hand, loops with increased plasma density and temperature only in the corona do not contribute to the emission at 17 GHz. This could explain the absence of a one-to-one association between the 17 GHz bright patches and those observed in extreme ultraviolet. Moreover, the emission arising from small magnetic loops located close to the limb may merge with the usual limb brightening profile, increasing its brightness temperature and width., Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, 1 table. Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal

Observations of various solar-type stars along decades revealed that they can have magnetic cycles, just like our Sun. An investigation of the relation between their cycle length and rotation period can shed light on the dynamo mechanisms operating in these stars. Previous works on this relation suggested that the stars could be separated into active and inactive branches, with the Sun falling between them. In this work, we determined short magnetic activity cycles for 6 active solar-type stars observed by the Kepler telescope. The method adopted here estimates the activity from the excess in the residuals of the transitlight curves. This excess is obtained by subtracting a spotless model transit from the light curve, and then integrating over all the residuals during the transit. The presence of long term periodicity is estimated from the analysis of a Lomb-Scargle periodogram of the complete time series. Finally, we investigate the rotation-cycle period relation for the stars analysed here and find that some active stars do not follow the behaviour proposed earlier, falling in the inactive branch. In addition, we also notice a considerable spread from other stars in the literature in the active/inactive branches., Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, Proceedings of the IAU Symposium No. 328: "Living Around Active Stars"

Kepler-96 is an active solar-type star harbouring a Super-Earth planet in close orbit. Its age of 2.3 Gyr is the same as the Sun when there was a considerable increase of oxygen in Earth's atmosphere due to micro-organisms living in the ocean. We present the analysis of superflares seen on the transit lightcurves of Kepler-96b. The model used here simulates the planetary transit in a flaring star. By fitting the observational data with this model, it is possible to infer the physical properties of the flares, such as their duration and the energy released. We found 3 flares within the energy range of superflares, where the biggest superflare observed was found to have an energy of 1.81$\times$10$^{35}$ ergs. The goal is to analyse the biological impact of these superflares on a hypothetical Earth in the habitable zone of Kepler-96 assuming this planet has protection via different scenarios: an Archean and Present-day atmospheres. Also, we compute the attenuation of the flare UV radiation through an Archean ocean. The conclusion is that considering the increase in the UV flux by the strongest superflare emission, {\it E. Coli} and {\it D. Radiodurans} could survive on the surface of the planet only if there was an ozone layer present on the planet atmosphere. However, they could escape from the hazardous UV effects at a depth of 28m and 12m below the ocean surface, respectively. For smaller superflares contribution, {\it D. Radiodurans} could survive in the surface even in an Archean atmosphere with no ozone., Comment: 22 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in Astrobiology

Here we simulate the shape of a planetary transit observed at radio wavelengths. The simulations use a light curve of the K4 star HAT-P-11 and its hot Jupiter companion as proxy. From the HAT-P-11 optical light curve, a prominent spot was identified (1.10 Rp and 0.6 Ic). On the radio regime, the limb brighting of 30% was simulated by a quadratic function, and the active region was assumed to have the same size of the optical spot. Considering that the planet size is 6.35% of the the stellar radius, for the quiet star regions the transit depth is smaller than 0.5%, however, this value can increase to ~2% when covering an active region with 5.0 times the quiet star brightness temperature., Comment: 3 pages, 2 figures, IAUS 328: Living around active stars

Magnetic activity on stars manifests itself in the form of dark spots on the stellar surface, that cause modulation of a few percent in the light curve of the star as it rotates. When a planet eclipses its host star, it might cross in front of one of these spots creating a "bump" in the transit light curve. By modelling these spot signatures, it is possible to determine the physical properties of the spots such as size, temperature, and location. In turn, the monitoring of the spots longitude provides estimates of the stellar rotation and differential rotation. This technique was applied to the star Kepler-17, a solar--type star orbited by a hot Jupiter. The model yields the following spot characteristics: average radius of $49 \pm 10$ Mm, temperatures of $5100 \pm 300$ K, and surface area coverage of $6 \pm 4$ \%. The rotation period at the transit latitude, $-5^\circ$, occulted by the planet was found to be $11.92 \pm 0.05$ d, slightly smaller than the out--of--transit average period of $12.4 \pm 0.1$ d. Adopting a solar like differential rotation, we estimated the differential rotation of Kepler-17 to be $\Delta\Omega = 0.041 \pm 0.005$ rd/d, which is close to the solar value of 0.050 rd/d, and a relative differential rotation of $\Delta\Omega/\Omega=8.0 \pm 0.9$ \%. Since Kepler-17 is much more active than our Sun, it appears that for this star larger rotation rate is more effective in the generation of magnetic fields than shear., Comment: 9 pages, 11 figures, published in ApJ