IAU Special Session 10
 Dynamics of the Star-Planet Relations
27-30 August, 2012

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Dynamics of the Star-Planet Relations

Aims

This Special Session aims to foster cross-disciplinary studies of Heliophysics and Asterosphysics: the physics of the sun and stars and their environment in the interstellar medium. It raises the question: What can the knowledge we gained in heliophysics bring to the quest for understanding extra-solar systems and the fundamental physical processes in the Asterospheres. And, in return, what can the studies of other stellar systems in our galaxy bring to our understanding of our own stellar system, the Heliosphere. It will review the state-of-the-art of the theoretical, numerical modeling, and space-borne and ground-based observational studies of the dynamics of Sun-Earth relation, Sun-planet relation, and extrasolar star-exoplanet relation, and identify the key problems in these fields to be addressed by astronomy, astrophysics, and space physics communities in the coming years.

Topics

• Perspectives of the dynamics of the Sun-Earth and star-planet relations
• Fundamental physical processes in the stellar-planetary environment
• Stellar-solar variability
• Sun-Earth and star-planet interactions
• Stellar-solar winds: Physics of the asterospheres and the heliosphere
• Interactions of stellar-solar winds with the Local Interstellar Medium
• Prospects: Ground facilities and space missions, theory and simulations

Scientific sessions

SpS10 will consist of 7 Sessions with invited talks: Keynote Talks of 40 min, Review Talks of 30 min, and Topical Talks of 20 min; plus a poster session dedicated to contributed papers

Educational activities

In addition to scientific sessions, two educational activities will be organized:

• A Joint IAU-WISER Advanced School of Space Environment (ASSE) will be held on 30 August 2012,
• Two Public Forums will be held at Peking University and Tsinghua University, on 27 and 29 August 2012, respectively

Rationale:

This Symposium will review the state-of-the-art of the theoretical, numerical modeling, and space-borne and ground-based observational studies of the dynamics of Sun-Earth relation, Sun-planet relation, and extrasolar star-exoplanet relation, and to identify the key problems in these fields to be addressed by astronomy, astrophysics, and space physics communities in the coming years. This is the first effort to bring together three cross-disciplinary communities of IAU: heliospheric astrophysicists, stellar astrophysicists, and exoplanetary astrophysicists to discuss recent progresses in these fields in an integrated manner.

This proposal has the support of key IAU officers in the SOC: Presidents of Divisions II, III, and IV (Sun and Heliosphere, Planetary Systems Sciences, Stars). Presidents of Div. II / Commission 10 (Solar Activity); of Div. II / Commission 12 (Solar Radiation and Structure); of Div. II / Commission 49 (Interplanetary Plasma and Heliosphere); of Div. III / Commission 53 (Extrasolar Planets). Chair of Div. II / WG on International Collaboration on Space Weather. Besides Divs. II, III, and IV, this Symposium can also attract a broad interest in several other IAU Commissions.

Descriptions:

The progress of studies on the dynamics of the star-planet relation has accelerated significantly in the past years. The Sun constantly releases energy into space through electromagnetic and mass emissions. The absorption by the Earth of electromagnetic emissions such as IR and UV radiation from the Sun triggers photosynthesis and makes life possible; it also influences the circulation of currents in the atmosphere and oceans, as well as the formation of cloud, rain, snow and ice which are responsible for climate change. Mass emission in the form of solar wind, via its interaction with the Local Interstellar Medium defines the heliosphere. Transient coronal mass ejections drive interplanetary shocks, which accelerate particles to very high energies and cause magnetic storms on planets. Solar activity is controlled by the magnetic fields generated by its dynamo that exhibits solar cycles varying with an average cycle of eleven years.

The planetary-exoplanetary environment refers to the regions of planetary and exoplanetary atmospheres, which are influenced by the physical conditions in solar and extrasolar stellar wind, respectively. The recent discovery of exoplanets has led to a rapid advance in the theoretical understanding of stellar and planetary formation and evolution, and the implementation of dedicated observational programs of exoplanets, including the search for radio emissions from exoplanets. The planetary environment in the solar system has been explored in situ by a large number of spacecraft and analyzed extensively by ground-based observations. These experimental observations have been verified in detail by analytical theories and numerical simulations. Our knowledge of the physical processes occurring in the nearby planetary environment provides the basic tools for our investigation of the complex physical processes taking place in the distant exoplanetary environment in extrasolar systems.

The planetary magnetospheres of the solar system come in many forms and sizes. A comparative study of planets helps us to reconstruct the past history and predict the future evolution of the Earth. Planetary science allows us to contrast the properties of the Earth's environment with the environment of other planets, to reveal how planetary magnetospheric-ionospheric-atmospheric processes respond to changes of planetary scale and rotation rate and of solar wind structure in the vicinity of the planet.

The study of exoplanets is one of the priority research areas of astronomy and astrophysics today. It aims to discover Earth-like exoplanets, and to search for signs of habitability and evidence of biosignatures. One of the fundamental requirements for the planet habitability is the existence of a planetary magnetosphere and a planetary atmosphere. The Earth's magnetosphere and atmosphere prevent harmful galactic cosmic rays from reaching the Earth's surface, without which human life may be in jeopardy. It is natural to expect that the exoplanetary environment exhibits a huge diversity of dynamics and structures.

Many exoplanetary systems possess planets that are located very close to their host stars, the most common example being the “hot Jupiters”. This configuration leads to strong tidal effects, both on the planetary system and on the central star, which need to be understood to constraint the formation and evolution processes of these systems. The surprising discovery of 51 Peg-b in 1995, then the subsequent evidence that a population of similar hot gas giants is a prominent feature of exoplanetary systems, indicated that the solar system is by no means to be taken as a template, and that dynamical migration is a crucial element to take into account in the modeling of planetary system evolution. Present space-borne and ground-based surveys, using facilities such as the CoRoT or Kepler satellites or the Harps ultra-stable spectrograph at ESO-La Silla, as well as future developments, such as the Espresso spectrograph on the VLT and the ESA PLATO satellite, will provide us with a solid statistical knowledge of planetary systems, and strong constraints for further modeling of their dynamical evolution.

The magnetic interactions of solar-stellar winds with planetary-exoplanetary magnetospheres leads to energetic electrons resulting from magnetic reconnections in the planetary-exoplanetary environment, with the consequent emission of nonthermal planetary-exoplanetary radio waves. A variety of intense nonthermal planetary radio emissions are known in the solar system, e.g., the auroral radio emissions from Earth, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, and the radio bursts from the Io-Jupiter flux tube. The former is thought to be driven by the solar wind flow pressure or energy flux on the magnetospheric cross-section, while the latter is a product of the Io-Jupiter electrodynamic interaction. Some studies that examined the possibility of radio emissions from exoplanets have concluded that hot Jupiters, if magnetized, might emit strong radio emissions detectable by large ground-based low-frequency antenna arrays.

The interaction of the astrosphere with its Local Interstellar Medium is expected to strongly influence the size and shape of the astrosphere. Recently with the exciting measurements from the two Voyager spacecraft and IBEX we learned how the heliosphere is shaped by the interstellar magnetic field and nonthermal processes. These ideas will certainly fertilize and carry to other astrospheres.

The star-planet relation exhibits the behaviors of a complex system governed by a rich variety of dynamical and nonlinear phenomena. The aim of this IAU Symposium is to present a review of the state-of-the-art of the theoretical, numerical modeling, and space-borne and ground-based observational studies of the dynamics of Sun-Earth relation, Sun-planet relation, and extrasolar star-exoplanet relation, and to identify the key problems in this field to be addressed by astronomy, astrophysics, and space physics communities in the coming years. In particular, this Symposium will discuss the implications of the recent advances in this field for the preparation of main future space missions involving space agencies and programs worldwide, e.g., ILWS (International Living with a Star), CNSA (Chinese National Space Agency), ESA (Japanese Space Agency), JAXA (Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency), NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), and the contribution of the astronomical and astrophysical communities in international programs on the study of the impact of solar variability on climate change such as the CAWSES-II (Climate and Weather of the Sun-Earth System) program of SCOSTEP (Scientific Committee on Solar-Terrestrial Physics) of ICSU (International Council for Science).

Program:

Coming soon...

SOC:

• Jean-Louis Bougeret, Paris Observatory, France (jean-louis.bougeret@obspm.fr): Chair
• Abraham C.-L. Chian, National Institute for Space Research - INPE, Brazil and Paris Observatory, France (abraham.chian@obspm.fr): co-chair
• Xueshang Feng, Center for Space Science and Applied Research - CSSAR, China (fengx@spaceweather.ac.cn): co-chair
• Merav Opher, Boston University, USA (mopher@gmu.edu): co-chair

Members:

• Alan P. Boss, Carnegie Institution of Washington, USA (boss@dtm.ciw.edu)
• Sandra C. Chapman, University of Warwick, UK (s.c.chapman@warwick.ac.uk)
• Christopher J. Corbally, University of Arizona, USA (corbally@as.arizona.edu)
• Cheng Fang, Nanjing University, China (chenpf@nju.edu.cn)
• Nat Gopalswamy, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, USA (nat.gopalswamy@nasa.gov)
• Zoran Knezevic, Astronomical Observatory of Belgrade, Serbia (zoran@aob.rs)
• Alexander Kosovichev, Stanford University, USA (sasha@quake.stanford.edu)
• Valentin Martínez Pillet, Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, Spain (vmp@iac.es)
• Karen J. Meech, University of Hawaii – Honolulu, USA (meech@ifa.hawaii.edu)
• Heike Rauer, DLR Institute of Planetary Research, Berlin, Germany (heike.rauer@dlr.de)
• Kazunari Shibata, Kyoto University, Japan (shibata@kwasan.kyoto-u.ac.jp)
• David F. Webb, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA (david.webb.ctr@hanscom.af.mil)

Venue:

Details of the venue can be found at the IAU General Assembly at www.astronomy2012.org.

Registration:

For details of registration, please visit the IAU General Assembly at www.astronomy2012.org.

Participants:

Coming soon...

Joint IAU-WISER Advanced School on Space Environment (ASSE 2012) 30 August 2012

Educational Activities associated with SpS10:

In collaboration with SOC, LOC and the WISER (World Institute for Space Environment Research, http://www.cea.inpe.br/wiser) research and training network, we propose to organize a Public Forum on “Dynamics of the Star-Planet Relation” at Peking University and another on “Dynamics of the Extrasolar Systems” at Tsinghua University in Beijing, to be held in two evenings during the IAU General Assembly, which will be open to university students and lecturers, high school students and teachers, and general public. In addition, an Advanced School on Space Environment (ASSE 2012) will be organized in Beijing during the week before the IAU General Assembly to bring together a group of undergraduate and graduate students, and post-doctoral scientists selected from all over the world, in particular from the developing countries, to attend mini-courses on advances in theory, numerical modeling and observation of the dynamics of the star-planet relation.

LOC for the Educational Activities:

• Gang Qin, Center for Space Science and Applied Research - CSSAR, China (gqin@spaceweather.ac.cn): Chair
• Peng-Fei Chen, Nanjing University, China (chenpf@nju.edu.cn)
• Dr. Suiyan Fu, Peking Univeristy, China (suiyanfu@pku.edu.cn)
• Dr. Yu-Qing Luo, Tsinghua University, China (louyq@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn
• De-Jin Wu, Purple Mountain Observatory, China (djwu@pmo.ac.cn)
• Yihua Yan, National Astronomical Observatories, China (yyh@bao.ac.cn)

Joint IAU-WISER Advanced School on Space Environment (ASSE 2012)

The World Institute for Space Environment Research (WISER) is an international network of research and training centers of excellence dedicated to promote collaboration in cutting-edge space environment research, with emphasis on the application of nonlinear dynamics and complex systems in the theoretical, observational and computational studies of the Sun-Earth and Star-Planet relations (http://www.cea.inpe.br/wiser). The mission of WISER is to link nations for the peaceful use of the space environment.

Through the collaboration of WISER with the United Nations Regional Center for Space Science and Technology Education in Latin-America and the Caribbean, the first Advanced School on Space Environment (ASSE 2004) was held from 22 to 27 March, 2004, at the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) in São José dos Campos, Brazil. This School offered a five-day program of tutorial lectures to provide an overview of the fundamental problems of space environment science. Twenty-two invited lecturers from nine countries presented 19 tutorial lectures to a group of 80 undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral students from seven Latin American countries. The set of invited lecture notes from this School was published by COSPAR as a special volume of Advances in Space Research, Volume 35, Number 5, 2005. Through the collaboration of WISER with the International School of Space Science (ISSS), the second Advanced School on Space Environment (ASSE 2006) was held from 10 to 16 September 2006, in L’Aquila, Italy. Over 50 students from worldwide attended this School. Dr. Y. Kamide and Dr. A. C.-L. Chian edited a Springer book entitled Handbook of the Solar-Terrestrial Environment in 2007, based on the twenty invited lectures from this School, most of them are world renown pioneers in space physics. A Chinese Edition of this book was published in China in 2010.

In collaboration with WISER we plan to organize the third Advanced School on Space Environment (ASSE 2012) from 13 to 17 August 2012, in Beijing, China. The invited lecturers for this School will be selected from the invited speakers, as well as members of SOC and LOC, of the 2012 GA IAU Symposium on “Dynamics of the Star-Planet Relation”. The aim of this School is to provide an in-depth and the state-of-the-art overview of the fundamental problems of the dynamics of the star-planet relation to about 100 students to be selected worldwide.

Public Forums:

In collaboration with WISER and the two leading universities in China, we will organize two Public Forums during the period of the IAU GA in Beijing. One on the campus of Peking University and the other on the campus of Tsinghua University. These two events will be held in the evenings and will be open to students and teachers from high schools, students and professors from universities, and the general public. A panel consisting of selected invited speakers, and members of SOC and LOC, of the 2012 GA IAU Symposium on “Dynamics of the Star-Planet Relation”, will present introductory talks on recent advances in the study of the star-planet relation. Each Public Forum is estimated to be attended by about 500 people.

Contact:

• Jean-Louis Bougeret, Paris Observatory, France (jean-louis.bougeret@obspm.fr)
• Abraham C.-L. Chian, National Institute for Space Research - INPE, Brazil and Paris Observatory, France (abraham.chian@obspm.fr)
• Xueshang Feng, Center for Space Science and Applied Research - CSSAR, China (fengx@spaceweather.ac.cn)
• Merav Opher, Boston University, USA (mopher@gmu.edu)