Expanding The Frontiers: From The Solar Corona and The Wind to Evolving Space Weather of Planet Hosting Stars

Abstract

Magnetically driven space weather (SW) from the Sun in the form of the solar wind, flares, coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and associated solar energetic particles (SEPs) interact with the Earth’s upper atmosphere and can cause dramatic impacts on space- and ground-based technological systems. Detection of over 5000 exoplanets suggests that close-in, rocky exoplanets around magnetically active F-M dwarfs should be exposed to more extreme SW. The Kepler and TESS missions have revealed frequent superflares on cool G–M planet-hosting dwarf stars, providing a mechanism by which host stars could directly influence the physical and chemical evolution of exoplanetary atmospheres. While stellar superflares can be directly detected and characterized in X-rays, FUV-UV, optical, and radio wavelengths, the signatures of Extreme UV emission and stellar winds, CMEs and associated SEP events are poorly understood and require detailed theoretical modeling. This paper describes the knowledge gaps in understanding stellar quiescent and eruptive outputs in the space between host stars and their exoplanets referred to as astrospheres as a crucial component of habitability in the universe. The major open science questions are: (1) How can we use the data-driven Sun-as-a-Star models to characterize the atmospheric and wind environments of other G, K and M dwarf stars? The knowledge of these space weather factors is critical in characterization of exoplanetary atmospheric dynamics, chemistry and escape, the critical factor of habitability; (2) How does the time-dependent evolution of surface magnetic fields trigger solar and stellar (super)flares and associated coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and solar/stellar energetic particles (SEPs)? Here, we provide recommendations for the development of heliophysics models and their extension to describe stellar quiescent and eruptive environments over the next one decade to provide the predictive capabilities for the current and upcoming great observatories including the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the UltraViolet/Optical/InfraRed (UV/O/IR) large mission concept, as well as ground-based facilities.