A team of astronomers announces the detection of radio bursts possibly emitted by an exoplanet. If the discovery is confirmed, it would be a first opening a unique window of observation on the magnetic field of this extraterrestrial world.
In 2018, an international team of astronomers led by Cornell University examined Jupiter's radio emission signature. The researchers then "scaled" these emissions, theorizing about possible signatures emitted by a distant exoplanet similar to our gas giant. Based on these models, the researchers then probed the presence of these signals in the environment "near" the Earth (up to one hundred light years) thanks to the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR), a radio telescope located in the United States. -Low.
After studying nearly one hundred hours of radio observations , astronomers finally detected what they were looking for. “We learned from our own Jupiter what this type of signal looks like. We went looking for it and we found it “, emphasizes Jake D. Turner, from the Paris Observatory. Details of the study are published in the journal Astronomy &Astrophysics .
This signal comes to us from Tau Bootis, a star system located in the Boreal Constellation of Bouvier, 51 light years from Earth. You will find a binary star (two stars orbiting around a common center of gravity) and an exoplanet. This world is called a "Hot Jupiter". In other words, a gas giant planet evolving very close to its star.
Note that the team also "observed" other possible exoplanetary radio emissions in the 55 systems Cancri (in the constellation Cancer) and Upsilon Andromedae. However, only the Tau Boötes system has so far delivered a significant and convincing signature.
However, this signature is still quite weak . “Also, there is still some uncertainty as to whether the radio signal actually originated from the planet. This is why the need for follow-up observations is critical “, continues the researcher.
If confirmed, this first detection could on the other hand open up a whole new window of observation on the magnetic field of exoplanets located a few dozen light-years away. With this data, astronomers could then more easily decipher the interior and atmospheric properties of these extrasolar worlds , as well as the physics supporting their interactions with their star.
As a reminder, the Earth's magnetic field is the one that protects us from solar wind and cosmic rays, keeping our planet habitable. “The magnetic field of Earth-like exoplanets could thus contribute to their eventual habitability ", hence the importance of this "possible" new discovery.
