MICS: Magnetic Interactions in (Sub)Stellar Companion Systems
Max Planck Research Group
Stars are not isolated objects. Whether orbited by planets or locked in binary systems, they interact magnetically with their companions in ways that shape stellar activity, drive atmospheric escape, and determine whether planets can remain habitable over billions of years.
We study these magnetic interactions across a wide range of stellar and companion types, from hot Neptunes orbiting active stars to brown dwarf and stellar binaries, using observations from space- and ground-based photometric and spectroscopic surveys. A central focus of our work is stellar flares: energetic eruptions that encode the magnetic state of the star and, in some cases, reveal the magnetic influence of a nearby companion.
We are particularly excited about the opportunities offered by ESA's upcoming PLATO mission, whose unprecedented photometric precision and long baselines will allow us to study stellar magnetic activity and star-planet interactions in exoplanetary systems with well-characterized host stars.
