Recently, two extremely close-in planets were discovered around the K0V starCoRoT-7, at distances of 0.017 and 0.046 AU, with 5 and 8 Earth massesrespectively. There is thus intense interest in this system. X-ray observationswill be an extremely useful and sensitive tool to probe it, because the nearnessof the planets to the host star implies significant structural changes to thecorona due to the interactions of the stellar and planetary magnetospheres. Wepropose to observe this system 5 times at the joint conjunctions of the planetsfor a total of 50 ksec, and 4 further times when the outer planet is atquadrature, for 20 ksec. We expect to detect the signature of the interactionunambiguously and will model the system with numerical MHD simulations.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2010-09-22T05:23:19Z/2010-09-22T12:18:56Z
Version
17.56_20190403_1200
Mission Description
The European Space Agencys (ESA) X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission (XMM-Newton) was launched by an Ariane 504 on December 10th 1999. XMM-Newton is ESAs second cornerstone of the Horizon 2000 Science Programme. It carries 3 high throughput X-ray telescopes with an unprecedented effective area, and an optical monitor, the first flown on a X-ray observatory. The large collecting area and ability to make long uninterrupted exposures provide highly sensitive observations. Since Earths atmosphere blocks out all X-rays, only a telescope in space can detect and study celestial X-ray sources. The XMM-Newton mission is helping scientists to solve a number of cosmic mysteries, ranging from the enigmatic black holes to the origins of the Universe itself. Observing time on XMM-Newton is being made available to the scientific community, applying for observational periods on a competitive basis.
European Space Agency, Dr Vinay Kashyap, 2011, 'Stirring a Corona with a Super Earth', 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-uqow9mz
