Magnetic geometry of M dwarfs in the PLATO Fields

Le résumé fourni par la source

M dwarfs, the most abundant stars in the Galaxy, are prime targets for exoplanet studies and key laboratories for stellar magnetism. However, the long-term evolution of their magnetic fields remains poorly constrained. The PLATO mission will provide long-duration, high-precision photometry, offering a unique opportunity to study stellar variability over several years. To complement these observations, we initiated a spectropolarimetric campaign using the SPIRou instrument at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, targeting M dwarfs in the PLATO South Field. Our sample includes mainly fast and intermediate rotators, exploring previously unstudied regions of the mass–rotation plane. We present the target selection strategy and first results, including ZDI magnetic maps. These observations provide new constraints on the diversity and evolution of large-scale magnetic fields in low-mass stars, while establishing a physical framework to interpret PLATO photometric variability and better characterize the environments of exoplanets orbiting M dwarfs.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.