The search for radio emission from exoplanets using LOFAR beam-formed observations: Jupiter as an exoplanet

Abstract

$\text{Context.}$ The magnetized Solar System planets are strong radio emitters and theoretical studies suggest that the radio emission from nearby exoplanets in close-in orbits could reach intensity levels $10^3-10^7$ times higher than Jupiter's decametric emission. Detection of exoplanets in the radio domain would open up a brand new field of research, however, currently there are no confirmed detections at radio frequencies. $\text{Aims.}$ We investigate the radio emission from Jupiter, scaled such that it mimics emission coming from an exoplanet, with low-frequency beam-formed observations using LOFAR. The goals are to define a set of observables that can be used as a guideline in the search for exoplanetary radio emission and to measure effectively the sensitivity limit for LOFAR beam-formed observations. $\text{Methods.}$ We observe "Jupiter as an exoplanet" by dividing a LOFAR observation of Jupiter by a down-scaling factor and adding this observation to beam-formed data of the "sky background". Then we run this artificial dataset through our total intensity (Stokes-I) and circular polarization (Stokes-V) processing and post-processing pipelines and determine up to which down-scaling factor Jupiter is still detected in the dataset. $\text{Results.}$ We find that exoplanetary radio bursts can be detected at 5 pc if the circularly polarized flux is $10^5$ times stronger than the typical level of Jupiter's radio bursts during active emission events ($\sim 4\times 10^5$ Jy). Equivalently, circularly polarized radio bursts can be detected up to a distance of 20 pc (encompassing the known exoplanets 55 Cnc, Tau Boötis, and Upsilon Andromedae) assuming the level of emission is $10^5$ times stronger than the peak flux of Jupiter's decametric burst emission ($\sim 6\times 10^6$ Jy).

arXiv comment18 pages, 8 figures, 5 tables, Accepted to A&A (Jan 29, 2019). Significant updates from 1st version. This version now includes the Stokes-V pipeline and analysis

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Cited by in corpus (11)

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• Detection of ionized calcium in the atmosphere of the ultra-hot Jupiter KELT-9b
• Jupiter Science Enabled by ESA's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer
• On the mechanism of polarised metrewave stellar emission
• Follow-up LOFAR observations of the $\tau$ Boötis exoplanetary system
• A Pilot Radio Search for Magnetic Activity in Directly Imaged Exoplanets
• Space environment and magnetospheric Poynting fluxes of the exoplanet $\tau$ Boötis b
• First Results from the REAL-time Transient Acquisition backend (REALTA) at the Irish LOFAR station
• Radio eclipses of exoplanets by the winds of their host stars
• Microlensed Radio Emission from Exoplanets
• Exploring terrestrial lightning parameterisations for exoplanets and brown dwarfs