Magnetism and spin-orbit alignment in the young planetary system AU Mic [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2006.13269


We present high resolution near-infrared spectro-polarimetric observations using the SPIRou instrument at CFHT during a transit of the recently detected young planet AU Mic b, with supporting spectroscopic data from iSHELL at IRTF. We detect Zeeman signatures in the Stokes V profiles, and measure a mean longitudinal magnetic field of $\overline{B}\ell=46.3\pm0.7$~G. Rotationally modulated magnetic spots cause long-term variations of the field with a slope of $d{B\ell}/dt=-108.7\pm7.7$~G/d. We apply the cross-correlation technique to measure line profiles and obtain radial velocities through CCF template matching. We find an empirical linear relationship between radial velocity and $B_\ell$, which allows us to calibrate out the radial velocity variations which stellar activity induces through rotational modulation of spots. We model the corrected radial velocities for the classical Rossiter-McLaughlin effect, using MCMC to sample the posterior distribution of the model parameters. This analysis shows that the orbit of AU Mic b is prograde and aligned with the stellar rotation axis with a sky-projected spin-orbit obliquity of $\lambda=0^{\circ}\pm5^{\circ}$. The aligned orbit of AU Mic b indicates that it formed in the protoplanetary disk that evolved to the current debris disk around AU Mic.

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E. Martioli, G. Hebrard, C. Moutou, et. al.
Thu, 25 Jun 20
54/78

Comments: Manuscript submitted to Astronomy & Astrophysics Letters