CFHT UM2025 - Presentation Details
Abstract Details
Title: Magnetic cycles of cool stars in the PLATO fields
Presenter: Manon Diez
Abstract:
The ESA PLATO mission aims to detect and characterize exoplanets, particularly Earth-like planets orbiting Sun-like stars. It will also deliver long-term photometric and seismic monitoring of stellar activity. In this context, identifying and studying target stars in advance is essential to optimize the use of future PLATO data, especially for investigating stellar magnetic cycles. To address this goal, we engaged in a spectropolarimetric campaign focused on a selection of cool stars from the PLATO South Field, chosen based on their spectral type, variability, and relevance for magnetic activity studies. These observations are carried out using ESPaDOnS and SPIRou at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT), and Neo-Narval at the Télescope Bernard Lyot (TBL). ESPaDOnS and Neo-Narval provide observations in the visible range, while SPIRou enables access to magnetic signatures in the infrared, offering valuable complementary insights for characterizing stellar magnetic fields of low-mass objects. The acquired data allow us to extract information on the intensity and topology of surface magnetic fields. We use the Zeeman-Doppler Imaging (ZDI) technique to reconstruct magnetic maps of the observed stars and analyze the dependence of their magnetic geometry as a function of stellar parameters (rotation, effective temperature). The goal is to better understand the diversity of magnetic field configurations and their temporal evolution, which is crucial for assessing the impact of stellar activity on exoplanetary environments. We will present the first results of this campaign, including the detection and analysis of magnetic fields, focusing on M dwarfs observed with SPIRou, with reconstruction of ZDI maps for key targets.