European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC)
Noordwijk, The Netherlands
On our search for habitable worlds, we have to account for explosive stellar flaring and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) impacting exoplanets. These stellar outbursts are a double-edged sword. On the one hand, flares and CMEs are capable of stripping off atmospheres and extinguishing existing biology. On the other hand, flares might be the (only) means to deliver the trigger energy for prebiotic chemistry and initiate life.
This talk will highlight our study of all stellar flares from the TESS primary mission, driven by a convolutional neural network. I will discuss our new insights on flaring as a function of stellar type, age, rotation, spot coverage, and other factors. Most importantly, I will link our findings to prebiotic chemistry and ozone sterilisation, identifying which worlds lie in the sweet spot between too much and too little flaring. With future extended missions and increased coverage, flare studies and new exoplanet discoveries will ultimately aid in defining criteria for habitability.
