Dartmouth Events

Abstract: Our Galaxy teems with stars and their (exo)planets. The evolution of the two are intimately linked: stellar high energy radiation is thought to drive atmospheric evolution in close-orbiting exoplanets. However, studying their evolution is challenging as most changes occur on million-to-billion year timescales. I will examine the evolution of spin and magnetism in M dwarf stars, the smallest and most common type of star in the Galaxy and the most promising stars for the study of temperate planets. I will then turn to young exoplanetary systems, which may still be in the throws of dynamical and atmospheric evolution. I will focus on how the discovery and characterization of these young exoplanets hinges on using stars as our guides, and our efforts to directly observe atmospheric mass-loss on individual exoplanets.