Thesis Topic: Space weather in young solar systems
Thesis Supervisor: Gaitee Hussain
Abstract
As the statistics on the incidence of extrasolar planets become more robust and their fundamental properties better known the focus of these studies fall on the habitability of extrasolar systems. This project is to analyse the magnetic fields around planet hosting stars and to bring them together with models of large scale winds and space weather events to evaluate the influence of magnetic activity on the formation and evolution of planetary systems. This project will involve the analysis of spectro-polarimetric data collected using the ESO HARPS instrument and will involve collaboration with US astronomers at the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and Wesleyan University.