X-ray variability of the triplet star system LTT1445 and evaporation history of the planets around its A component

¹ Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, Giessenbachstrasse 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
e-mail: suri@mpe.mpg.de
² Leibniz-Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP), An der Sternwarte 16, 14482 Potsdam, Germany
³ Institut für Astronomie und Astrophysik, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Sand 1, 72076 Tübingen, Germany

Received: 30 January 2024
Accepted: 22 April 2024

Abstract

Context. The high-energy environments of host stars could prove deleterious for their planets. It is crucial to ascertain this contextual information to characterize the atmospheres of terrestrial exoplanets.

Aims. We aim to fully characterize a unique triple system, LTT1445, with three known rocky planets around LTT 1445A.

Methods. We studied the X-ray irradiation and flaring of this system based on a new 50 ks Chandra observation, which is divided into 10 ks, 10 ks, and 30 ks segments conducted two days apart, and two months apart, respectively. These data were complemented by an archival Chandra observation approximately 1 yr earlier and repeated observations with extended ROentgen Survey with an Imaging Telescope Array (eROSITA), the soft X-ray instrument on the Spectrum-Roentgen-Gamma (SRG) mission. This enabled the investigation of X-ray flux behavior across multiple time scales. With the observed X-ray flux from the exoplanet host star A, we estimated the photo-evaporation mass loss of each exoplanet. With the planet modeling package, VPLanet, we predicted the evolution and anticipated current atmospheric conditions.

Results. Our Chandra observations indicate that LTT 1445C is the dominant X-ray source, with additional contribution from LTT 1445B. We find that LTT 1445A, a slowly rotating star, exhibits no significant flare activity in the new Chandra dataset. Comparing the flux incident occuring on the exoplanets, we find that LTT 1445BC components do not pose a greater threat to the planets orbiting LTT 1445A than the emission from A itself. According to the results from the simulation, LTT 1445Ad could have the capacity to retain its water surface.