The evolutionary history, and likely habitability, of exoplanet atmospheres depends on the space weather of their host stars. Understanding the particle environment, including the wind density, magnetic field strength, and velocity field, impinging on exoplanet systems remains a significant open question. This unknown impacts the interpretation of exoplanet atmosphere observations and the ongoing search for biosignatures, with facilities like JWST. I will discuss how the investigation of magnetic star-satellite interactions is opening new possibilities to study the space weather environments around different kinds of stars. New ground-based radio facilities coming online in the near-term will revolutionize this field, enabling new science connections between ground and space-based observatories, and modeling initiatives. Understanding the physics of star-satellite interactions now is a LASP science opportunity, and will pave the way in the coming decades toward maximizing the science potential of future missions with a focus on characterizing habitable exoplanets.
The Physics Frontiers Centers (PFC) program supports university-based centers and institutes where the collective efforts of a larger group of individuals can enable transformational advances in the most promising research areas. The program is designed to foster major breakthroughs at the intellectual frontiers of physics by providing needed resources such as combinations of talents, skills, disciplines, and/or specialized infrastructure, not usually available to individual investigators or small groups, in an environment in which the collective efforts of the larger group can be shown to be seminal to promoting significant progress in the science and the education of students. PFCs also include creative, substantive activities aimed at enhancing education, broadening participation of traditionally underrepresented groups, and outreach to the scientific community and general public.