The EUVE point of view of AD Leo

All the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) observations of AD Leo, totalling 1.1 Ms of exposure time, have been employed to analyze the corona of this single M dwarf. The light curves show a well defined quiescent stage, and a distribution of amplitude of variability following a power law with a ~-2.4 index. The flaring behavior exhibits much similarity with other M active stars like FK Aqr or YY Gem, and flares behave differently from late type active giants and subgiants. The Emission Measure Distribution (EMD) of the summed spectrum, as well as that of quiescent and flaring stages, were obtained using a line-based method. The average EMD is dominated by material at log T(K)~6.9, with a second peak around log T(K)~6.3, and a large increase in the amount of material with log T(K)>~7.1 during flares, material almost absent during quiescence. The results are interpreted as the combination of three families of loops with maximum temperatures at log T(K)~6.3, ~6.9 and somewhere beyond log T(K)>~7.1. A value of the abundance of [Ne/Fe]=1.05+-0.08 was measured at log T(K)~5.9. No significative increment of Neon abundance was detected between quiescence and flaring states.Comment: Full PS version can be found also at http://www.astropa.unipa.it/~jsanz/papers0002.htm

XUV-driven mass loss from extrasolar giant planets orbiting active stars

Upper atmospheres of Hot Jupiters are subject to extreme radiation conditions that can result in rapid atmospheric escape. The composition and structure of the upper atmospheres of these planets are affected by the high-energy spectrum of the host star. This emission depends on stellar type and age, which are thus important factors in understanding the behaviour of exoplanetary atmospheres. In this study, we focus on Extrasolar Giant Planets (EPGs) orbiting K and M dwarf stars. XUV spectra for three different stars – ∊ Eridani, AD Leonis and AU Microscopii – are constructed using a coronal model. Neutral density and temperature profiles in the upper atmosphere of hypothetical EGPs orbiting these stars are then obtained from a fluid model, incorporating atmospheric chemistry and taking atmospheric escape into account. We find that a simple scaling based solely on the host star’s X-ray emission gives large errors in mass loss rates from planetary atmospheres and so we have derived a new method to scale the EUV regions of the solar spectrum based upon stellar X-ray emission. This new method produces an outcome in terms of the planet’s neutral upper atmosphere very similar to that obtained using a detailed coronal model of the host star. Our results indicate that in planets subjected to radiation from active stars, the transition from Jeans escape to a regime of hydrodynamic escape at the top of the atmosphere occurs at larger orbital distances than for planets around low activity stars (such as the Sun)

Estimation of the XUV radiation onto close planets and their evaporation

Context: The current distribution of planet mass vs. incident stellar X-ray flux supports the idea that photoevaporation of the atmosphere may take place in close-in planets. Integrated effects have to be accounted for. A proper calculation of the mass loss rate due to photoevaporation requires to estimate the total irradiation from the whole XUV range. Aims: The purpose of this paper is to extend the analysis of the photoevaporation in planetary atmospheres from the accessible X-rays to the mostly unobserved EUV range by using the coronal models of stars to calculate the EUV contribution to the stellar spectra. The mass evolution of planets can be traced assuming that thermal losses dominate the mass loss of their atmospheres. Methods: We determine coronal models for 82 stars with exoplanets that have X-ray observations available. Then a synthetic spectrum is produced for the whole XUV range (~1-912 {\AA}). The determination of the EUV stellar flux, calibrated with real EUV data, allows us to calculate the accumulated effects of the XUV irradiation on the planet atmosphere with time, as well as the mass evolution for planets with known density. Results: We calibrate for the first time a relation of the EUV luminosity with stellar age valid for late-type stars. In a sample of 109 exoplanets, few planets with masses larger than ~1.5 Mj receive high XUV flux, suggesting that intense photoevaporation takes place in a short period of time, as previously found in X-rays. The scenario is also consistent with the observed distribution of planet masses with density. The accumulated effects of photoevaporation over time indicate that HD 209458b may have lost 0.2 Mj since an age of 20 Myr. Conclusions: Coronal radiation produces rapid photoevaporation of the atmospheres of planets close to young late-type stars. More complex models are needed to explain fully the observations.Comment: Accepted by A&A. 10 pages, 8 figures, 7 Tables (2 online). Additional online material includes 7 pages, 6 figures and 6 tables, all include

Estudio de fichas de investigación para accidentes de trabajo

Treball Final del Màster Universitari en Prevenció de Riscos Laborals (Pla de 2013). Codi: SIS017. Curs acadèmic 2014-201