846 research outputs found
3D model of hydrogen atmospheric escape from HD209458b and HD189733b: radiative blow-out and stellar wind interactions
Transit observations in Ly-alpha of HD209458b and HD189733b revealed
signatures of neutral hydrogen escaping the planets. We present a 3D particle
model of the dynamics of the escaping atoms, and calculate theoretical Ly-alpha
absorption line profiles, which can be directly compared with the absorption
observed in the blue wing of the line. For HD209458b the observed velocities of
the escaping atoms up to -130km/s are naturally explained by radiation-pressure
acceleration. The observations are well-fitted with an ionizing flux of about
3-4 times solar and a hydrogen escape rate in the range 10^9-10^11g/s, in
agreement with theoretical predictions. For HD189733b absorption by neutral
hydrogen was observed in 2011 in the velocity range -230 to -140km/s. These
velocities are higher than for HD209458b and require an additional acceleration
mechanism for the escaping hydrogen atoms, which could be interactions with
stellar wind protons. We constrain the stellar wind (temperature ~3x10^4K,
velocity 200+-20km/s and density in the range 10^3-10^7/cm3) as well as the
escape rate (4x10^8-10^11g/s) and ionizing flux (6-23 times solar). We also
reveal the existence of an 'escape-limited' saturation regime in which most of
the escaping gas interacts with the stellar protons. In this regime, which
occurs at proton densities above ~3x10^5/cm3, the amplitude of the absorption
signature is limited by the escape rate and does not depend on the wind
density. The non-detection of escaping hydrogen in earlier observations in 2010
can be explained by the suppression of the stellar wind at that time, or an
escape rate of about an order of magnitude lower than in 2011. For both
planets, best-fit simulations show that the escaping atmosphere has the shape
of a cometary tail.Comment: 21 pages, 26 figures, accepted for publication in A&
The orbit of Beta Pic b as a transiting planet
In 1981, Beta Pictoris showed strong and rapid photometric variations
possibly due to a transiting giant planet. Later, a planetary mass companion to
the star, Beta Pic b, was identified using imagery. Observations at different
epochs (2003 and 2009-2015) detected the planet at a projected distance of 6 to
9 AU from the star and showed that the planet is on an edge-on orbit. The
observed motion is consistent with an inferior conjunction in 1981, and Beta
Pic b can be the transiting planet proposed to explain the photometric event
observed at that time. Assuming that the 1981 event is related to the transit
or the inferior conjunction of Beta Pic b on an edge-on orbit, we search for
the planetary orbit in agreement with all the measurements of the planet
position published so far. We find two different orbits that are compatible
with all these constraints: (i) an orbit with a period of 17.970.08 years
along with an eccentricity of around 0.12 and (ii) an orbit with a period of
36.380.13 years and a larger eccentricity of about 0.32. In the near
future, new imaging observations should allow us to discriminate between these
two different orbits. We also estimate the possible dates for the next
transits, which could take place as early as 2017 or 2018, even for a
long-period orbit.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&
Radiative braking in the extended exosphere of GJ436b
The recent detection of a giant exosphere surrounding the warm Neptune GJ436
b has shed new light on the evaporation of close-in planets, revealing that
moderately irradiated, low-mass exoplanets could make exceptional targets for
studying this mechanism and its impact on the exoplanet population. Three
HST/STIS observations were performed in the Lyman- line of GJ436 at
different epochs, showing repeatable transits with large depths and extended
durations. Here, we study the role played by stellar radiation pressure on the
structure of the exosphere and its transmission spectrum. We found that the
neutral hydrogen atoms in the exosphere of GJ436 b are not swept away by
radiation pressure as shown to be the case for evaporating hot Jupiters.
Instead, the low radiation pressure from the M-dwarf host star only brakes the
gravitational fall of the escaping hydrogen toward the star and allows its
dispersion within a large volume around the planet, yielding radial velocities
up to about -120 km s that match the observations. We performed
numerical simulations with the EVaporating Exoplanets code (EVE) to study the
influence of the escape rate, the planetary wind velocity, and the stellar
photoionization. While these parameters are instrumental in shaping the
exosphere and yield simulation results in general agreement with the
observations, the spectra observed at the different epochs show specific,
time-variable features that require additional physics.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure
The MgI line: a new probe of the atmospheres of evaporating exoplanets
Transit observations of HD209458b in the UV revealed signatures of neutral
magnesium escaping the planet's upper atmosphere. The absorption detected in
the MgI line provides unprecedented information on the physical conditions at
the altitude where the atmospheric blow-off takes place. Here we use a 3D model
of atmospheric escape to estimate the transit absorption signatures in the MgI
line of their host stars. The detectability of these signatures depends on the
brightness of the star and the escape rate of neutral magnesium. We identify a
sample of potentially evaporating exoplanets that covers a wide range of
stellar and planetary properties, and whose extended exospheres might be
detected through MgI line observations with current UV facilities, allowing
further steps in comparative exoplanetology.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
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