3,292 research outputs found
Ultraviolet C II and Si III Transit Spectroscopy and Modeling of the Evaporating Atmosphere of GJ436b
Hydrogen gas evaporating from the atmosphere of the hot-Neptune GJ436b
absorbs over 50% of the stellar Ly emission during transit. Given the
planet's atmospheric composition and energy-limited escape rate, this hydrogen
outflow is expected to entrain heavier atoms such as C and O. We searched for C
and Si in the escaping atmosphere of GJ436b using far-ultraviolet HST COS G130M
observations made during the planet's extended H I transit. These observations
show no transit absorption in the C II 1334,1335 \AA\ and Si III 1206 \AA\
lines integrated over [-100, 100] km s, imposing 95% (2) upper
limits of 14% (C II) and 60% (Si III) depth on the transit of an opaque disk
and 22% (C II) and 49% (Si III) depth on an extended, highly asymmetric transit
similar to that of H I Ly. C is likely present in the outflow
according to a simulation we carried out using a spherically-symmetric,
photochemical-hydrodynamical model. This simulation predicts a 2% transit
over the integrated bandpass, consistent with the data. At line center, we
predict the C II transit depth to be as high as 19%. Our model predicts a
neutral hydrogen escape rate of g s (
g s for all species) for an upper atmosphere composed of hydrogen and
helium.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, 1 table; accepted to ApJ Letter
Effect of stellar flares on the upper atmospheres of HD 189733b and HD 209458b
Stellar flares are a frequent occurrence on young low-mass stars around which
many detected exoplanets orbit. Flares are energetic, impulsive events, and
their impact on exoplanetary atmospheres needs to be taken into account when
interpreting transit observations. We have developed a model to describe the
upper atmosphere of Extrasolar Giant Planets (EGPs) orbiting flaring stars. The
model simulates thermal escape from the upper atmospheres of close-in EGPs.
Ionisation by solar radiation and electron impact is included and photochemical
and diffusive transport processes are simulated. This model is used to study
the effect of stellar flares from the solar-like G star HD209458 and the young
K star HD189733 on their respective planets. A hypothetical HD209458b-like
planet orbiting the active M star AU Mic is also simulated. We find that the
neutral upper atmosphere of EGPs is not significantly affected by typical
flares. Therefore, stellar flares alone would not cause large enough changes in
planetary mass loss to explain the variations in HD189733b transit depth seen
in previous studies, although we show that it may be possible that an extreme
stellar proton event could result in the required mass loss. Our simulations do
however reveal an enhancement in electron number density in the ionosphere of
these planets, the peak of which is located in the layer where stellar X-rays
are absorbed. Electron densities are found to reach 2.2 to 3.5 times pre-flare
levels and enhanced electron densities last from about 3 to 10 hours after the
onset of the flare. The strength of the flare and the width of its spectral
energy distribution affect the range of altitudes that see enhancements in
ionisation. A large broadband continuum component in the XUV portion of the
flaring spectrum in very young flare stars, such as AU Mic, results in a broad
range of altitudes affected in planets orbiting this star.Comment: accepted for publication in A&
Genetic architecture of rainbow trout survival from egg to adult
Survival from birth to a reproductive adult is a challenge that only robust individuals resistant to a variety of mortality factors will overcome. To assess whether survival traits share genetic architecture throughout the life cycle, we estimated genetic correlations for survival within fingerling stage, and across egg, fingerling and grow-out stages in farmed rainbow trout. Genetic parameters of survival at three life cycle stages were estimated for 249 166 individuals originating from ten year classes of a pedigreed population. Despite being an important fitness component, survival traits harboured significant but modest amount of genetic variation (h2=0·07–0·27). Weak associations between survival during egg-fry and fingerling periods, between early and late fingerling periods (rG=0·30) and generally low genetic correlations between fingerling and grow-out survival (mean rG=0·06) suggested that life-stage specific survival traits are best regarded as separate traits. However, in the sub-set of data with detailed time of death records, positive genetic correlations between early and late fingerling survival (rG=0·89) showed that during certain years the best genotypes in the early period were also among the best in the late period. That survival across fingerling period can be genetically the same, trait was indicated also by only slightly higher heritability (h2=0·15) estimated with the survival analysis of time to death during fingerling period compared to the analysis treating fingerling survival as a binary character (h2=0·11). The results imply that (1) inherited resistance against unknown mortality factors exists, but (2) ranking of genotypes changes across life stages
The Upper Atmosphere of HD17156b
HD17156b is a newly-found transiting extrasolar giant planet (EGP) that
orbits its G-type host star in a highly eccentric orbit (e~0.67) with an
orbital semi-major axis of 0.16 AU. Its period, 21.2 Earth days, is the longest
among the known transiting planets. The atmosphere of the planet undergoes a
27-fold variation in stellar irradiation during each orbit, making it an
interesting subject for atmospheric modelling. We have used a three-dimensional
model of the upper atmosphere and ionosphere for extrasolar gas giants in order
to simulate the progress of HD17156b along its eccentric orbit. Here we present
the results of these simulations and discuss the stability, circulation, and
composition in its upper atmosphere. Contrary to the well-known transiting
planet HD209458b, we find that the atmosphere of HD17156b is unlikely to escape
hydrodynamically at any point along the orbit, even if the upper atmosphere is
almost entirely composed of atomic hydrogen and H+, and infrared cooling by H3+
ions is negligible. The nature of the upper atmosphere is sensitive to to the
composition of the thermosphere, and in particular to the mixing ratio of H2,
as the availability of H2 regulates radiative cooling. In light of different
simulations we make specific predictions about the thermosphere-ionosphere
system of HD17156b that can potentially be verified by observations.Comment: 31 pages, 42 eps figure
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