scholarly journals Grid of upper atmosphere models for 1–40 M⊕ planets: application to CoRoT-7 b and HD 219134 b,c

2018 ◽  
Vol 619 ◽  
pp. A151 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Kubyshkina ◽  
L. Fossati ◽  
N. V. Erkaev ◽  
C. P. Johnstone ◽  
P. E. Cubillos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Loss Rate ◽  
Atmospheric Temperature ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Physical Models ◽  
Upper Atmosphere ◽  
Heating Rates ◽  
Planetary Evolution ◽  
Atmospheric Escape ◽  
Theoretical Evidence ◽  
Atmospheric Loss

There is growing observational and theoretical evidence suggesting that atmospheric escape is a key driver of planetary evolution. Commonly, planetary evolution models employ simple analytic formulae (e.g. energy limited escape) that are often inaccurate, and more detailed physical models of atmospheric loss usually only give snapshots of an atmosphere’s structure and are difficult to use for evolutionary studies. To overcome this problem, we have upgraded and employed an existing upper atmosphere hydrodynamic code to produce a large grid of about 7000 models covering planets with masses 1–39 M⊕ with hydrogen-dominated atmospheres and orbiting late-type stars. The modelled planets have equilibrium temperatures ranging between 300 and 2000 K. For each considered stellar mass, we account for three different values of the high-energy stellar flux (i.e. low, moderate, and high activity). For each computed model, we derived the atmospheric temperature, number density, bulk velocity, X-ray and EUV (XUV) volume heating rates, and abundance of the considered species as a function of distance from the planetary centre. From these quantities, we estimate the positions of the maximum dissociation and ionisation, the mass-loss rate, and the effective radius of the XUV absorption. We show that our results are in good agreement with previously published studies employing similar codes. We further present an interpolation routine capable to extract the modelling output parameters for any planet lying within the grid boundaries. We used the grid to identify the connection between the system parameters and the resulting atmospheric properties. We finally applied the grid and the interpolation routine to estimate atmospheric evolutionary tracks for the close-in, high-density planets CoRoT-7 b and HD 219134 b,c. Assuming that the planets ever accreted primary, hydrogen-dominated atmospheres, we find that the three planets must have lost them within a few Myr.

scholarly journals Atmospheric implications of the lack of H 3 + detection at Neptune

2020 ◽  
Vol 378 (2187) ◽  
pp. 20200100 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Moore ◽  
J. I. Moses ◽  
H. Melin ◽  
T. S. Stallard ◽  
J. O’Donoghue
Keyword(s):  
Giant Planet ◽  
Atmospheric Temperature ◽  
Upper Atmosphere ◽  
Lower Atmosphere ◽  
Observational Constraints ◽  
Atmospheric Conditions ◽  
Atmospheric Escape ◽  
Upper Limits ◽  
Voyager 2 ◽  
The Impact

H 3 + has been detected at all of the solar system giant planets aside from Neptune. Current observational upper limits imply that there is far less H 3 + emission at Neptune than rudimentary modelling would suggest. Here, we explore via modelling a range of atmospheric conditions in order to find some that could be consistent with observational constraints. In particular, we consider that the upper atmosphere might be much cooler than it was during the 1989 Voyager 2 encounter, and we examine the impact of an enhanced influx of external material that could act to reduce H 3 + density. Resulting ionosphere models that are consistent with existing H 3 + observational constraints have an exospheric temperature of 450 K or less, 300 K lower than the Voyager 2 value. Alternatively, if a topside CO influx of 2 × 10 8  cm −2  s −1 is imposed, the upper atmospheric temperature can be higher, up to 550 K. The potential cooling of Neptune’s atmosphere is relevant for poorly understood giant planet thermospheric energetics, and would also impact aerobreaking manoeuvers for any future spacecraft. Such a large CO influx, if present, could imply Triton is a very active moon with prominent atmospheric escape, and/or that Neptune’s rings significantly modify its upper atmosphere, and the introduction of so much exogenic material would complicate interpretation of the origin of species observed in Neptune’s lower atmosphere. This article is part a discussion meeting issue ‘Future exploration of ice giant systems’.

Search for helium in the upper atmosphere of the hot Jupiter WASP-127 b using Phoenix/Gemini

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonardo A. dos Santos ◽  
David Ehrenreich ◽  
Vincent Bourrier ◽  
Romain Allart ◽  
George King ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Upper Atmosphere ◽  
Metastable Helium ◽  
Atmospheric Escape ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Energy Environment ◽  
In Transit ◽  
First Time ◽  
Hot Jupiter

<div class="page" title="Page 1"> <div class="layoutArea"> <div class="column"> <p>Large-scale exoplanet search surveys have shown evidence that atmospheric escape is a ubiquitous process that shapes the evolution and demographics of planets. However, we lack a detailed understanding of this process because very few exoplanets discovered to date could be probed for signatures of atmospheric escape. Recently, the metastable helium triplet at 1.083 μm has been shown to be a viable window for the presence of He-rich escaping envelopes around short-period exoplanets. Our objective is to use, for the first time, the Phoenix spectrograph to search for helium in the upper atmosphere of the inflated hot Jupiter WASP-127 b. We observed one transit and reduced the data manually since there is no pipeline available. We did not find a significant in-transit absorption signal indicative of the presence of helium around WASP-127 b, and set a 90% confidence upper limit for excess absorption at 0.87% in a 0.75 Å passband covering the He triplet. Given the large scale height of this planet, the lack of a detectable feature is likely due to unfavorable photoionization conditions to populate the metastable He I triplet. This conclusion is supported by the inferred low coronal and chromospheric activity of the host star and the old age of the system, which result in a relatively mild high-energy environment around the planet.</p> </div> </div> </div>

scholarly journals On the thermal atmospheric escape of π Men c

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. S. Kalinicheva ◽  
◽  
V. I. Shematovich ◽  
Ya. N. Pavlyuchenkov ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Loss ◽  
Loss Rate ◽  
Mass Loss Rate ◽  
Upper Atmosphere ◽  
One Dimensional ◽  
Atmospheric Escape ◽  
Self Consistent ◽  
Atmospheric Mass ◽  
Suprathermal Particles

In this work we present the results of the modeling of exoplanet pi Men c upper atmosphere, produced using the previously developed one-dimensional self-consistent aeronomic model. The model used takes into account the contribution of suprathermal particles, which significantly refines the heating function of the atmosphere. The hight profiles of temperature, velocity and density were obtained, the atmospheric mass-loss rate was calculated. The presence of two hight-scales in the structure of the atmosphere was found: the first corresponds to a relatively dense stationary atmosphere, the second to a more rarefied corona.

scholarly journals Search for helium in the upper atmosphere of the hot Jupiter WASP-127 b using Gemini/Phoenix

2020 ◽  
Vol 640 ◽  
pp. A29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonardo A. dos Santos ◽  
David Ehrenreich ◽  
Vincent Bourrier ◽  
Romain Allart ◽  
George King ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Upper Atmosphere ◽  
Metastable Helium ◽  
Atmospheric Escape ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Energy Environment ◽  
In Transit ◽  
First Time ◽  
Hot Jupiter

Large-scale exoplanet search surveys have shown evidence that atmospheric escape is a ubiquitous process that shapes the evolution and demographics of planets. However, we lack a detailed understanding of this process because very few exoplanets that have been discovered to date could be probed for signatures of atmospheric escape. Recently, the metastable helium triplet at 1.083 μm has been shown to be a viable window for the presence of He-rich escaping envelopes around short-period exoplanets. Our objective is to use, for the first time, the Phoenix spectrograph to search for helium in the upper atmosphere of the inflated hot Jupiter WASP-127 b. We observed one transit and reduced the data manually since no pipeline is available. We did not find a significant in-transit absorption signal indicative of the presence of helium around WASP-127 b, and we set a 90% confidence upper limit for excess absorption at 0.87% in a 0.75 Å passband covering the He triplet. Given the large scale height of this planet, the lack of a detectable feature is likely due to unfavorable photoionization conditions for populating the metastable He I triplet. This conclusion is supported by the inferred low coronal and chromospheric activity of the host star and the old age of the system, which result in a relatively mild high-energy environment around the planet.

scholarly journals Young planets under extreme UV irradiation

2018 ◽  
Vol 612 ◽  
pp. A25 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Kubyshkina ◽  
M. Lendl ◽  
L. Fossati ◽  
P. E. Cubillos ◽  
H. Lammer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Equilibrium Temperature ◽  
High Energy ◽  
High Energy Radiation ◽  
Hydrodynamic Simulations ◽  
Planetary Evolution ◽  
Atmospheric Escape ◽  
Stellar Radiation ◽  
Extreme Uv ◽  
High Level ◽  
Increasing Temperature

The K2-33 planetary system hosts one transiting ~5 R⊕ planet orbiting the young M-type host star. The planet’s mass is still unknown, with an estimated upper limit of 5.4 MJ. The extreme youth of the system (<20 Myr) gives the unprecedented opportunity to study the earliest phases of planetary evolution, at a stage when the planet is exposed to an extremely high level of high-energy radiation emitted by the host star. We perform a series of 1D hydrodynamic simulations of the planet’s upper atmosphere considering a range of possible planetary masses, from 2 to 40 M⊕, and equilibrium temperatures, from 850 to 1300 K, to account for internal heating as a result of contraction. We obtain temperature profiles mostly controlled by the planet’s mass, while the equilibrium temperature has a secondary effect. For planetary masses below 7–10 M⊕, the atmosphere is subject to extremely high escape rates, driven by the planet’s weak gravity and high thermal energy, which increase with decreasing mass and/or increasing temperature. For higher masses, the escape is instead driven by the absorption of the high-energy stellar radiation. A rough comparison of the timescales for complete atmospheric escape and age of the system indicates that the planet is more massive than 10 M⊕.

scholarly journals Extreme hydrodynamic losses of Earth-like atmospheres in the habitable zones of very active stars

2019 ◽  
Vol 624 ◽  
pp. L10 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. P. Johnstone ◽  
M. L. Khodachenko ◽  
T. Lüftinger ◽  
K. G. Kislyakova ◽  
H. Lammer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Loss Rate ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Upper Atmosphere ◽  
Atmospheric Composition ◽  
Mass Star ◽  
Computational Domain ◽  
Solar Mass ◽  
Low Mass Stars ◽  
Early Atmosphere ◽  
Outflow Rate

Aims. In this Letter, we calculate for the first time the full transonic hydrodynamic escape of an Earth-like atmosphere. We consider the case of an Earth-mass planet with an atmospheric composition identical to that of the current Earth orbiting at 1 AU around a young and very active solar mass star. Methods. To model the upper atmosphere, we used the Kompot Code, which is a first-principles model that calculates the physical structures of the upper atmospheres of planets, taking into account hydrodynamics and the main chemical and thermal processes taking place in the upper atmosphere of a planet. This model enabled us to calculate the 1D vertical structure of the atmosphere using as input the high-energy spectrum of a young and active Sun. Results. The atmosphere has the form of a transonic hydrodynamic Parker wind, which has an outflow velocity at the upper boundary of our computational domain that exceeds the escape velocity. The outflowing gas is dominated by atomic nitrogen and oxygen and their ion equivalents and has a maximum ionization fraction of 20%. The mass outflow rate is found to be 1.8 × 109 g s−1, which would erode the modern Earth’s atmosphere in less than 0.1 Myr. Conclusions. This extreme mass loss rate suggests that an Earth-like atmosphere cannot form when the planet is orbiting within the habitable zone of a very active star. Instead, such an atmosphere can only form after the activity of the star has decreased to a much lower level. This happened in the early atmosphere of the Earth, which was likely dominated by other gases such as CO2. Since the time it takes for the activity of a star to decay is highly dependent on its mass, this is important for understanding possible formation timescales for planets orbiting low-mass stars.

scholarly journals The Hubble PanCET program: an extensive search for metallic ions in the exosphere of GJ 436 b

2019 ◽  
Vol 629 ◽  
pp. A47 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. A. dos Santos ◽  
D. Ehrenreich ◽  
V. Bourrier ◽  
A. Lecavelier des Etangs ◽  
M. López-Morales ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Upper Atmosphere ◽  
Metallic Ions ◽  
Atmospheric Escape ◽  
Extensive Coverage ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Night Side ◽  
Far Ultraviolet ◽  
In Transit ◽  
Atmospheric Loss ◽  
Excess Absorption

Context. The quiet M2.5 star GJ 436 hosts a warm Neptune that displays an extended atmosphere that dwarfs its own host star. Predictions of atmospheric escape in such planets state that H atoms escape from the upper atmosphere in a collisional regime and that the flow can drag heavier atoms to the upper atmosphere. It is unclear, however, what astrophysical mechanisms drive the process. Aims. Our objective is to leverage the extensive coverage of observations of the far-ultraviolet (FUV) spectrum of GJ 436 obtained with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) to search for signals of metallic ions in the upper atmosphere of GJ 436 b, as well as study the activity-induced variability of the star. Methods. We analyzed flux time-series of species present in the FUV spectrum of GJ 436 and successfully performed geocoronal contamination removal in the COS Lyman-α profiles obtained near the Earth’s night-side. Results. GJ 436 displays flaring events with a rate of ~10 d−1. There is evidence for a possibly long-lived active region or longitude that modulates the FUV metallic lines of the star with amplitudes up to 20%. Despite the strong geocoronal contamination in the COS spectra, we detected in-transit excess absorption signals of ~50 and ~30% in the blue and red wings, respectively, of the Lyman-α line. We rule out a wide range of excess absorption levels in the metallic lines of the star during transit. Conclusions. The large atmospheric loss of GJ 436 b observed in Lyman-α transmission spectra is stable over the timescale of a few years, and the red wing signal supports the presence of a variable hydrogen absorption source besides the stable exosphere. The previously claimed in-transit absorption in the Si III line is likely an artifact resulting from the stellar magnetic cycle. The non-detection of metallic ions in absorption could indicate that the escape is not hydrodynamic or that the atmospheric mixing is not efficient in dragging metals high enough for sublimation to produce a detectable escape rate of ions to the exosphere.

scholarly journals Three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations of the upper atmosphere of π Men c: Comparison with Lyα transit observations

2020 ◽  
Vol 639 ◽  
pp. A109
Author(s):  
I. F. Shaikhislamov ◽  
L. Fossati ◽  
M. L. Khodachenko ◽  
H. Lammer ◽  
A. García Muñoz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Loss ◽  
Stellar Wind ◽  
Loss Rate ◽  
Mass Loss Rate ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Planetary Atmosphere ◽  
Upper Atmosphere ◽  
Energy Emission ◽  
High Energy Emission

Context. π Men c is the first planet to have been discovered by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite. It orbits a bright, nearby star and has a relatively low average density, making it an excellent target for atmospheric characterisation. The existing planetary upper atmosphere models of π Men c predict significant atmospheric escape, but Lyα transit observations indicate the non-detection of hydrogen escaping from the planet. Aims. Our study is aimed at constraining the conditions of the wind and high-energy emission of the host star and reproducing the non-detection of Lyα planetary absorption. Methods. We modelled the escaping planetary atmosphere, the stellar wind, and their interaction employing a multi-fluid, three-dimensional hydrodynamic code. We assumed a planetary atmosphere composed of hydrogen and helium. We ran models varying the stellar high-energy emission and stellar mass-loss rate, and, for each case, we further computed the Lyα synthetic planetary atmospheric absorption and compared it with the observations. Results. We find that a non-detection of Lyα in absorption employing the stellar high-energy emission estimated from far-ultraviolet and X-ray data requires a stellar wind with a stellar mass-loss rate about six times lower than solar. This result is a consequence of the fact that, for π Men c, detectable Lyα absorption can be caused exclusively by energetic neutral atoms, which become more abundant with increasing velocity or density of the stellar wind. By considering, instead, that the star has a solar-like wind, the non-detection requires a stellar ionising radiation about four times higher than estimated. The reason for this is that despite the fact that a stronger stellar high-energy emission ionises hydrogen more rapidly, it also increases the upper atmosphere heating and expansion, pushing the interaction region with the stellar wind farther away from the planet, where the planet atmospheric density that remains neutral becomes smaller and the production of energetic neutral atoms less efficient. Conclusions. Comparing the results of our grid of models with what is expected and estimated for the stellar wind and high-energy emission, respectively, we support the idea that it is likely that the atmosphere of π Men c is not hydrogen-dominated. Therefore, future observations should focus on the search for planetary atmospheric absorption at the position of lines of heavier elements, such as He, C, and O.

scholarly journals Mechanism of the improvement of the energy of host–guest explosives by incorporation of small guest molecules: HNO3 and H2O2 promoted C–N bond cleavage of the ring of ICM-102

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yiwen Xiao ◽  
Lang Chen ◽  
Kun Yang ◽  
Deshen Geng ◽  
Jianying Lu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bond Cleavage ◽  
Exothermic Reaction ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Ring Structure ◽  
High Energy Density ◽  
Initial Reaction ◽  
Heating Rates ◽  
Thermal Stabilities ◽  
Guest Molecules ◽  
Molecule Reaction

AbstractHost–guest materials exhibit great potential applications as an insensitive high-energy–density explosive and low characteristic signal solid propellant. To investigate the mechanism of the improvement of the energy of host–guest explosives by guest molecules, ReaxFF-lg reactive molecular dynamics simulations were performed to calculate the thermal decomposition reactions of the host–guest explosives systems ICM-102/HNO3, ICM-102/H2O2, and pure ICM-102 under different constant high temperatures and different heating rates. Incorporation of guest molecules significantly increased the energy level of the host–guest system. However, the initial reaction path of the ICM-102 molecule was not changed by the guest molecules. The guest molecules did not initially participate in the host molecule reaction. After a period of time, the H2O2 and HNO3 guest molecules promoted cleavage of the C–N bond of the ICM-102 ring. Stronger oxidation and higher oxygen content resulted in the guest molecules more obviously accelerating destruction of the ICM-102 ring structure. The guest molecules accelerated the initial endothermic reaction of ICM-102, but they played a more important role in the intermediate exothermic reaction stage: incorporation of guest molecules (HNO3 and H2O2) greatly improved the heat release and exothermic reaction rate. Although the energies of the host–guest systems were clearly improved by incorporation of guest molecules, the guest molecules had little effect on the thermal stabilities of the systems.

scholarly journals Microwave temperature and pressure measurements with the Odin satellite: I. Observational method

2002 ◽  
Vol 80 (4) ◽  
pp. 443-454 ◽  
Author(s):  
J R Pardo ◽  
M Ridal ◽  
D Murtagh ◽  
J Cernicharo
Keyword(s):  
Radiative Transfer ◽  
Outer Space ◽  
Atmospheric Temperature ◽  
Upper Atmosphere ◽  
Operational Mode ◽  
Altitude Range ◽  
Molecular Lines ◽  
Temperature And Pressure ◽  
Radiative Transfer Modeling ◽  
Temperature Vertical Profile

The Odin satellite is equipped with millimetre and sub-millimetre receivers for observations of several molecular lines in the middle and upper atmosphere of our planet (~25–100 km, the particular altitude range depending on the species) for studies in dynamics, chemistry, and energy transfer in these regions. The same receivers are also used to observe molecules in outer space, this being the astrophysical share of the project. Among the atmospheric lines that can be observed, we find two corresponding to molecular oxygen (118.75 GHz and 487.25 GHz). These lines can be used for retrievals of the atmospheric temperature vertical profile. In this paper, we describe the radiative-transfer modeling for O2 in the middle and upper atmosphere that we will use as a basis for the retrieval algorithms. Two different observation modes have been planned for Odin, the three-channel operational mode and a high-resolution mode. The first one will determine the temperature and pressure on an operational basis using the oxygen line at 118.75 GHz, while the latter can be used for measurements of both O2 lines, during a small fraction of the total available time for aeronomy, aimed at checking the particular details of the radiative transfer near O2 lines at very high altitudes (>70 km). The Odin temperature measurements are expected to cover the altitude range ~30–90 km. PACS Nos.: 07.57Mj, 94.10Dy, 95.75Rs

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document