0000000000643350
AUTHOR
T. Penz
The relative role of EUV radiation and X-rays in the heating of hydrogen-rich exoplanet atmospheres
Aims. We study the relative role of EUV and X-ray radiation in the heating of hydrogen-rich planet atmospheres with different composition and electron content. Methods. An accurate photo-ionization model has been used to follow the primary photo-electron energy deposition throughout the atmosphere. Results. Heating rates and efficiencies have been computed, together with column density cut-offs at which photons of given energies stop their heating production inside the atmosphere. Assuming 100 eV as the energy borderline between the extreme ultraviolet spectral range and X-rays we find that when the absorbing hydrogen column density is higher than 10 20 cm −2 only X-rays can heat the gas. E…
Could CoRoT-7b and Kepler-10b be remnants of evaporated gas or ice giants?
We present thermal mass loss calculations over evolutionary time scales for the investigation if the smallest transiting rocky exoplanets CoRoT-7b (∼1.68REarth) and Kepler-10b (∼1.416REarth) could be remnants of an initially more massive hydrogen-rich gas giant or a hot Neptune-class exoplanet. We apply a thermal mass loss formula which yields results that are comparable to hydrodynamic loss models. Our approach considers the effect of the Roche lobe, realistic heating efficiencies and a radius scaling law derived from observations of hot Jupiters. We study the influence of the mean planetary density on the thermal mass loss by placing hypothetical exoplanets with the characteristics of Jup…