HST/STIS FUV spectra of K2-18

DOI

K2-18 b is a transiting mini-Neptune that orbits a nearby (38pc), cool M3 dwarf and is located inside its region of temperate irradiation. We report on the search for hydrogen escape from the atmosphere K2-18 b using Lyman-{alpha} transit spectroscopy with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) instrument installed on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). We analyzed the time-series of fluxes of the stellar Lyman-{alpha} emission of K2-18 in both its blue- and redshifted wings. We found that the average blueshifted emission of K2-18 decreases by 67%+/-18% during the transit of the planet compared to the pre-transit emission, tentatively indicating the presence of H atoms escaping vigorously and being blown away by radiation pressure. This interpretation is not definitive because it relies on one partial transit. Based on the reconstructed Lyman-{alpha} emission of K2-18, we estimate an EUV irradiation in the range 10^1^-10^2^erg/s/cm^2^ and a total escape rate on the order of 10^8^g/s. The inferred escape rate suggests that the planet will lose only a small fraction (<1%) of its mass and retain its volatile-rich atmosphere during its lifetime. More observations are needed to rule out stellar variability effects, confirm the in-transit absorption, and better assess the atmospheric escape and high-energy environment of K2-18 b.

Identifier
DOI http://doi.org/10.26093/cds/vizier.36349004
Source https://dc.g-vo.org/rr/q/lp/custom/CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/634/L4
Related Identifier https://cdsarc.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/cat/J/A+A/634/L4
Related Identifier http://vizier.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/VizieR-2?-source=J/A+A/634/L4
Metadata Access http://dc.g-vo.org/rr/q/pmh/pubreg.xml?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=oai_b2find&identifier=ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/634/L4
Provenance
Creator dos Santos L.A.; Ehrenreich D.; Bourrier V.; Astudillo-Defru N.,Bonfils X.; Forget F.; Lovis C.; Pepe F.; Udry S
Publisher CDS
Publication Year 2020
Rights https://cds.unistra.fr/vizier-org/licences_vizier.html
OpenAccess true
Contact CDS support team <cds-question(at)unistra.fr>
Representation
Resource Type Dataset; AstroObjects
Discipline Astrophysics and Astronomy; Exoplanet Astronomy; Interdisciplinary Astronomy; Natural Sciences; Observational Astronomy; Physics; Stellar Astronomy