Physics
Scientific paper
Jul 2008
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2008hst..prop11817e&link_type=abstract
HST Proposal ID #11817. Cycle 17
Physics
Scientific paper
Atmospheric escape is a phenomenon that shapes planetary atmospheres, from telluric planets in the Solar System to extrasolar 'hot Jupiters'. It dramatically enhances the detectability of a heavily irradiated hydrogen atmosphere, providing the planet is transiting its star and the transits are observed in the ultraviolet, at Lyman alpha. The 'hot Neptune' transiting the M dwarf GJ436 is the best analog we have to a transiting super-Earth. Internal structure and atmospheric models predict that it bears an extended hydrogen/helium atmosphere subject to evaporation. It is detectable with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph on board HST, providing the background Lyman-alpha source -- the star -- is bright enough or, alternatively, the emission line profile spans over a large velocity range. To date, no spectra of GJ436 exist at this wavelength. Using 1 orbit of Director's Discretionary Time, we aim at properly estimating the stellar Lyman-alpha flux and line profile. This DDT will serve as a basis for a Cycle-18 program aimed at detecting the atmosphere of hot-Neptune GJ436b and constraining both internal structure and atmospheric models.;
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