A method to detect H{2} in the atmosphere of transiting extrasolar planets using the EUV spectrum

Details A method to detect H{2} in the atmosphere of transiting extrasolar planets using the EUV spectrum A method to detect H{2} in the atmosphere of transiting extrasolar planets using the EUV spectrum

Oct 2007

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2007a%26a...474..301b&link_type=abstract

Astronomy and Astrophysics, Volume 474, Issue 1, October IV 2007, pp.301-306

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

Radiative Transfer, Stars: Planetary Systems, Molecular Processes, Ultraviolet: General

Scientific paper

Aims: We present a method to detect the molecular hydrogen in extrasolar planetary atmospheres. Methods: We model the coupling between H-Lyman lines and H{2} lines due to wavelength overlapping between these lines. We also explore the overlapping between other stellar EUV lines especially the C III line at 977.02 Å and planetary H{2} lines. Results: If the spectrum of the planet is resolved, we show that H{2} modifies the intensity and shape of the H-Lyman lines emitted by the planet. However, if observed in absorption spectroscopy during a transit, the modification of the stellar lines in the Lyman series by the atmospheric H{2} is too low to be detectable with the current observing facilities. On the contrary, for HD 209458b with a 25 000 km thick H{2} layer, the intensity of the stellar C III line at 977.02 Å decreases by 2.64% during the transit. In the case of the newly discovered planet HD 189733b, the decrease of the intensity of the C III line reaches 3.78%. Conclusions: Such decreases could be detectable with a FUSE observation of several transits thereby constituting a way to detect H{2} in exoplanetary atmospheres.

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