SIMBAD references

2014A&A...562A.116K - Astronomy and Astrophysics, volume 562A, 116-116 (2014/2-1)

Stellar wind interaction and pick-up ion escape of the Kepler-11 ``super-Earths''.

KISLYAKOVA K.G., JOHNSTONE C.P., ODERT P., ERKAEV N.V., LAMMER H., LUEFTINGER T., HOLMSTROEM M., KHODACHENKO M.L. and GUEDEL M.

Abstract (from CDS):

We study the interactions between stellar winds and the extended hydrogen-dominated upper atmospheres of planets. We estimate the resulting escape of planetary pick-up ions from the five ``super-Earths'' in the compact Kepler-11 system and compare the escape rates with the efficiency of the thermal escape of neutral hydrogen atoms. Assuming the stellar wind of Kepler-11 is similar to the solar wind, we use a polytropic 1D hydrodynamic wind model to estimate the wind properties at the planetary orbits. We apply a direct simulation Monte Carlo model to model the hydrogen coronae and the stellar wind plasma interaction around Kepler-11b-f within a realistic expected heating efficiency range of 15-40%. The same model is used to estimate the ion pick-up escape from the XUV heated and hydrodynamically extended upper atmospheres of Kepler-11b-f. From the interaction model, we study the influence of possible magnetic moments, calculate the charge exchange and photoionization production rates of planetary ions, and estimate the loss rates of pick-up H+ ions for all five planets. We compare the results between the five ``super-Earths'' and the thermal escape rates of the neutral planetary hydrogen atoms. Our results show that a huge neutral hydrogen corona is formed around the planet for all Kepler-11b-f exoplanets. The non-symmetric form of the corona changes from planet to planet and is defined mostly by radiation pressure and gravitational effects. Non-thermal escape rates of pick-up ionized hydrogen atoms for Kepler-11 ``super-Earths'' vary between ∼6.4x1030/s and ∼4.1x1031/s, depending on the planet's orbital location and assumed heating efficiency. These values correspond to non-thermal mass loss rates of ∼1.07x107g/s and ∼6.8x107g/s respectively, which is a few percent of the thermal escape rates.

Abstract Copyright:

Journal keyword(s): planet-star interactions - planets and satellites: atmospheres - planets and satellites: individual: Kepler-11 system - methods: numerical

Simbad objects: 13

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