X-Ray Emission from the Super-Earth Host GJ 1214
Abstract
Stellar activity can produce large amounts of high-energy radiation, which is absorbed by the planetary atmosphere leading to irradiation-driven mass loss. We present the detection and an investigation of high-energy emission in a transiting super-Earth host system, GJ 1214, based on XMM-Newton observations. We derive an X-ray luminosity of LX = 7.4 × 1025 erg s-1 and a corresponding activity level of log (LX /L bol) ~ -5.3. Further, we determine a coronal temperature of about ~3.5 MK, which is typical for coronal emission of moderately active low-mass stars. We estimate that GJ 1214 b evaporates at a rate of 1.3× 1010 g s-1 and has lost a total of ≈2-5.6 M ⊕.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- July 2014
- DOI:
- 10.1088/2041-8205/790/1/L11
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1407.2741
- Bibcode:
- 2014ApJ...790L..11L
- Keywords:
-
- planetary systems;
- stars: activity;
- stars: coronae;
- stars: individual: GJ 1214;
- stars: late-type;
- stars: low-mass;
- Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics;
- Astrophysics - Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- 5 pages, 3 figures, published in APJL