Estimating the Atmospheric Loss of Exoplanets by Stellar Wind

The atmosphere of a planet can be slowly stripped away by stellar winds, streams of charged particles released from the upper atmosphere of a star. Here, we determine the effects that stellar winds have on the atmospheres of close-orbit super-Earths and sub-Neptunes planets. We selected a sample that has known atmospheres detected with space-based observations. Analysing key factors that shape the atmosphere of these planets would help to interpret the current observations. The atmospheric mass loss rate of these planets due to the interaction of the stellar wind was computed for the first 100 Myr of the planet lifetime when the star is expected to be more active. The changing velocity and density of the wind throughout the aging of the host star were also incorporated into this model. According to the model, GJ-1132b and GJ-1214b experienced a total loss of their primordial envelope, which suggests that an atmospheric detection in these worlds could be an indication of a secondary atmosphere.