Identifying interesting planetary systems for future X-ray observations
Abstract
X-ray observations of star-planet systems are important to grow our understanding of exoplanets; these observation allow for studies of photoevaporation of the exoplanetary atmosphere, and in some cases even estimations of the size of the outer planetary atmosphere. The German-Russian eROSITA instrument onboard the SRG (Spectrum Roentgen Gamma) mission is performing the first all-sky X-ray survey since the 1990s, and provides X-ray fluxes and spectra of exoplanet host stars over a much larger volume than was accessible before. Using new eROSITA data as well as archival data from XMM-Newton, Chandra and ROSAT we estimate mass loss rates of exoplanets under an energy-limited escape scenario, and identify several exoplanets with strong X-ray irradiation and expected mass-loss that are amenable to follow-up observations at other wavelengths. We model sample spectra using a toy model of an exoplanetary atmosphere to predict what exoplanet transit observations with future X-ray missions such as Athena will look like, and estimate the observable X-ray transmission spectrum for a typical Hot Jupiter-type exoplanet.
- Publication:
-
Astronomische Nachrichten
- Pub Date:
- May 2022
- DOI:
- 10.1002/asna.20220007
- arXiv:
- arXiv:2201.04508
- Bibcode:
- 2022AN....34320007F
- Keywords:
-
- Astrophysics - Earth and Planetary Astrophysics;
- Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena;
- Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- 6 pages, 6 figures, XMM-Newton 2021 Science Workshop proceedings