October 11, 2021 Presentation Open Access

Poppenhaeger, Katja

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{
  "publisher": "Zenodo", 
  "DOI": "10.5281/zenodo.5562230", 
  "title": "Habitability and loss of hydrogen-helium atmospheres of small planets - the K dwarf advantage", 
  "issued": {
    "date-parts": [
      [
        2021, 
        10, 
        11
      ]
    ]
  }, 
  "abstract": "<p>Contributed talk at PLATO Mission Conference 2021.</p>\n\n<p>Abstract:</p>\n\n<p>Evaporation of hydrogen and helium is now directly observable for exoplanets of Jupiter and Neptune size, by using high-resolution spectral observations in the ultraviolet and in the infrared. For even smaller planets, the ongoing loss of a primordial hydrogen-helium atmosphere has not been directly observed yet, but is thought to be relevant for the formation of a habitable atmosphere for life as we know it. The observability of helium escape depends critically on an exoplanet&#39;s irradiation in the high-energy regime. M dwarfs, typically a favourite target for habitable zone exoplanet observations, are at a disadvantage here due to their coronal elemental abundance patterns. However, K dwarfs present a suitable starting point for detecting helium escape from planets in their habitable zones, due to their favorable coronal abundances and their higher magnetic activity level compared to G dwarfs. I will discuss relevant examples and outline the impact that modern high-energy surveys can have on the optimal target selection for observing exoplanetary atmospheric escape.</p>", 
  "author": [
    {
      "family": "Poppenhaeger, Katja"
    }
  ], 
  "note": "Research funded by the German \"Leibniz-Gemeinschaft\" under project number P67/2018.", 
  "type": "speech", 
  "id": "5562230"
}