The Radiation Environment of Exoplanet Atmospheres

Challenges

Jeffrey L. Linsky¹  Vera M. Kolb¹ 

[1] JILA, University of Colorado and NIST, Boulder, CO 80309, USA; E-Mail

关键词: exoplanets;    stellar radiation;    ultraviolet spectrum;    exoplanet photochemistry;    Lyman-alpha radiation;    model chromospheres;   

DOI  :  10.3390/challe5020351

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Exoplanets are born and evolve in the radiation and particle environment created by their host star. The host star’s optical and infrared radiation heats the exoplanet’s lower atmosphere and surface, while the ultraviolet, extreme ultraviolet and X-radiation control the photochemistry and mass loss from the exoplanet’s upper atmosphere. Stellar radiation, especially at the shorter wavelengths, changes dramatically as a host star evolves leading to changes in the planet’s atmosphere and habitability. This paper reviews the present state of our knowledge concerning the time-dependent radiation emitted by stars with convective zones, that is stars with spectral types F, G, K, and M, which comprise nearly all of the host stars of detected exoplanets.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2014 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.