Modelling the He I triplet absorption at 10 830 Å in the atmospheres of HD 189733 b and GJ 3470 b

Characterising the atmospheres of exoplanets is key to understanding their nature and provides hints about their formation and evolution. High resolution measurements of the helium triplet absorption of highly irradiated planets have been recently reported, which provide a new means of studying their atmospheric escape. In this work we study the escape of the upper atmospheres of HD 189733 b and GJ 3470 b by analysing high resolution He I triplet absorption measurements and using a 1D hydrodynamic spherically symmetric model coupled with a non-local thermodynamic model for the He I triplet state. We also use the H density derived from Lyα observations to further constrain their temperatures, mass-loss rates, and H/He ratios. We have significantly improved our knowledge of the upper atmospheres of these planets. While HD 189733 b has a rather compressed atmosphere and small gas radial velocities, GJ 3470 b, on the other hand with a gravitational potential ten times smaller, exhibits a very extended atmosphere and large radial outflow velocities. Hence, although GJ 3470 b is much less irradiated in the X-ray and extreme ultraviolet radiation, and its upper atmosphere is much cooler, it evaporates at a comparable rate. In particular, we find that the upper atmosphere of HD 189733 b is compact and hot, with a maximum temperature of 12 400−300+400 K, with a very low mean molecular mass (H/He = (99.2/0.8) ± 0.1), which is almost fully ionised above 1.1 RP, and with a mass-loss rate of (1.1 ± 0.1) × 1011 g s−1. In contrast, the upper atmosphere of GJ 3470 b is highly extended and relatively cold, with a maximum temperature of 5100 ± 900 K, also with a very low mean molecular mass (H/He = (98.5/1.5)−1.5+1.0), which is not strongly ionised, and with a mass-loss rate of (1.9 ± 1.1) × 1011 g s−1. Furthermore, our results suggest that upper atmospheres of giant planets undergoing hydrodynamic escape tend to have a very low mean molecular mass (H/He ≳ 97/3).

Modelling the He I triplet absorption at 10 830 Å in the atmosphere of HD 209458 b

Context. HD 209458 b is an exoplanet with an upper atmosphere undergoing blow-off escape that has mainly been studied using measurements of the Lyα absorption. Recently, high-resolution measurements of absorption in the He I triplet line at 10 830 Å of several exoplanets (including HD 209458 b) have been reported, creating a new opportunity to probe escaping atmospheres. Aims. We aim to better understand the atmospheric regions of HD 209458 b from where the escape originates. Methods. We developed a 1D hydrodynamic model with spherical symmetry for the HD 209458 b thermosphere coupled with a non-local thermodynamic model for the population of the He I triplet state. In addition, we performed high-resolution radiative transfer calculations of synthetic spectra for the helium triplet lines and compared them with the measured absorption spectrum in order to retrieve information about the atmospheric parameters. Results. We find that the measured spectrum constrains the [H]/[H+] transition altitude occurring in the range of 1.2 RP–1.9 RP. Hydrogen is almost fully ionised at altitudes above 2.9 RP. We also find that the X-ray and extreme ultraviolet absorption takes place at effective radii from 1.16 to 1.30 RP, and that the He I triplet peak density occurs at altitudes from 1.04 to 1.60 RP. Additionally, the averaged mean molecular weight is confined to the 0.61–0.73 g mole−1 interval, and the thermospheric H/He ratio should be larger than 90/10, and most likely approximately 98/2. We also provide a one-to-one relationship between mass-loss rate and temperature. Based on the energy-limited escape approach and assuming heating efficiencies of 0.1–0.2, we find a mass-loss rate in the range of (0.42–1.00) ×1011 g s−1 and a corresponding temperature range of 7125–8125 K. Conclusions. The analysis of the measured He I triplet absorption spectrum significantly constrains the thermospheric structure of HD 209458 b and advances our knowledge of its escaping atmosphere.

Передача электронной энергии в одиночной донор-акцепторной паре с триплет-триплетным поглощением

Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) is examined in a single donor (D)–acceptor (A) pair whose molecules have both singlet and triplet states. Two cases are considered: (i) the excitation of the D–А pair occurs with the participation of a singlet band of the donor, and (ii) the excitation also involves the participation of an additional triplet–triplet absorption. The triplet state of the donor is shown to have no effect on the expression for the FRET efficiency, but it generates off intervals in the fluorescence track of both the donor and the acceptor. The triplet state of the acceptor strongly affects the expression for the FRET efficiency, making the complete energy transfer impossible and generating off intervals in the acceptor fluorescence track. It is shown that, if the light can excite not only the singlet transition in the donor, but also the triplet–triplet absorption band, then a weak luminescence appears in off intervals, which is orders of magnitude weaker than that in on intervals.

Direct population of triplet excited states through singlet–triplet transition for visible-light excitable organic afterglow

Direct population of triplet states via singlet-to-triplet absorption red-shifts the excitation wavelength and improves the organic afterglow efficiency under ambient conditions.