Published July 20, 2014 | Version v1
Journal article

X-RAY EMISSION FROM THE SUPER-EARTH HOST GJ 1214

  • 1. Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Homi Bhabha Road, Mumbai 400005 (India)
  • 2. Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)
  • 3. Hamburger Sternwarte, Universität Hamburg, Gojenbergsweg 112, D-21029 Hamburg (Germany)

Description

Stellar activity can produce large amounts of high-energy radiation, which is absorbed by the planetary atmosphere leading to irradiation-driven mass loss. We present the detection and an investigation of high-energy emission in a transiting super-Earth host system, GJ 1214, based on XMM-Newton observations. We derive an X-ray luminosity of LX = 7.4 × 1025 erg s–1 and a corresponding activity level of log (LX /L bol) ∼ –5.3. Further, we determine a coronal temperature of about ∼3.5 MK, which is typical for coronal emission of moderately active low-mass stars. We estimate that GJ 1214 b evaporates at a rate of 1.3× 1010 g s–1 and has lost a total of ≈2-5.6 M

Availability note (English)

Available from http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/790/1/L11

Additional details

Identifiers

Publishing Information

Journal Title
Astrophysical Journal Letters
Journal Volume
790
Journal Issue
1
Journal Page Range
[5 p.]
ISSN
2041-8205