Spectral, Spatial, and Time properties of the hydrogen nebula around exoplanet HD209458b

TL;DR

This study analyzes the spectral and spatial properties of hydrogen around exoplanet HD209458b, confirming a symmetric, optically thick hydrogen nebula and supporting standard atmospheric models through UV transit observations.

Contribution

It provides a sensitivity analysis of spectral variations and confirms the symmetric, Lorentzian profile of hydrogen absorption, challenging models with asymmetry or excessive absorption.

Findings

Transit absorption depth is consistent across wavelength ranges (8.4-8.9%).

Absorption profile is symmetric and Lorentzian, indicating an optically thick medium.

Standard atmospheric models fit observed data well.

Abstract

All far ultraviolet observations of HD209458 tend to support a scenario in which the inflated hydrogen atmosphere of its planetary companion strongly absorbs the stellar \lya flux during transit. However, it was not clear how the transit absorption depends on the selected wavelength range in the stellar line profile, nor how the atomic hydrogen cloud was distributed spatially around HD209458b. Here we report a sensitivity study of observed time and spectral variations of the stellar flux. In particular, the sensitivity of the absorption depth during transit to the assumed spectral range in the stellar line profile is shown to be very weak, leading to a transit depth in the range $(8.4-8.9)%\pm 2.0%$ for all possible wavelength ranges, and thereby confirming our initially-reported absorption rate. Taking the ratio of the line profile during transit to the unperturbed line profile, we also show that the spectral signature of the absorption by the exoplanetary hydrogen nebula is symmetric and typical of a Lorentzian, optically thick medium. Our results question the adequacy of models that require a huge absorption and/or a strong asymmetry between the blue and red side of the absorption line during transit as no such features could be detected in the HST FUV absorption profile. Finally, we show that standard atmospheric models of HD209458b provide a good fit to the observed absorption profile during transit. Other hybrid models assuming a standard model with a thin layer of superthermal hydrogen on top remain possible.