Effect of UV Radiation on the Spectral Fingerprints of Earth-like Planets Orbiting M dwarfs

TL;DR

This study models the atmospheres and spectra of Earth-like planets orbiting M dwarfs with varying UV activity to assess detectability of biosignatures using future telescopes, highlighting the influence of stellar UV flux on atmospheric features.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive spectral database and analysis of how UV radiation from M dwarfs affects the detectability of key biosignatures on Earth-like planets.

Findings

Active M dwarfs enhance detectability of biosignatures like O$_3$ and N$_2$O.

Detection of O$_2$/O$_3$ is more feasible around early M dwarfs.

N$_2$O and CH$_3$Cl$ may be detectable depending on UV flux and spectral overlaps.

Abstract

We model the atmospheres and spectra of Earth-like planets orbiting the entire grid of M dwarfs for active and inactive stellar models with $T_{eff}$ = 2300K to $T_{eff}$ = 3800K and for six observed MUSCLES M dwarfs with UV radiation data. We set the Earth-like planets at the 1AU equivalent distance and show spectra from the VIS to IR (0.4$\mu$m - 20$\mu$m) to compare detectability of features in different wavelength ranges with JWST and other future ground- and spaced-based missions to characterize exo-Earths. We focus on the effect of UV activity levels on detectable atmospheric features that indicate habitability on Earth, namely: H$_2$O, O$_3$, CH$_4$, N$_2$O and CH$_3$Cl. To observe signatures of life - O$_2$/O$_3$ in combination with reducing species like CH$_4$, we find that early and active M dwarfs are the best targets of the M star grid for future telescopes. The O$_2$ spectral feature at 0.76$\mu$m is increasingly difficult to detect in reflected light of later M dwarfs due to low stellar flux in that wavelength region. N$_2$O, another biosignature detectable in the IR, builds up to observable concentrations in our planetary models around M dwarfs with low UV flux. CH$_3$Cl could become detectable, depending on the depth of the overlapping N$_2$O feature. We present a spectral database of Earth-like planets around cool stars for directly imaged planets as a framework for interpreting future lightcurves, direct imaging, and secondary eclipse measurements of the atmospheres of terrestrial planets in the HZ to design and assess future telescope capabilities.