# Influence of Photoelectrons on the Structure and Dynamics of the Upper Atmosphere of a Hot Jupiter

## TL;DR

This study presents a self-consistent model of a hot Jupiter's upper atmosphere, highlighting how suprathermal photoelectrons significantly influence atmospheric structure and reduce estimated mass loss rates.

## Contribution

The paper introduces a novel aeronomic model that incorporates suprathermal photoelectrons, improving accuracy in simulating hot Jupiter atmospheres.

## Key findings

- Including suprathermal electrons reduces mass loss rate by a factor of five.
- The model provides detailed profiles of density, velocity, and temperature.
- Photoelectrons significantly impact atmospheric heating and cooling processes.

## Abstract

A self-consistent, aeronomic model of the upper atmosphere of a "hot Jupiter" including reactions involving suprathermal photoelectrons is presented. This model is used to compute the height profiles of the gas density, velocity, and temperature in the atmosphere of the exoplanet HD 209458b. It is shown that including suprathermal electrons when computing the heating and cooling functions reduces the mass loss rate of the atmosphere by a factor of five.