Stellar Wind Confinement of Evaporating Exoplanet Atmospheres and its Signatures in 1083 nm Observations

TL;DR

This paper models how stellar winds influence evaporating exoplanet atmospheres, affecting observable signatures in the He 1083 nm line, with implications for interpreting transit observations and atmospheric escape processes.

Contribution

It introduces a model of planetary wind and stellar wind interactions, revealing how different confinement regimes alter observable spectral signatures in He 1083 nm.

Findings

Mild stellar wind interaction results in nearly spherical planetary outflows.

Strong stellar wind confinement redirects outflows into cometary tails, extending absorption signatures.

Extended He 1083 nm absorption can occur beyond optical transits, affecting observational strategies.

Abstract

Atmospheric escape from close-in exoplanets is thought to be crucial in shaping observed planetary populations. Recently, significant progress has been made in observing this process in action through excess absorption in transit spectra and narrowband light curves. We model the escape of initially-homogeneous planetary winds interacting with a stellar wind. The ram pressure balance of the two winds governs this interaction. When the impingement of the stellar wind on the planetary outflow is mild or moderate, the planetary outflow expands nearly spherically through its sonic surface before forming a shocked boundary layer. When the confinement is strong, the planetary outflow is redirected into a cometary tail before it expands to its sonic radius. The resultant transmission spectra at the He 1083 nm line are accurately represented by a 1D spherical wind solution in cases of mild to moderate stellar wind interaction. In cases of strong stellar wind interaction, the degree of absorption is enhanced and the cometary tail leads to an extended egress from transit. The crucial features of the wind--wind interaction are, therefore, encapsulated in the light curve of He 1083 nm equivalent width as a function of time. The possibility of extended He 1083 nm absorption well beyond the optical transit carries important implications for planning "out-of-transit" observations that serve as a baseline for in-transit data.