A High-Resolution NUV Transmission Spectrum of KELT-9b: Mg II and Fe II Escaping from the Hottest Known Giant Planet

TL;DR

This study presents high-resolution NUV spectra of KELT-9b, revealing escaping Mg II and Fe II, and models atmospheric escape processes, emphasizing the role of stellar radiation in planetary atmospheric loss.

Contribution

First high-resolution NUV transmission spectrum of KELT-9b showing escaping Mg II and Fe II, with detailed modeling of atmospheric escape and gas kinematics.

Findings

Mg II detected above Roche radius, indicating escape

Mass loss rate estimated at ~10^{12} g/s

High line broadening and blueshift observed

Abstract

We present high-resolution NUV observations from Hubble Space Telescope's (HST) Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) data for the hottest known gas planet, KELT-9b. Observations were collected with STIS/E230M (2300-3000 $\r{A}$, R$\sim$ 30,000) and we de-correlate systematic effects from the telescope using jitter detrending. We show the clear presence of the Mg II doublet at 2800 $\r{A}$ and Fe II at 2600 $\r{A}$ in KELT-9b. The Mg II is measured above the planet's Roche transit radius, indicating it is escaping. We fit 1D NLTE atmospheric escape models to these features, demonstrating a significant loss of mass in KELT-9b's atmosphere ($\dot{M} \approx 10^{12} $ g/s); we also find a remarkably high line-broadening corresponding to a velocity of about $50-75$ km/s, and a net blueshift of the Mg II doublet greater than 30 km/s. Future 3D MHD modeling of the spectrum and gas kinematics is likely needed to explain these observations. We interpret these results in the context of the Mg II ``Cosmic Shoreline" and show that the detection of escaping Mg II in KELT-9b and the non-detection in WASP-178b are consistent with the hypothesis that stars hotter than $T_{\mathrm{eff}} \sim$ 8250~K have relatively low levels of XUV radiation due to the lack of a chromosphere. Therefore planets around such early-type stars experience a different degree of atmospheric escape. This result highlights the importance of XUV irradiation in driving atmospheric escape inside and outside the Solar System.