Effects of Ultraviolet Radiation on Sub-Neptune Exoplanet Hazes through Laboratory Experiments
Temperate sub-Neptune exoplanets could contain large inventories of water in various phases, such as water worlds with water-rich atmospheres or even oceans. Both space-based and ground-based observations have shown that many exoplanets likely also contain photochemically generated hazes. Haze parti...
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2025-01-01
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| Series: | The Planetary Science Journal |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/adda4a |
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| author | Lori Huseby Sarah E. Moran Neil Pearson Tiffany Kataria Chao He Cara Pesciotta Sarah M. Hörst Pierre Haenecour Travis Barman Vishnu Reddy Nikole K. Lewis Véronique Vuitton |
| author_facet | Lori Huseby Sarah E. Moran Neil Pearson Tiffany Kataria Chao He Cara Pesciotta Sarah M. Hörst Pierre Haenecour Travis Barman Vishnu Reddy Nikole K. Lewis Véronique Vuitton |
| author_sort | Lori Huseby |
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| description | Temperate sub-Neptune exoplanets could contain large inventories of water in various phases, such as water worlds with water-rich atmospheres or even oceans. Both space-based and ground-based observations have shown that many exoplanets likely also contain photochemically generated hazes. Haze particles are a key source of organic matter and may impact the evolution or origin of life. In addition, haze layers could provide a mechanism for lower-atmospheric shielding and ultimately atmospheric retention. Often orbiting close to M dwarf stars, these planets receive large amounts of radiation, especially during flaring events, which may strip away their atmospheres. M dwarf stars are known to have higher stellar activity than other types of stars, and stellar flares have the potential to accelerate atmospheric escape. In this work, we present the results from laboratory investigations of UV radiation effects simulating two different stellar flare energies on laboratory-produced exoplanet hazes made under conditions analogous to water-world atmospheres. We find that both simulated flares altered the overall transmittance and reflectance of the hazes, and higher-energy “flares” make those alterations more pronounced. On a larger scale, these laboratory-made hazes show potential signs of degradation over the simulated flaring period. Our results provide insight into the effects that stellar flaring events have on potential exoplanet haze composition and the ability for water-world-like exoplanets to retain their atmospheres. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-44cd63aa08fc4533925ddf589cd0db75 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2632-3338 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Planetary Science Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-44cd63aa08fc4533925ddf589cd0db752025-08-20T03:22:39ZengIOP PublishingThe Planetary Science Journal2632-33382025-01-016614510.3847/PSJ/adda4aEffects of Ultraviolet Radiation on Sub-Neptune Exoplanet Hazes through Laboratory ExperimentsLori Huseby0https://orcid.org/0009-0009-5477-9375Sarah E. Moran1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6721-3284Neil Pearson2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0183-1581Tiffany Kataria3https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3759-9080Chao He4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6694-0965Cara Pesciotta5https://orcid.org/0009-0007-6910-6347Sarah M. Hörst6https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4596-0702Pierre Haenecour7https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5671-5388Travis Barman8https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7129-3002Vishnu Reddy9https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7743-3491Nikole K. Lewis10https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8507-1304Véronique Vuitton11https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7273-1898Lunar and Planetary Laboratory , University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA ; lhuseby@arizona.eduLunar and Planetary Laboratory , University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA ; lhuseby@arizona.edu; NASA Goddard Space Flight Center , Greenbelt, MD 20771, USALunar and Planetary Laboratory , University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA ; lhuseby@arizona.edu; Planetary Science Institute , Tucson, AZ 85719, USAJet Propulsion Laboratory , Pasadena, CA 91011, USASchool of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei, People’s Republic of China ; chaohe23@ustc.edu.cn; Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, MD 21218, USAJohns Hopkins University , Baltimore, MD 21218, USAJohns Hopkins University , Baltimore, MD 21218, USALunar and Planetary Laboratory , University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA ; lhuseby@arizona.eduLunar and Planetary Laboratory , University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA ; lhuseby@arizona.eduLunar and Planetary Laboratory , University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA ; lhuseby@arizona.eduDepartment of Astronomy and Carl Sagan Institute, Cornell University , Ithaca, NY 14853, USAUniversity of Grenoble Alpes , CNRS, IPAG, Grenoble, FranceTemperate sub-Neptune exoplanets could contain large inventories of water in various phases, such as water worlds with water-rich atmospheres or even oceans. Both space-based and ground-based observations have shown that many exoplanets likely also contain photochemically generated hazes. Haze particles are a key source of organic matter and may impact the evolution or origin of life. In addition, haze layers could provide a mechanism for lower-atmospheric shielding and ultimately atmospheric retention. Often orbiting close to M dwarf stars, these planets receive large amounts of radiation, especially during flaring events, which may strip away their atmospheres. M dwarf stars are known to have higher stellar activity than other types of stars, and stellar flares have the potential to accelerate atmospheric escape. In this work, we present the results from laboratory investigations of UV radiation effects simulating two different stellar flare energies on laboratory-produced exoplanet hazes made under conditions analogous to water-world atmospheres. We find that both simulated flares altered the overall transmittance and reflectance of the hazes, and higher-energy “flares” make those alterations more pronounced. On a larger scale, these laboratory-made hazes show potential signs of degradation over the simulated flaring period. Our results provide insight into the effects that stellar flaring events have on potential exoplanet haze composition and the ability for water-world-like exoplanets to retain their atmospheres.https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/adda4aExoplanetsMini NeptunesSuper EarthsExoplanet atmospheresExoplanet atmospheric compositionExoplanet atmospheric evolution |
| spellingShingle | Lori Huseby Sarah E. Moran Neil Pearson Tiffany Kataria Chao He Cara Pesciotta Sarah M. Hörst Pierre Haenecour Travis Barman Vishnu Reddy Nikole K. Lewis Véronique Vuitton Effects of Ultraviolet Radiation on Sub-Neptune Exoplanet Hazes through Laboratory Experiments The Planetary Science Journal Exoplanets Mini Neptunes Super Earths Exoplanet atmospheres Exoplanet atmospheric composition Exoplanet atmospheric evolution |
| title | Effects of Ultraviolet Radiation on Sub-Neptune Exoplanet Hazes through Laboratory Experiments |
| title_full | Effects of Ultraviolet Radiation on Sub-Neptune Exoplanet Hazes through Laboratory Experiments |
| title_fullStr | Effects of Ultraviolet Radiation on Sub-Neptune Exoplanet Hazes through Laboratory Experiments |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of Ultraviolet Radiation on Sub-Neptune Exoplanet Hazes through Laboratory Experiments |
| title_short | Effects of Ultraviolet Radiation on Sub-Neptune Exoplanet Hazes through Laboratory Experiments |
| title_sort | effects of ultraviolet radiation on sub neptune exoplanet hazes through laboratory experiments |
| topic | Exoplanets Mini Neptunes Super Earths Exoplanet atmospheres Exoplanet atmospheric composition Exoplanet atmospheric evolution |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/adda4a |
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