2007/10/18 by T. Penz, G. Micela, Penz, T. +3
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations #Astrophysics (astro-ph) #FOS: Physical sciences #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.0710.3534
openalex publication_date 2007/10/18 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Aims: We investigate the influence of high-energy stellar radiation at close-in orbits on atmospheric mass loss during stellar evolution of a G-type star. Methods: High-energy stellar luminosity varies over a wide range for G field stars. The temporal evolution of the distribution of stellar X-ray luminosity and its influence on the evolution of close-in exoplanets is investigated. X-ray luminosity distributions from the Pleiades, the Hyades and the field are used to derive a scaling law for the evolution of the stellar X-ray luminosity distribution. A modified energy-limited escape approach is used to calculate atmospheric mass loss for a broad range of planetary parameters. Results: We show that the evolution of close-in exoplanets strongly depends on the detailed X-ray luminosity history of their host stars, which varies over several orders-of-magnitude for G stars. Stars located at the high-energy tail of the luminosity distribution can evaporate most of its planets within 0.5 AU, while for a moderate luminosity a significant fraction of planets can survive. We show the change on an initial planetary mass distribution caused by atmospheric escape.