Related papers: H\alpha\ Absorption in Transiting Exoplanet Atmosp…
We discuss the interstellar absorption from many atomic and molecular species seen in high-resolution $HST$/STIS UV and high-S/N optical spectra of the moderately reddened B3-5~V star HD~62542. This remarkable sight line exhibits both very…
Early in their lives, planets endure extreme amounts of ionizing radiation from their host stars. For planets with primordial hydrogen and helium-rich envelopes, this can lead to substantial mass loss. Direct observations of atmospheric…
We report new near ultraviolet HST/STIS observations of atmospheric absorptions during the planetary transit of HD209458b. We detect absorption in atomic magnesium (MgI), while no signal has been detected in the lines of singly ionized…
Current observations of the atmospheres of close-in exoplanets are predominantly obtained with two techniques: low-resolution spectroscopy with space telescopes and high-resolution spectroscopy from the ground. Although the observables…
We present the first ground-based detection of sodium absorption in the transmission spectrum of an extrasolar planet. Absorption due to the atmosphere of the extrasolar planet HD189733b is detected in both lines of the NaI doublet. High…
We assess what information HST observations of stellar Ly-alpha lines can provide on the heliosheath, the region of the heliosphere between the termination shock and heliopause. To search for evidence of heliosheath absorption, we conduct a…
Gaps in the exoplanet population, such as the Neptunian Desert, point to the importance of mass-loss in sculpting the radii of close-in exoplanets. Young planets ($<$500Myr) offer the opportunity to detect such mass-loss while it is still…
We investigate the escape of Ly$\beta$ from emission nebulae with a significant population of excited hydrogen atoms in the level $n=2$, rendering them optically thick in H$\alpha$. The transfer of Ly$\beta$ line photons in these optically…
We present a detailed study of the emission from a z = 2.35 galaxy that causes damped Lyman-alpha absorption in the spectrum of the background QSO, SDSS J 2222-0946. We present the results of extensive analyses of the stellar continuum…
In their Letter, Tsiaras et al. reported the detection of water vapour in the atmosphere of K2-18 b, an exoplanet of 7 to 10 Earth masses located in the habitable zone of an M-dwarf star. The detection is based on an absorption feature seen…
Absorption-line systems detected in high resolution quasar spectra can be used to compare the value of dimensionless fundamental constants such as the fine-structure constant, alpha, and the proton-to-electron mass ratio, mu = m_p/m_e, as…
(Abridged) The existence of an extended neutral hydrogen exosphere around small planets can be used as an evidence for the presence of water in their lower atmosphere but, to date, such feature has not been securely detected in rocky…
We have investigated the absorption shapes of atomic lines and H{\alpha} in RR Lyrae stars. We used the database of high resolution spectra gathered with the Las Campanas Observatory du Pont Telescope, analyzing a set of about 2700 short…
We perform detailed spectroscopic analysis and numerical modelling of an H2-bearing damped Lyman-alpha absorber (DLA) at zabs = 2.05 towards the quasar FBQS J2340-0053. Metal absorption features arise from fourteen components spread over…
Transiting planets like HD209458b offer a unique opportunity to scrutinize their atmospheric composition and structure. Transit spectroscopy probes the transition region between the day and night sides, called limb. We present a re-analysis…
When transiting their host stars, hot Jupiters absorb about 10% of the light in the wings of the stellar Lyman-alpha emission line. The absorption occurs at wavelengths Doppler-shifted from line center by +/- 100 km/s - larger than the…
Transmission spectroscopy provides a window to study exoplanetary atmospheres, but that window is fogged by clouds and hazes. Clouds and haze introduce a degeneracy between the strength of gaseous absorption features and planetary physical…
Accreting planets have been detected through their hydrogen-line emission, specifically H$\alpha$. To interpret this, stellar-regime empirical correlations between the H$\alpha$ luminosity $L_\mathrm{H\alpha}$ and the accretion luminosity…
We search the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) archive for previously unanalyzed observations of stellar H I Lyman-alpha emission lines, our primary purpose being to look for new detections of Lyman-alpha absorption from the outer heliosphere,…
We have performed high-resolution hydrodynamic simulations of the Lyman-alpha forest in a variety of popular cold dark matter dominated cosmologies, including a low density and a vacuum-dominated model. The fluctuation amplitude of these…