Helium in Exoplanet Exospheres: Orbital and Stellar Influences

Abstract

Searches for helium in the exospheres of exoplanets via the metastable near-infrared triplet have yielded 17 detections and 40 nondetections. We performed a comprehensive reanalysis of published studies to investigate the influence of stellar X-ray and extreme-ultraviolet (XUV) flux and orbital parameters on the detectability of helium in exoplanetary atmospheres. We identified a distinct “orbital sweet spot” for helium detection, 0.03 to 0.08 au from the host star, where the majority of detections occurred. This sweet spot is influenced by the stellar luminosity and planet size. Notably, a lower ratio of XUV flux to mid-UV flux is preferred for planets compared to nondetections. We also found that helium detections occur for planets around stars with effective temperatures of 4400–6500 K (i.e., spectral type K and G stars), with a sharp gap between 5400 and 6000 K, where no detections occur. We also report an upper-limit efficiency of 6% for energy-limited atmospheric escape from our analysis. Additionally, our analysis of the cumulative XUV flux versus escape velocity shows planets with helium detections above the “cosmic shoreline,” where atmospheres are not thought to be present, suggesting the shoreline needs revision. The unexpected trends revealed in our meta-analysis can contribute to a better understanding of star–planet interaction and exosphere evolution.

Keywords

• Exoplanet atmospheric evolution
• Near infrared astronomy
• Exoplanet atmospheres
• Stellar properties
• Exoplanets