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Main Authors: Behr, Patrick R., France, Kevin, Fossati, Luca, Koskinen, Tommi, Cubillos, Patricio E., Egan, Arika, Cauley, P. Wilson
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.23598
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author Behr, Patrick R.
France, Kevin
Fossati, Luca
Koskinen, Tommi
Cubillos, Patricio E.
Egan, Arika
Cauley, P. Wilson
author_facet Behr, Patrick R.
France, Kevin
Fossati, Luca
Koskinen, Tommi
Cubillos, Patricio E.
Egan, Arika
Cauley, P. Wilson
contents KELT-20 b is an ultra-hot Jupiter with an equilibrium temperature of $2260$ K orbiting a bright (V =7.6), fast-rotating ($v\sin{i}$=117 km s$^{-1}$) A2 V star. The atmosphere of KELT-20 b has been studied extensively via transmission spectroscopy at optical wavelengths, showing strong hydrogen absorption as well as metals including Na I, Ca II, Fe I, Fe II, Mg I, Si I and Cr II. The atmospheric and ionization conditions of this planet may differ from Jupiter-mass exoplanets due to the relatively weak extreme-ultraviolet radiation from its host star, as the stellar dynamo that generates chromospheric and coronal activity is thought to shut down at spectral types earlier than A4. We present the first spectroscopic observations of KELT-20 b in the far-ultraviolet using the Hubble Space Telescope Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, searching for previously undetected low-ionization and neutral atoms in the upper atmosphere. We find that the FUV transit depth increases with decreasing wavelengths, from $1.88\pm0.04$\% at 1600--1760 Å to $2.28\pm0.04$\% at 1410--1570 Å, yielding planetary radii of $0.1139\pm0.06$ $R_*$ and $0.1222\pm0.07$ $R_*$, respectively. We report tentative detections of Fe II and N I at $2.4σ$ each, and non-detections of C I, S I, Al II, and Si II. We find no evidence for molecular absorption from CO or H$_2$ and no sign of hydrodynamic escape.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2510_23598
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle HST-COS Transit Spectroscopy of KELT-20b: First Detection of Excess Far-ultraviolet Absorption From an Ultra-hot Jupiter
Behr, Patrick R.
France, Kevin
Fossati, Luca
Koskinen, Tommi
Cubillos, Patricio E.
Egan, Arika
Cauley, P. Wilson
Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
KELT-20 b is an ultra-hot Jupiter with an equilibrium temperature of $2260$ K orbiting a bright (V =7.6), fast-rotating ($v\sin{i}$=117 km s$^{-1}$) A2 V star. The atmosphere of KELT-20 b has been studied extensively via transmission spectroscopy at optical wavelengths, showing strong hydrogen absorption as well as metals including Na I, Ca II, Fe I, Fe II, Mg I, Si I and Cr II. The atmospheric and ionization conditions of this planet may differ from Jupiter-mass exoplanets due to the relatively weak extreme-ultraviolet radiation from its host star, as the stellar dynamo that generates chromospheric and coronal activity is thought to shut down at spectral types earlier than A4. We present the first spectroscopic observations of KELT-20 b in the far-ultraviolet using the Hubble Space Telescope Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, searching for previously undetected low-ionization and neutral atoms in the upper atmosphere. We find that the FUV transit depth increases with decreasing wavelengths, from $1.88\pm0.04$\% at 1600--1760 Å to $2.28\pm0.04$\% at 1410--1570 Å, yielding planetary radii of $0.1139\pm0.06$ $R_*$ and $0.1222\pm0.07$ $R_*$, respectively. We report tentative detections of Fe II and N I at $2.4σ$ each, and non-detections of C I, S I, Al II, and Si II. We find no evidence for molecular absorption from CO or H$_2$ and no sign of hydrodynamic escape.
title HST-COS Transit Spectroscopy of KELT-20b: First Detection of Excess Far-ultraviolet Absorption From an Ultra-hot Jupiter
topic Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.23598