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The high-energy X-ray and ultraviolet (UV) radiation fields of exoplanet host stars play a crucial role in controlling the atmospheric conditions and the potential habitability of exoplanets. Major surveys of the X-ray/UV emissions from late-type (K and M spectral types) exoplanet hosts have been conducted by the Measurements of the Ultraviolet Spectral Characteristics of Low-mass Exoplanetary systems (MUSCLES) and Mega-MUSCLES Hubble Space Telescope Treasury programs. These samples primarily consist of relatively old, “inactive,” low-mass stars. In this paper we present results from X-ray observations of the coronal emission from these stars obtained using the Chandra X-ray Observatory, the XMM-Newton Observatory, and the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. The stars effectively sample the coronal activity of low-mass stars over a wide range of masses and ages. The vast majority (21 of 23) of the stars are detected and their X-ray luminosities measured. Short-term flaring variability is detected for most of the fully convective ( M ≤ 0.35 M _⊙ ) stars but not for the more massive M dwarfs during these observations. Despite this difference, the mean X-ray luminosities for these two sets of M dwarfs are similar, with more massive (0.35 M _⊙ ≤ M ≤ 0.6 M _⊙ ) M dwarfs at ∼5 × 10 ^26 erg s ^−1 compared to ∼2 × 10 ^26 erg s ^−1 for fully convective stars older than 1 Gyr. Younger, fully convective M dwarfs have X-ray luminosities between 3 and 6 × 10 ^27 erg s ^−1 . The coronal X-ray spectra have been characterized and provide important information that is vital for the modeling of the stellar EUV spectra.

We have estimated total internal heating rates and depths to possible subsurface oceans for 17 planets that may be cold ocean planets, low-mass exoplanets with equilibrium surface temperatures and/or densities that are consistent with icy surfaces and a substantial H _2 O content. We have also investigated the potential for tidally driven cryovolcanism and exosphere formation on these worlds. Estimated internal heating rates from tidal and radiogenic sources are large enough that all planets in our study may harbor subsurface oceans, and their geological activity rates are likely to exceed the geological activity rates on Jupiter’s moon Europa. Several planets are likely to experience enhanced volcanic activity rates that exceed that of Io. Owing to their relatively thin ice shells and high rates of internal heating, Proxima Cen b and LHS 1140 b are the most favorable candidates for telescopic detection of explosive, tidally driven cryovolcanism. Estimates for thin ice shells on Proxima Cen b, LHS 1140 b, Trappist-1f, and several Kepler planets suggest that any H _2 O vented into space during explosive cryovolcanic eruptions on these worlds could be sourced directly from their subsurface oceans. Like the icy moons in our outer solar system, cold ocean planets may be astrobiologically significant worlds that harbor habitable environments beneath their icy surfaces. These possibilities should be considered during analyses of observational data for small exoplanets from current and upcoming telescopes and during planning for a future space telescope mission aimed at characterization of potentially habitable exoplanets (e.g., Habitable Worlds Observatory).

Photochemistry is a fundamental process of planetary atmospheres that regulates the atmospheric composition and stability 1 . However, no unambiguous photochemical products have been detected in exoplanet atmospheres so far. Recent observations from the JWST Transiting Exoplanet Community Early Release Science Program 2,3 found a spectral absorption feature at 4.05 μm arising from sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) in the atmosphere of WASP-39b. WASP-39b is a 1.27-Jupiter-radii, Saturn-mass (0.28 M J ) gas giant exoplanet orbiting a Sun-like star with an equilibrium temperature of around 1,100 K (ref.  4 ). The most plausible way of generating SO 2 in such an atmosphere is through photochemical processes 5,6 . Here we show that the SO 2 distribution computed by a suite of photochemical models robustly explains the 4.05-μm spectral feature identified by JWST transmission observations 7 with NIRSpec PRISM (2.7σ) 8 and G395H (4.5σ) 9 . SO 2 is produced by successive oxidation of sulfur radicals freed when hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) is destroyed. The sensitivity of the SO 2 feature to the enrichment of the atmosphere by heavy elements (metallicity) suggests that it can be used as a tracer of atmospheric properties, with WASP-39b exhibiting an inferred metallicity of about 10× solar. We further point out that SO 2 also shows observable features at ultraviolet and thermal infrared wavelengths not available from the existing observations., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

AU Microscopii (AU Mic) is the second closest pre-main-sequence star, at a distance of 9.79 parsecs and with an age of 22 million years 1 . AU Mic possesses a relatively rare 2 and spatially resolved 3 edge-on debris disk extending from about 35 to 210 astronomical units from the star 4 , and with clumps exhibiting non-Keplerian motion 5-7 . Detection of newly formed planets around such a star is challenged by the presence of spots, plage, flares and other manifestations of magnetic 'activity' on the star 8,9 . Here we report observations of a planet transiting AU Mic. The transiting planet, AU Mic b, has an orbital period of 8.46 days, an orbital distance of 0.07 astronomical units, a radius of 0.4 Jupiter radii, and a mass of less than 0.18 Jupiter masses at 3σ confidence. Our observations of a planet co-existing with a debris disk offer the opportunity to test the predictions of current models of planet formation and evolution.