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Spectrally resolved helium absorption from the extended atmosphere of a warm Neptune-mass exoplanet

Ehrenreich, D.; Lecavelier des Etangs, A.; Lovis, C. +7 more

Stellar heating causes atmospheres of close-in exoplanets to expand and escape. These extended atmospheres are difficult to observe because their main spectral signature—neutral hydrogen at ultraviolet wavelengths—is strongly absorbed by interstellar medium. We report the detection of the near-infrared triplet of neutral helium in the transiting w…