ABSTRACT
M dwarf stars are high-priority targets for searches for Earth-size and potentially Earth-like planets, but their planetary systems may form and evolve in very different circumstellar ...environments than those of solar-type stars. To explore the evolution of these systems, we obtained transit spectroscopy and photometry of the Neptune-size planet orbiting the ≈650-Myr-old Hyades M dwarf K2-25. An analysis of the variation in spectral line shape induced by the Doppler ‘shadow’ of the planet indicates that the planet’s orbit is closely aligned with the stellar equator ($\lambda =-1.7_{-3.7}^{+5.8}$ deg), and that an eccentric orbit found by previous work could arise from perturbations by another planet on a coplanar orbit. We detect no significant variation in the depth of the He i line at 1083 nm during transit. A model of atmospheric escape as an isothermal Parker wind with a solar composition shows that this non-detection is not constraining compared to escape rate predictions of ∼0.1 M⊕ Gyr−1; at such rates, at least several Gyr are required for a Neptune-like planet to evolve into a rocky super-Earth.
M dwarf stars are high-priority targets for searches for Earth-size and potentially Earth-like planets, but their planetary systems may form and evolve in very different circumstellar environments ...than those of solar-type stars. To explore the evolution of these systems, we obtained transit spectroscopy and photometry of the Neptune-size planet orbiting the ~650 Myr-old Hyades M dwarf K2-25. An analysis of the variation in spectral line shape induced by the Doppler "shadow" of the planet indicate that the planet's orbit is closely aligned with the stellar equator (lambda = -1.7+5.8/-3.7 deg), and that an eccentric orbit found by previous work could arise from perturbations by another planet on a co-planar orbit. We detect no significant variation in the depth of the He I line at 1083 nm during transit. A model of atmospheric escape as a isothermal Parker wind with a solar composition show that this non-detection is not constraining compared to escape rate predictions of ~0.1 Mearth/Gyr; at such rates, at least several Gyr are required for a Neptune-like planet to evolve into a rocky super-Earth.
A spectroscopic study of aqueous solutions of Ac−WGHGHGHGPGHGHGH−NH2 (HGP) indicates that copper(II) binds to the peptide to form a 2:1 Cu2+/HGP complex with four nitrogen atoms in the copper ...coordination environment. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and UV−visible data suggest copper binding through the peptide backbone and imidazole nitrogen donors. Circular dichroism data show that HGP is unbound below pH 5.5 and is copper-saturated at pH 9 and above. The apo form of the peptide is unstructured in solution and is organized into a turn conformation in the presence of 2 mol equiv of Cu2+ at basic pH. EPR measurements for 2:1 Cu2+/HGP solutions in the g = 2 region and within the pH range 7−11 exhibit axial spectra. A molecular-mechanics-minimized model of the Cu2+/HGP complex gave a Cu···Cu separation of 8 Å.