Most of the currently known extrasolar planets orbit very close to their host stars, and as a result they are exposed to intense high-energy stellar radiation that heats their upper atmospheres and drives atmospheric escape. This atmospheric escape can fundamentally alter the sizes and composition of planetary atmospheres. This thesis presents results from four studies that have coupled atmospheric modeling and observational techniques to reveal how atmospheric escape shapes the evolution of close-in gas giant planets.
Morgan Saidel (Mon,) studied this question.