A Heavy Molecular Weight Atmosphere for the Super-Earth π Men c

Strongly irradiated exoplanets develop extended atmospheres that can be utilized to probe the deeper planet layers. This connection is particularly useful in the study of small exoplanets, whose bulk atmospheres are challenging to characterize directly. Here, we report the 3.4σ detection of C ii ions during a single transit of the super-Earth π Men c in front of its Sun-like host star. The transit depth and Doppler velocities are consistent with the ions filling the planet's Roche lobe and moving preferentially away from the star, an indication that they are escaping the planet. We argue that π Men c possesses a thick atmosphere with abundant heavy volatiles (≳ 50% by mass of atmosphere) but that needs not be carbon rich. Our reasoning relies upon cumulative evidence from the reported C ii detection, the nondetection of H i atoms in a past transit, modeling of the planet's interior, and the assumption that the atmosphere, having survived the most active phases of its Sun-like host star, will survive another 0.2–2 Gyr. Depending on the current mass of atmosphere, π Men c may still transition into a bare rocky core. Our findings confirm the hypothesized compositional diversity of small exoplanets, and represent a milestone toward understanding the planets' formation and evolution paths through the investigation of their extended atmospheres.