Kevin France

About

Kevin France is a researcher with a strong focus on astrophysics, particularly in the study of ultraviolet radiation and molecular hydrogen in various cosmic environments. His work includes extensive investigations into the ultraviolet radiation environments around M dwarf exoplanet host stars, the excitation structure of molecular hydrogen in interstellar clouds, and the evolution of gas in protoplanetary disks. He has contributed to understanding the abundance ratios of molecules such as CO and H2 in protoplanetary disks and has studied the far-ultraviolet radiation fields of young stars, including classical T Tauri stars. France's research also encompasses observations of supernova remnants, such as SN 1987A, and the use of space-based instruments like the Hubble Space Telescope's Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) to probe astrophysical phenomena.

Research topics

• Physics
• Meteorology
• Astronomy
• Chemistry
• Astrobiology
• Biology
• Environmental science
• Astrophysics
• Optics
• Botany

Selected publications

• Photochemically produced SO2 in the atmosphere of WASP-39b

  Nature · 2023 · 236 citations

  also shows observable features at ultraviolet and thermal infrared wavelengths not available from the existing observations.

  DOI

• Identification of carbon dioxide in an exoplanet atmosphere

  Nature · 2022 · 184 citations

  , but little methane. Furthermore, we also tentatively detect a small absorption feature near 4.0 micrometres that is not reproduced by these models.

  DOI

• Extreme-ultraviolet Stellar Characterization for Atmospheric Physics and Evolution mission: motivation and overview

  Journal of Astronomical Telescopes Instruments and Systems · 2022 · 30 citations

  1st authorCorresponding

  The Extreme-ultraviolet Stellar Characterization for Atmospheric Physics and Evolution (ESCAPE) mission is an astrophysics Small Explorer employing ultraviolet spectroscopy (EUV: 80 to 825 and FUV: 1280 to 1650 ) to explore the high-energy radiation environment in the habitable zones around nearby stars. ESCAPE provides the first comprehensive study of the stellar EUV and coronal mass ejection environments that directly impact the habitability of rocky exoplanets. In a 20-month science mission,…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• A Semiempirical Estimate of Solar Extreme-ultraviolet Evolution from 10 Myr to 10 Gyr

  The Astronomical Journal · 2025-08-11 · 6 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract The extreme-ultraviolet (EUV; 100–911 Å) spectra of F, G, K, and M stars provide diagnostics of the stellar chromosphere through the corona, with line and continuum formation temperatures spanning roughly 10 4 –10 7 K. The EUV stellar spectrum in turn drives atmospheric photochemistry and numerous escape processes on orbiting planets, and is often combined with the stellar X-ray flux to make up the X-ray and ultraviolet (XUV) irradiance. However, very few direct EUV spectra of other sta…

  PublisherDOI

• Toward a 2D H <scp>I</scp> Map of the Local Interstellar Medium

  The Astronomical Journal · 2025-11-21 · 5 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Obtaining a complete census of gas in the local interstellar medium (LISM; &lt;100 pc) is challenging given the limited available tracers of the warm, partially ionized medium. Medium- to high-resolution UV absorption spectroscopy toward individual nearby stars is the primary method used, and incomplete spatial sampling of this complex medium makes a global map of the material difficult. Using H I column density measurements derived from H I Ly α spectroscopy toward 164 stars inside 100…

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Brian Fleming

  Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics

  106 shared

• Allison Youngblood

  104 shared

• P. C. Schneider

  73 shared

• Jeffrey L. Linsky

  69 shared

• Gregory J. Herczeg

  67 shared

• L. Fossati

  67 shared

• Yamila Miguel

  Leiden University

  66 shared

• A. G. Sreejith

  Space Research Institute

  62 shared

Education

• Ph.D., Astrophysical & Planetary Sciences

  University of Colorado Boulder

  1998

• M.S., Astrophysical & Planetary Sciences

  University of Colorado Boulder

  1995

• B.S., Physics

  University of Colorado Boulder

  1993

Similar researchers at University of Colorado Boulder

• Daniel Bakerh-132
• Andrew Hamiltonh-122
• Nils Halversonh-80