scholarly journals Direct imaging of molten protoplanets in nearby young stellar associations

2019 ◽  
Vol 621 ◽  
pp. A125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene Bonati ◽  
Tim Lichtenberg ◽  
Dan J. Bower ◽  
Miles L. Timpe ◽  
Sascha P. Quanz
Keyword(s):  
Planet Formation ◽  
Magma Ocean ◽  
Direct Imaging ◽  
Origin And Evolution ◽  
Giant Impacts ◽  
Formation And Evolution ◽  
Magma Oceans ◽  
Rocky Planets ◽  
Stellar Associations

During their formation and early evolution, rocky planets undergo multiple global melting events due to accretionary collisions with other protoplanets. The detection and characterization of their post-collision afterglows (magma oceans) can yield important clues about the origin and evolution of the solar and extrasolar planet population. Here, we quantitatively assess the observational prospects to detect the radiative signature of forming planets covered by such collision-induced magma oceans in nearby young stellar associations with future direct imaging facilities. We have compared performance estimates for near- and mid-infrared instruments to be installed at ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), and a potential space-based mission called Large Interferometer for Exoplanets (LIFE). We modelled the frequency and timing of energetic collisions using N-body models of planet formation for different stellar types, and determine the cooling of the resulting magma oceans with an insulating atmosphere. We find that the probability of detecting at least one magma ocean planet depends on the observing duration and the distribution of atmospheric properties among rocky protoplanets. However, the prospects for detection significantly increase for young and close stellar targets, which show the highest frequencies of giant impacts. For intensive reconnaissance with a K band (2.2 μm) ELT filter or a 5.6 μm LIFE filter, the β Pictoris, Columba, TW Hydrae, and Tucana-Horologium associations represent promising candidates for detecting a molten protoplanet. Our results motivate the exploration of magma ocean planets using the ELT and underline the importance of space-based direct imaging facilities to investigate and characterize planet formation and evolution in the solar vicinity. Direct imaging of magma oceans will advance our understanding of the early interior, surface and atmospheric properties of terrestrial worlds.

On the fate of water in the formation of rocky planets

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindy Elkins-Tanton ◽  
Jenny Suckale ◽  
Sonia Tikoo
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Upper Mantle ◽  
Lower Mantle ◽  
Plate Tectonics ◽  
Solidus Temperature ◽  
Magma Ocean ◽  
Excess Water ◽  
Low Degree ◽  
Giant Impacts ◽  
Rocky Planets

<p>Rocky planets go through at least one and likely multiple magma ocean stages, produced by the giant impacts of accretion. Planetary data and models show that giant impacts do not dehydrate either the mantle or the atmosphere of their target planets. The magma ocean liquid consists of melted target material and melted impactor, and so will be dominated by silicate melt, and also contain dissolved volatiles including water, carbon, and sulfur compounds.</p><p>As the magma ocean cools and solidifies, water and other volatiles will be incorporated into the nominally anhydrous mantle phases up to their saturation limits, and will otherwise be enriched in the remaining, evolving magma ocean liquids. The water content of the resulting cumulate mantle is therefore the sum of the traces in the mineral grains, and any water in trapped interstitial liquids. That trapped liquid fraction may in fact be by far the largest contributor to the cumulate water budget.</p><p>The water and other dissolved volatiles in the evolving liquids may quickly reach the saturation limit of magmas near the surface, where pressure is low, but degassing the magma ocean is likely more difficult than has been assumed in some of our models. To degas into the atmosphere, the gases must exsolve from the liquid and form bubbles, and those bubbles must be able to rise quickly enough to avoid being dragged down by convection and re-dissolved at higher pressures. If bubbles are buoyant enough (that is, large enough) to decouple from flow and rise, then they are also dynamically unstable and liable to be torn into smaller bubbles and re-entrained. This conundrum led to the hypothesis that volatiles do not significantly degas until a high level of supersaturation is reached, and the bubbles form a buoyant layer and rise in diapirs in a continuum dynamics sense. This late degassing would have the twin effects of increasing the water content of the cumulates, and of speeding up cooling and solidification of the planet.</p><p>Once the mantle is solidified, the timeclock until the start of plate tectonics begins. Modern plate tectonics is thought to rely on water to lower the viscosity of the asthenosphere, but plate tectonics is also thought to be the process by which water is brought into the mantle. Magma ocean solidification, however, offers two relevant processes. First, following solidification the cumulate mantle is gravitationally unstable and overturns to stability, carrying water-bearing minerals from the upper mantle through the transition zone and into the lower mantle. Upon converting to lower-mantle phases, these minerals will release their excess water, since lower mantle phases have lower saturation limits, thus fluxing the upper mantle with water. Second, the mantle will be near its solidus temperature still, and thus its viscosity will be naturally low. When fluxed with excess water, the upper mantle would be expected to form a low degree melt, which if voluminous enough with rise to help form the earliest crust, and if of very low degree, will further reduce the viscosity of the asthenosphere.</p>

Coupled models of magma oceans and their primordial atmospheres: volatile speciation, cooling history, and impact of condensables

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim Lichtenberg ◽  
Robert J. Graham ◽  
Ryan Boukrouche ◽  
Raymond T. Pierrehumbert
Keyword(s):  
Extrasolar Planets ◽  
Initial Distribution ◽  
Magma Ocean ◽  
Coupled Models ◽  
Time Resolved ◽  
Planetary Evolution ◽  
Sensitive Dependence ◽  
History Of ◽  
Magma Oceans ◽  
Rocky Planets

<p>The earliest atmospheres of rocky planets originate from extensive volatile release during magma ocean epochs that occur during assembly of the planet. These establish the initial distribution of the major volatile elements between different chemical reservoirs that subsequently evolve via geological cycles. Current theoretical techniques are limited in exploring the anticipated range of compositional and thermal scenarios of early planetary evolution. However, these are of prime importance to aid astronomical inferences on the environmental context and geological history of extrasolar planets. In order to advance the potential synergies between exoplanet observations and inferrences on the earliest history and climate state of the solar system terrestial planets, I will present a novel numerical framework that links an evolutionary, vertically-resolved model of the planetary silicate mantle with a radiative-convective model of the atmosphere. Numerical simulations using this framework illustrate the sensitive dependence of mantle crystallization and atmosphere build-up on volatile speciation and predict variations in atmospheric spectra with planet composition that may be detectable with future observations of exoplanets. Magma ocean thermal sequences fall into three general classes of primary atmospheric volatile with increasing cooling timescale: CO, N<sub>2</sub>, and O<sub>2</sub> with minimal effect on heat flux, H<sub>2</sub>O, CO<sub>2</sub>, and CH<sub>4</sub> with intermediate influence, and H<sub>2</sub> with several orders of magnitude increase in solidification time and atmosphere vertical stratification. In addition to these time-resolved results, I will present a novel formulation and application of a multi-species moist-adiabat for condensable-rich magma ocean and archean earth analog atmospheres, and outline how the cooling of such atmospheres can lead to exotic climate states that provide testable predictions for terrestrial exoplanets.</p>

How many suns are in the sky? Multiplicity surveys of exoplanet host stars

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (S345) ◽  
pp. 316-317 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Mugrauer ◽  
C. Ginski ◽  
N. Vogt ◽  
R. Neuhäuser ◽  
C. Adam
Keyword(s):  
Milky Way ◽  
Planet Formation ◽  
High Contrast ◽  
Contrast Imaging ◽  
Direct Imaging ◽  
High Contrast Imaging ◽  
Multiple Stars ◽  
First Results ◽  
Formation And Evolution ◽  
Host Stars

AbstractIn order to determine the true impact of stellar multiplicity on the formation and evolution of planets, we initiated direct imaging surveys to search for (sub)stellar companions of exoplanet host stars on close orbits, as their gravitational impact on the planet bearing disk at first and on formed planets afterwards is expected to be maximal. According to theory these are the most challenging environments for planet formation and evolution but might occur quite frequently in the milky way, due to the large number of multiple stars within our galaxy. On this poster we showed results, obtained so far in the course of our AO and Lucky-imaging campaigns of exoplanet host stars, conducted with NACO/ESO-VLT for southern and with AstraLux/CAHA2.2m for northern targets, respectively. In addition, we introduced our new high contrast imaging survey with SPHERE/ESO-VLT to search for close companions of southern exoplanet host stars, and presented some first results.

Steam Atmospheres and Magma Oceans on Planets

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keiko Hamano
Keyword(s):  
Feedback Loop ◽  
Radiative Energy ◽  
Terrestrial Planets ◽  
Magma Ocean ◽  
Planetary Body ◽  
Oxidation Of H2 ◽  
Giant Impacts ◽  
Magma Oceans ◽  
Greenhouse Effects ◽  
Insight Into

A magma ocean is a global layer of partially or fully molten rocks. Significant melting of terrestrial planets likely occurs due to heat release during planetary accretion, such as decay heat of short-lived radionuclides, impact energy released by continuous planetesimal accretion, and energetic impacts among planetary-sized bodies (giant impacts). Over a magma ocean, all water, which is released upon impact or degassed from the interior, exists as superheated vapor, forming a water-dominated, steam atmosphere. A magma ocean extending to the surface is expected to interact with the overlying steam atmosphere through material and heat exchange. Impact degassing of water starts when the size of a planetary body becomes larger than Earth’s moon or Mars. The degassed water could build up and form a steam atmosphere on protoplanets growing by planetesimal accretion. The atmosphere has a role in preventing accretion energy supplied by planetesimals from escaping, leading to the formation of a magma ocean. Once a magma ocean forms, part of the steam atmosphere would start to dissolve into the surface magma due to the high solubility of water into silicate melt. Theoretical studies indicated that as long as the magma ocean is present, a negative feedback loop can operate to regulate the amount of the steam atmosphere and to stabilize the surface temperature so that a radiative energy balance is achieved. Protoplanets can also accrete the surrounding H2-rich disk gas. Water could be produced by oxidation of H2 by ferrous iron in the magma. The atmosphere and water on protoplanets could be a mixture of outgassed and disk-gas components. Planets formed by giant impact would experience a global melting on a short timescale. A steam atmosphere could grow by later outgassing from the interior. Its thermal blanketing and greenhouse effects are of great importance in controlling the cooling rate of the magma ocean. Due to the presence of a runaway greenhouse threshold, the crystallization timescale and water budget of terrestrial planets can depend on the orbital distance from the host star. The terrestrial planets in our solar system essentially have no direct record of their earliest history, whereas observations of young terrestrial exoplanets may provide us some insight into what early terrestrial planets and their atmosphere are like. Evolution of protoplanets in the framework of pebble accretion remains unexplored.

scholarly journals Modeling volatile species in magma ocean-atmosphere interactions on hot rockyexoplanets

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christiaan Van Buchem ◽  
Yamila Miguel ◽  
Wim Van Westrenen
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Composition ◽  
Magma Ocean ◽  
Volatile Species ◽  
Successful Development ◽  
New Era ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Ongoing Work ◽  
Ocean Atmosphere ◽  
Magma Oceans

<p>Hot rocky exoplanets present us with the unique opportunity to give us insights into their interiors through the characterization of their atmospheres. With the upcoming launch of the JWST and ARIEL ushering in a new era of exoplanet observations, this topic is becoming more relevant than ever. </p> <p>A crucial element in this work is the accurate modeling of the interaction between planetary atmospheres and their magma oceans. The key question here being: What is the atmospheric composition of a hot rocky exoplanet for a given magma ocean composition? One pressing issue one must face when answering this question is the inclusion of volatile species (such as H2, H2O, CO2, etc.). Currently, hot rocky exoplanets are often assumed to be entirely depleted of volatile species, or simplified models are applied in which but a few species in both the melt and the atmosphere are taken into account.</p> <p>In this presentation we will show our ongoing work on including volatiles species in the modeling of magma ocean-atmosphere interactions on hot rocky exoplanets. The successful development of this method and subsequent comparisons to observations would allow us to start characterising rocky exoplanet compositions which could lead to new insights for formation models. Furthermore, it would also allow us to model the effects of transient magma oceans though to be present on young earth analogs. Deepening our understanding of how such processes influence the conditions present during later evolutionary stages could give us new insights in the evolution of the earth and the conditions necessary to sustain life.</p>

scholarly journals Magma oceans as a critical stage in the tectonic development of rocky planets

2018 ◽  
Vol 376 (2132) ◽  
pp. 20180109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Schaefer ◽  
Linda T. Elkins-Tanton
Keyword(s):  
Plate Tectonics ◽  
Magma Ocean ◽  
Stability Issue ◽  
Tectonic Development ◽  
Magma Oceans ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Almost All ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Rocky Planets ◽  
Earth Dynamics

Magma oceans are a common result of the high degree of heating that occurs during planet formation. It is thought that almost all of the large rocky bodies in the Solar System went through at least one magma ocean phase. In this paper, we review some of the ways in which magma ocean models for the Earth, Moon and Mars match present-day observations of mantle reservoirs, internal structure and primordial crusts, and then we present new calculations for the oxidation state of the mantle produced during the magma ocean phase. The crystallization of magma oceans probably leads to a massive mantle overturn that may set up a stably stratified mantle. This may lead to significant delays or total prevention of plate tectonics on some planets. We review recent models that may help alleviate the mantle stability issue and lead to earlier onset of plate tectonics. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Earth dynamics and the development of plate tectonics’.

scholarly journals Characterization of the K2-38 planetary system

2020 ◽  
Vol 641 ◽  
pp. A92 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Toledo-Padrón ◽  
C. Lovis ◽  
A. Suárez Mascareño ◽  
S. C. C. Barros ◽  
J. I. González Hernández ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Planetary System ◽  
Monte Carlo Analysis ◽  
Mass Measurements ◽  
Echelle Spectrograph ◽  
Photometric Analysis ◽  
Origin And Evolution ◽  
Long Period ◽  
Giant Impacts ◽  
New Generation

Context. An accurate characterization of the known exoplanet population is key to understanding the origin and evolution of planetary systems. Determining true planetary masses through the radial velocity (RV) method is expected to experience a great improvement thanks to the availability of ultra-stable echelle spectrographs. Aims. We took advantage of the extreme precision of the new-generation echelle spectrograph ESPRESSO to characterize the transiting planetary system orbiting the G2V star K2-38 located at 194 pc from the Sun with V ~ 11.4. This system is particularly interesting because it could contain the densest planet detected to date. Methods. We carried out a photometric analysis of the available K2 photometric light curve of this star to measure the radius of its two known planets, K2-38b and K2-38c, with Pb = 4.01593 ± 0.00050 d and Pc = 10.56103 ± 0.00090 d, respectively. Using 43 ESPRESSO high-precision RV measurements taken over the course of 8 months along with the 14 previously published HIRES RV measurements, we modeled the orbits of the two planets through a Markov chain Monte Carlo analysis, significantly improving their mass measurements. Results. Using ESPRESSO spectra, we derived the stellar parameters, Teff = 5731 ± 66, log g = 4.38 ± 0.11 dex, and [Fe/H] = 0.26 ± 0.05 dex, and thus the mass and radius of K2-38, M⋆ = 1.03−0.02+0.04 M⊕ and R⋆ = 1.06−0.06+0.09 R⊕. We determine new values for the planetary properties of both planets. We characterize K2-38b as a super-Earth with RP = 1.54 ± 0.14 R⊕ and Mp = 7.3−1.0+1.1 M⊕, and K2-38c as a sub-Neptune with RP = 2.29 ± 0.26 R⊕ and Mp = 8.3−1.3+1.3 M⊕. Combining the radius and mass measurements, we derived a mean density of ρp = 11.0−2.8+4.1 g cm−3 for K2-38b and ρp = 3.8−1.1+1.8 g cm−3 for K2-38c, confirming K2-38b as one of the densest planets known to date. Conclusions. The best description for the composition of K2-38b comes from an iron-rich Mercury-like model, while K2-38c is better described by a rocky-model with H2 envelope. The maximum collision stripping boundary shows how giant impacts could be the cause for the high density of K2-38b. The irradiation received by each planet places them on opposite sides of the radius valley. We find evidence of a long-period signal in the RV time-series whose origin could be linked to a 0.25–3 MJ planet or stellar activity.

scholarly journals A microvariability study of nearby M dwarfs from the Western Italian Alps: Status update

2010 ◽  
Vol 6 (S276) ◽  
pp. 525-526
Author(s):  
Mario Damasso ◽  
Andrea Bernagozzi ◽  
Enzo Bertolini ◽  
Paolo Calcidese ◽  
Paolo Giacobbe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Italian Alps ◽  
M Dwarfs ◽  
Red Dwarfs ◽  
Typical Period ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
M Stars ◽  
Rocky Planets ◽  
Long Term Survey

AbstractSmall ground-based telescopes can effectively be used to look for transiting rocky planets around nearby low-mass M stars, as recently demonstrated for example by the MEarth project. Since December 2009 at the Astronomical Observatory of the Autonomous Region of Aosta Valley (OAVdA) we are monitoring photometrically a sample of red dwarfs with accurate parallax measurements. The primary goal of this ‘pilot study’ is the characterization of the photometric microvariability of each target over a typical period of approximately 2 months. This is the preparatory step to long-term survey with an array of identical small telescopes, with kick-off in early 2011. Here we discuss the present status of the study, describing the stellar sample, and presenting the most interesting results obtained so far, including the aggressive data analysis devoted to the characterization of the variability properties of the sample and the search for transit-like signals.

scholarly journals Atmospheric speciation of rocky planets from magma ocean outgassing

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim Lichtenberg ◽  
Dan J. Bower ◽  
Mark Hammond ◽  
Ryan Boukrouche ◽  
Shang-Min Tsai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coupled Model ◽  
Initial Distribution ◽  
Occurrence Rate ◽  
Magma Ocean ◽  
Mantle Dynamics ◽  
Mantle Geochemistry ◽  
Prebiotic Chemical ◽  
History Of ◽  
Climatic History ◽  
Rocky Planets

<p>The earliest atmospheres of rocky planets originate from extensive volatile release during one or more magma ocean epochs that occur during primary and late-stage assembly of the planet (1). These epochs represent the most extreme cycling of volatiles between the interior and atmosphere in the history of a planet, and establish the initial distribution of the major volatile elements (C, H, N, O, S) between different chemical reservoirs that subsequently evolve via geological cycles. Crucially, the erosion or recycling of primary atmospheres bear upon the nature of the long-lived secondary atmospheres that will be probed with current and future observing facilities (2). Furthermore, the chemical speciation of the atmosphere arising from magma ocean processes can potentially be probed with present-day observations of tidally-locked rocky super-Earths (3). The speciation in turn strongly influences the climatic history of rocky planets, for instance the occurrence rate of planets that are locked in long-term runaway greenhouse states (4). We will present an integrated framework to model the build-up of the earliest atmospheres from magma ocean outgassing using a coupled model of mantle dynamics and atmospheric evolution. We consider the diversity of atmospheres that can arise for a range of initial planetary bulk compositions, and show how even small variations in volatile abundances can result in dramatically different atmospheric compositions and affect earliest mantle geochemistry and atmospheric speciation relevant for surficial prebiotic chemical environments (5). Only through the lense of coupled evolutionary models of terrestrial interiors and atmospheres can we begin to deconvolve the imprint of formation from that of evolution, with consequences for how we interpret the diversity revealed by astrophysical observables, and their relation to the earliest planetary conditions of our home world.</p> <div class=""><em>References</em></div> <ol> <li>Bower, D. J., Kitzmann, D., Wolf, A. S., et al. (2019). Astron. Astrophys. 631, A103.</li> <li>Bonati, I., Lichtenberg, T., Bower, D. J., et al. (2019). Astron. Astrophys. 621, A125.</li> <li>Kreidberg, L., Koll, D. D., Morley, C., et al. (2019). Nature 573, 87-90.</li> <li>Hamano, K., Abe, Y., Genda, H. (2013). Nature 497, 607-610.</li> <li>Sasselov, D. D., Grotzinger, J. P., Sutherland, J. D. (2020). Sci. Adv. 6, eaax3419.</li> </ol>

scholarly journals Terrestrial planet formation in extra-solar planetary systems

2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (S249) ◽  
pp. 233-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean N. Raymond
Keyword(s):  
Final Stage ◽  
Planet Formation ◽  
Giant Planet ◽  
Terrestrial Planet ◽  
Circumstellar Disks ◽  
Giant Planets ◽  
Terrestrial Planets ◽  
Low Mass Stars ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
Rocky Planets

AbstractTerrestrial planets form in a series of dynamical steps from the solid component of circumstellar disks. First, km-sized planetesimals form likely via a combination of sticky collisions, turbulent concentration of solids, and gravitational collapse from micron-sized dust grains in the thin disk midplane. Second, planetesimals coalesce to form Moon- to Mars-sized protoplanets, also called “planetary embryos”. Finally, full-sized terrestrial planets accrete from protoplanets and planetesimals. This final stage of accretion lasts about 10-100 Myr and is strongly affected by gravitational perturbations from any gas giant planets, which are constrained to form more quickly, during the 1-10 Myr lifetime of the gaseous component of the disk. It is during this final stage that the bulk compositions and volatile (e.g., water) contents of terrestrial planets are set, depending on their feeding zones and the amount of radial mixing that occurs. The main factors that influence terrestrial planet formation are the mass and surface density profile of the disk, and the perturbations from giant planets and binary companions if they exist. Simple accretion models predicts that low-mass stars should form small, dry planets in their habitable zones. The migration of a giant planet through a disk of rocky bodies does not completely impede terrestrial planet growth. Rather, “hot Jupiter” systems are likely to also contain exterior, very water-rich Earth-like planets, and also “hot Earths”, very close-in rocky planets. Roughly one third of the known systems of extra-solar (giant) planets could allow a terrestrial planet to form in the habitable zone.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document