Title: Internal structure and atmospheric composition of Super-Earths.
Abstract:To date,more than 340 extrasolar planets have been discovered.These planets exhibit a plethora of diversity and have already changed our understanding of planet formation. The existence of massive ter...To date,more than 340 extrasolar planets have been discovered.These planets exhibit a plethora of diversity and have already changed our understanding of planet formation. The existence of massive terrestrial planets is predicted by planetary formation theory.Such planets are also calledSuper-Earthdue to their masses ranging from 1 to 10M_(?).Due to the improvements in detection methods,they are now explored through radial velocity technique. Such planets do not exist in our solar system,so they are introducing a novel physical regime that has never been investigated before.In this paper,we introduce a method by seeking the interior of Super-Earths nowadays.Based on the internal structure of Earth,the model may divide the Super-Earth planets' internal into several shells according to their composition.Chosen an equation of state(EOS) in relation to density,pressure,and temperature within each layer,the numerical model can solve the standard differential equations for density,pressure,mass,and gravity structure under hydrostatic equilibrium.Then we present the latest results of current research and depict the mass-radius of the Super-Earth planets.In addition,we also discuss tidal heating effect on the terrestrial planet,i.e.,GJ 876d.Planets may obtain atmospheres from three main sources:capture from the nebula,degassing during accretion,and later degassing from tectonic processes.Low-mass terrestrial planets are unable to capture and retain nebula gases,so researchers focus on the range of atmospheric masses possible form degassing terrestrial-analog materials in the planetary accretion process.The Atmospheric mass and composition for terrestrial planets is closely related to the composition of a rocky planet.From the library of meteorites that have fallen to Earth,we can build up several models corresponding to various plausible starting compositions for planetary accretion and degassing.Herein we give a detailed description of each model and major results.These outcomes show that degassing alone can create a wide range of masses of planetary atmospheres.The initial atmospheric mass could range from 1%of the planet's total mass or less to a few percent and even up to over 20%in extreme cases. The initial atmosphere may be dominated by carbon compounds,hydrogen,or water,depending on the composition of accreted materials and the presence or absence of a magma ocean.Read More
Publication Year: 2009
Publication Date: 2009-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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