Hydrothermal Habitats: Measurements of Bulk Microbial Elemental Composition, and Models of Hydrothermal Influences on the Evolution of Dwarf Planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neveu, Marc Francois Laurent

Finding habitable worlds is a key driver of solar system exploration. Many solar system missions seek environments providing liquid water, energy, and nutrients, the three ingredients necessary to sustain life. Such environments include hydrothermal systems, spatially-confined systems where hot aqueous fluid circulates through rock by convection. I sought to characterize hydrothermal microbial communities, collected in hot spring sediments and mats at Yellowstone National Park, USA, by measuring their bulk elemental composition. To do so, one must minimize the contribution of non-biological material to the samples analyzed. I demonstrate that this can be achieved using a separation method that takes advantage of the density contrast between cells and sediment and preserves cellular elemental contents. Using this method, I show that in spite of the tremendous physical, chemical, and taxonomic diversity of Yellowstone hot springs, the composition of microorganisms there is surprisingly ordinary. This suggests the existence of a stoichiometric envelope common to all life as we know it. Thus, future planetary investigations could use elemental fingerprints to assess the astrobiological potential of hydrothermal settings beyond Earth. Indeed, hydrothermal activity may be widespread in the solar system. Most solar system worlds larger than 200 km in radius are dwarf planets, likely composed of an icy, cometary mantle surrounding a rocky, chondritic core. I enhance a dwarf planet evolution code, including the effects of core fracturing and hydrothermal circulation, to demonstrate that dwarf planets likely have undergone extensive water-rock interaction. This supports observations of aqueous products on their surfaces. I simulate the alteration of chondritic rock by pure water or cometary fluid to show that aqueous alteration feeds back on geophysical evolution: it modifies the fluid antifreeze content, affecting its persistence over geological timescales; and the

Are Stellar Storms Bad News for M-Dwarf Planets?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, Susanna

2016-09-01

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs), enormous releases of energy from the Sun, can have significant space-weather implications for Earth. Do similar storms from smaller stars M dwarfs like V374 Peg, or the nearby Proxima Centauri mean bad news for the planets that these stars host?Volatile StarsDifference in habitable-zone sizes for different stellar types. [NASA]When plasma is released from the Sun in the form of a CME traveling toward Earth, these storms can be powerful enough to disrupt communications and navigational equipment, damage satellites, and cause blackouts even with our planetary magnetic field to protect us! How might planets in the habitable zone of M-dwarf stars fare against similar storms?The first danger for an M dwarfs planets is that the habitable zone lies much closer to the star: it can range from 0.03 to 0.4 AU (i.e., within Mercurys orbit). Being so close to the star definitely makes a planet in an M dwarfs habitable zone vulnerable to storms.Colors indicate the probability of CME impact, for different different stellar latitudes where the CME originated vs. orbital inclination of the planet, (a) without any deflection, and (b) taking into account the CME deflection by the stars magnetic field. Hanging out in an orbit aligned with the current sheet turns out to be a bad idea. [Adapted from Kay et al. 2016]What about the storms themselves? You might think that because M dwarfs are cooler stars, they would be quieter, releasing fewer CMEs with less energy. Surprisingly, the opposite is true: M dwarfs are significantly more active than solar-type stars, and the CMEs are typically ten times more massive than those released from the Sun. Impacts from these powerful outbursts could easily strip any existing planet atmosphere, making a planet much less likely to be habitable. To make matters worse, M dwarfs can remain magnetically active for billions of years: even a star like Proxima Centauri, which is nearly 5 billion years old, isstill relatively

Temperate Earth-sized planets transiting a nearby ultracool dwarf star.

PubMed

Gillon, Michaël; Jehin, Emmanuël; Lederer, Susan M; Delrez, Laetitia; de Wit, Julien; Burdanov, Artem; Van Grootel, Valérie; Burgasser, Adam J; Triaud, Amaury H M J; Opitom, Cyrielle; Demory, Brice-Olivier; Sahu, Devendra K; Bardalez Gagliuffi, Daniella; Magain, Pierre; Queloz, Didier

2016-05-12

Star-like objects with effective temperatures of less than 2,700 kelvin are referred to as 'ultracool dwarfs'. This heterogeneous group includes stars of extremely low mass as well as brown dwarfs (substellar objects not massive enough to sustain hydrogen fusion), and represents about 15 per cent of the population of astronomical objects near the Sun. Core-accretion theory predicts that, given the small masses of these ultracool dwarfs, and the small sizes of their protoplanetary disks, there should be a large but hitherto undetected population of terrestrial planets orbiting them--ranging from metal-rich Mercury-sized planets to more hospitable volatile-rich Earth-sized planets. Here we report observations of three short-period Earth-sized planets transiting an ultracool dwarf star only 12 parsecs away. The inner two planets receive four times and two times the irradiation of Earth, respectively, placing them close to the inner edge of the habitable zone of the star. Our data suggest that 11 orbits remain possible for the third planet, the most likely resulting in irradiation significantly less than that received by Earth. The infrared brightness of the host star, combined with its Jupiter-like size, offers the possibility of thoroughly characterizing the components of this nearby planetary system.

Equilibrium figures of dwarf planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rambaux, Nicolas; Chambat, Frederic; Castillo-Rogez, Julie; Baguet, Daniel

2016-10-01

Dwarf planets including transneptunian objects (TNO) and Ceres are >500 km large and display a spheroidal shape. These protoplanets are left over from the formation of the solar System about 4.6 billion years ago and their study could improve our knowledge of the early solar system. They could be formed in-situ or migrated to their current positions as a consequence of large-scale solar system dynamical evolution. Quantifying their internal composition would bring constraints on their accretion environment and migration history. That information may be inferred from studying their global shapes from stellar occultations or thermal infrared imaging. Here we model the equilibrium shapes of isolated dwarf planets under the assumption of hydrostatic equilibrium that forms the basis for interpreting shape data in terms of interior structure. Deviations from hydrostaticity can shed light on the thermal and geophysical history of the bodies. The dwarf planets are generally fast rotators spinning in few hours, so their shape modeling requires numerically integration with Clairaut's equations of rotational equilibrium expanded up to third order in a small parameter m, the geodetic parameter, to reach an accuracy better than a few kilometers depending on the spin velocity and mean density. We also show that the difference between a 500-km radius homogeneous model described by a MacLaurin ellipsoid and a stratified model assuming silicate and ice layers can reach several kilometers in the long and short axes, which could be measurable. This type of modeling will be instrumental in assessing hydrostaticity and thus detecting large non-hydrostatic contributions in the observed shapes.

Biosignatures from Earth-like planets around M dwarfs.

PubMed

Segura, Antígona; Kasting, James F; Meadows, Victoria; Cohen, Martin; Scalo, John; Crisp, David; Butler, Rebecca A H; Tinetti, Giovanna

2005-12-01

Coupled one-dimensional photochemical-climate calculations have been performed for hypothetical Earth-like planets around M dwarfs. Visible/near-infrared and thermal-infrared synthetic spectra of these planets were generated to determine which biosignature gases might be observed by a future, space-based telescope. Our star sample included two observed active M dwarfs-AD Leo and GJ 643-and three quiescent model stars. The spectral distribution of these stars in the ultraviolet generates a different photochemistry on these planets. As a result, the biogenic gases CH4, N2O, and CH3Cl have substantially longer lifetimes and higher mixing ratios than on Earth, making them potentially observable by space-based telescopes. On the active M-star planets, an ozone layer similar to Earth's was developed that resulted in a spectroscopic signature comparable to the terrestrial one. The simultaneous detection of O2 (or O3) and a reduced gas in a planet's atmosphere has been suggested as strong evidence for life. Planets circling M stars may be good locations to search for such evidence.

Temperate Earth-sized planets transiting a nearby ultracool dwarf star

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gillon, Michaël; Jehin, Emmanuël; Lederer, Susan M.; Delrez, Laetitia; de Wit, Julien; Burdanov, Artem; Van Grootel, Valérie; Burgasser, Adam J.; Triaud, Amaury H. M. J.; Opitom, Cyrielle; Demory, Brice-Olivier; Sahu, Devendra K.; Bardalez Gagliuffi, Daniella; Magain, Pierre; Queloz, Didier

2016-05-01

Star-like objects with effective temperatures of less than 2,700 kelvin are referred to as ‘ultracool dwarfs’. This heterogeneous group includes stars of extremely low mass as well as brown dwarfs (substellar objects not massive enough to sustain hydrogen fusion), and represents about 15 per cent of the population of astronomical objects near the Sun. Core-accretion theory predicts that, given the small masses of these ultracool dwarfs, and the small sizes of their protoplanetary disks, there should be a large but hitherto undetected population of terrestrial planets orbiting them—ranging from metal-rich Mercury-sized planets to more hospitable volatile-rich Earth-sized planets. Here we report observations of three short-period Earth-sized planets transiting an ultracool dwarf star only 12 parsecs away. The inner two planets receive four times and two times the irradiation of Earth, respectively, placing them close to the inner edge of the habitable zone of the star. Our data suggest that 11 orbits remain possible for the third planet, the most likely resulting in irradiation significantly less than that received by Earth. The infrared brightness of the host star, combined with its Jupiter-like size, offers the possibility of thoroughly characterizing the components of this nearby planetary system.

Pan-Planets: Searching for hot Jupiters around cool dwarfs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Obermeier, C.; Koppenhoefer, J.; Saglia, R. P.; Henning, Th.; Bender, R.; Kodric, M.; Deacon, N.; Riffeser, A.; Burgett, W.; Chambers, K. C.; Draper, P. W.; Flewelling, H.; Hodapp, K. W.; Kaiser, N.; Kudritzki, R.-P.; Magnier, E. A.; Metcalfe, N.; Price, P. A.; Sweeney, W.; Wainscoat, R. J.; Waters, C.

2016-03-01

The Pan-Planets survey observed an area of 42 sq deg. in the galactic disk for about 165 h. The main scientific goal of the project is the detection of transiting planets around M dwarfs. We establish an efficient procedure for determining the stellar parameters Teff and log g of all sources using a method based on SED fitting, utilizing a three-dimensional dust map and proper motion information. In this way we identify more than 60 000 M dwarfs, which is by far the largest sample of low-mass stars observed in a transit survey to date. We present several planet candidates around M dwarfs and hotter stars that are currently being followed up. Using Monte Carlo simulations we calculate the detection efficiency of the Pan-Planets survey for different stellar and planetary populations. We expect to find 3.0+3.3-1.6 hot Jupiters around F, G, and K dwarfs with periods lower than 10 days based on the planet occurrence rates derived in previous surveys. For M dwarfs, the percentage of stars with a hot Jupiter is under debate. Theoretical models expect a lower occurrence rate than for larger main sequence stars. However, radial velocity surveys find upper limits of about 1% due to their small sample, while the Kepler survey finds a occurrence rate that we estimate to be at least 0.17b(+0.67-0.04) %, making it even higher than the determined fraction from OGLE-III for F, G and K stellar types, 0.14 (+0.15-0.076) %. With the large sample size of Pan-Planets, we are able to determine an occurrence rate of 0.11 (+0.37-0.02) % in case one of our candidates turns out to be a real detection. If, however, none of our candidates turn out to be true planets, we are able to put an upper limit of 0.34% with a 95% confidence on the hot Jupiter occurrence rate of M dwarfs. This limit is a significant improvement over previous estimates where the lowest limit published so far is 1.1% found in the WFCAM Transit Survey. Therefore we cannot yet confirm the theoretical prediction of a lower

Temperate Earth-sized planets transiting a nearby ultracool dwarf star

PubMed Central

Gillon, Michaël; Jehin, Emmanuël; Lederer, Susan M.; Delrez, Laetitia; de Wit, Julien; Burdanov, Artem; Van Grootel, Valérie; Burgasser, Adam; Triaud, Amaury H. M. J.; Opitom, Cyrielle; Demory, Brice-Olivier; Sahu, Devendra K.; Bardalez Gagliuffi, Daniella; Magain, Pierre; Queloz, Didier

2017-01-01

Stellar-like objects with effective temperatures of 2700K and below are referred to as “ultracool dwarfs”1. This heterogeneous group includes both extremely low-mass stars and brown dwarfs (substellar objects not massive enough to sustain hydrogen fusion), and represents about 15% of the stellar-like objects in the vicinity of the Sun2. Based on the small masses and sizes of their protoplanetary disks3,4, core-accretion theory for ultracool dwarfs predicts a large, but heretofore undetected population of close-in terrestrial planets5, ranging from metal-rich Mercury-sized planets6 to more hospitable volatile-rich Earth-sized planets7. Here we report the discovery of three short-period Earth-sized planets transiting an ultracool dwarf star 12 parsecs away using data collected by the TRAPPIST8 telescope as part of an ongoing prototype transit survey9. The inner two planets receive four and two times the irradiation of Earth, respectively, placing them close to the inner edge of the habitable zone of the star10. Eleven orbits remain possible for the third planet based on our data, the most likely resulting in an irradiation significantly smaller than Earth's. The infrared brightness of the host star combined with its Jupiter-like size offer the possibility of thoroughly characterizing the components of this nearby planetary system. PMID:27135924

A reappraisal of the habitability of planets around M dwarf stars.

PubMed

Tarter, Jill C; Backus, Peter R; Mancinelli, Rocco L; Aurnou, Jonathan M; Backman, Dana E; Basri, Gibor S; Boss, Alan P; Clarke, Andrew; Deming, Drake; Doyle, Laurance R; Feigelson, Eric D; Freund, Friedmann; Grinspoon, David H; Haberle, Robert M; Hauck, Steven A; Heath, Martin J; Henry, Todd J; Hollingsworth, Jeffery L; Joshi, Manoj M; Kilston, Steven; Liu, Michael C; Meikle, Eric; Reid, I Neill; Rothschild, Lynn J; Scalo, John; Segura, Antigona; Tang, Carol M; Tiedje, James M; Turnbull, Margaret C; Walkowicz, Lucianne M; Weber, Arthur L; Young, Richard E

2007-02-01

Stable, hydrogen-burning, M dwarf stars make up about 75% of all stars in the Galaxy. They are extremely long-lived, and because they are much smaller in mass than the Sun (between 0.5 and 0.08 M(Sun)), their temperature and stellar luminosity are low and peaked in the red. We have re-examined what is known at present about the potential for a terrestrial planet forming within, or migrating into, the classic liquid-surface-water habitable zone close to an M dwarf star. Observations of protoplanetary disks suggest that planet-building materials are common around M dwarfs, but N-body simulations differ in their estimations of the likelihood of potentially habitable, wet planets that reside within their habitable zones, which are only about one-fifth to 1/50th of the width of that for a G star. Particularly in light of the claimed detection of the planets with masses as small as 5.5 and 7.5 M(Earth) orbiting M stars, there seems no reason to exclude the possibility of terrestrial planets. Tidally locked synchronous rotation within the narrow habitable zone does not necessarily lead to atmospheric collapse, and active stellar flaring may not be as much of an evolutionarily disadvantageous factor as has previously been supposed. We conclude that M dwarf stars may indeed be viable hosts for planets on which the origin and evolution of life can occur. A number of planetary processes such as cessation of geothermal activity or thermal and nonthermal atmospheric loss processes may limit the duration of planetary habitability to periods far shorter than the extreme lifetime of the M dwarf star. Nevertheless, it makes sense to include M dwarf stars in programs that seek to find habitable worlds and evidence of life. This paper presents the summary conclusions of an interdisciplinary workshop (http://mstars.seti.org) sponsored by the NASA Astrobiology Institute and convened at the SETI Institute.

Possible Observational Criteria for Distinguishing Brown Dwarfs From Planets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Black, David C.

1997-01-01

The difference in formation process between binary stars and planetary systems is reflected in their composition, as well as orbital architecture, particularly in their orbital eccentricity as a function of orbital period. It is suggested here that this difference can be used as an observational criterion to distinguish between brown dwarfs and planets. Application of the orbital criterion suggests that, with three possible exceptions, all of the recently discovered substellar companions may be brown dwarfs and not planets. These criterion may be used as a guide for interpretation of the nature of substellar-mass companions to stars in the future.

The Solar Neighborhood. 34. A Search for Planets Orbiting Nearby M Dwarfs Using Astrometry

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-11-01

astrometrically determined upper mass limits on potential super- Jupiter companions at orbits of two years and longer. As part of a continuing survey...these results are consistent with the paucity of super- Jupiter and brown dwarf companions we find among the over 250 red dwarfs within 25 pc observed...fraction of M dwarfs host terrestrial planets at short orbital periods. Less is known about the populations of Jupiter - mass planets and brown dwarfs around

CONSTRAINTS ON PLANET OCCURRENCE AROUND NEARBY MID-TO-LATE M DWARFS FROM THE MEARTH PROJECT

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Berta, Zachory K.; Irwin, Jonathan; Charbonneau, David, E-mail: zberta@cfa.harvard.edu

The MEarth Project is a ground-based photometric survey intended to find planets transiting the closest and smallest main-sequence stars. In its first four years, MEarth discovered one transiting exoplanet, the 2.7 R{sub ⊕} planet GJ1214b. Here, we answer an outstanding question: in light of the bounty of small planets transiting small stars uncovered by the Kepler mission, should MEarth have found more than just one planet so far? We estimate MEarth's ensemble sensitivity to exoplanets by performing end-to-end simulations of 1.25 × 10{sup 6} observations of 988 nearby mid-to-late M dwarfs, gathered by MEarth between 2008 October and 2012 June.more » For 2-4 R{sub ⊕} planets, we compare this sensitivity to results from Kepler and find that MEarth should have found planets at a rate of 0.05-0.36 planets yr{sup –1} in its first four years. As part of this analysis, we provide new analytic fits to the Kepler early M dwarf planet occurrence distribution. When extrapolating between Kepler's early M dwarfs and MEarth's mid-to-late M dwarfs, we find that assuming the planet occurrence distribution stays fixed with respect to planetary equilibrium temperature provides a good match to our detection of a planet with GJ1214b's observed properties. For larger planets, we find that the warm (600-700 K), Neptune-sized (4 R{sub ⊕}) exoplanets that transit early M dwarfs like Gl436 and GJ3470 occur at a rate of <0.15 star{sup –1} (at 95% confidence) around MEarth's later M dwarf targets. We describe a strategy with which MEarth can increase its expected planet yield by 2.5 × without new telescopes by shifting its sensitivity toward the smaller and cooler exoplanets that Kepler has demonstrated to be abundant.« less

Habitable planets around white and brown dwarfs: the perils of a cooling primary.

PubMed

Barnes, Rory; Heller, René

2013-03-01

White and brown dwarfs are astrophysical objects that are bright enough to support an insolation habitable zone (IHZ). Unlike hydrogen-burning stars, they cool and become less luminous with time; hence their IHZ moves in with time. The inner edge of the IHZ is defined as the orbital radius at which a planet may enter a moist or runaway greenhouse, phenomena that can remove a planet's surface water forever. Thus, as the IHZ moves in, planets that enter it may no longer have any water and are still uninhabitable. Additionally, the close proximity of the IHZ to the primary leads to concern that tidal heating may also be strong enough to trigger a runaway greenhouse, even for orbital eccentricities as small as 10(-6). Water loss occurs due to photolyzation by UV photons in the planetary stratosphere, followed by hydrogen escape. Young white dwarfs emit a large amount of these photons, as their surface temperatures are over 10(4) K. The situation is less clear for brown dwarfs, as observational data do not constrain their early activity and UV emission very well. Nonetheless, both types of planets are at risk of never achieving habitable conditions, but planets orbiting white dwarfs may be less likely to sustain life than those orbiting brown dwarfs. We consider the future habitability of the planet candidates KOI 55.01 and 55.02 in these terms and find they are unlikely to become habitable.

Water loss from terrestrial planets orbiting ultracool dwarfs: Implications for the planets of TRAPPIST-1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bolmont, Emeline; Selsis, Franck; Owen, James E.; Ribas, Ignasi; Raymond, Sean N.; Leconte, Jérémy; Gillon, Michael

2016-10-01

Ultracool dwarfs (UCDs) encompass the population of extremely low mass stars (later than M6-type) and brown dwarfs.Because UCDs cool monotonically, their habitable zone (HZ) sweeps inward in time.Assuming they possess water, planets found in the HZ of UCDs have experienced a runaway greenhouse phase too hot for liquid water prior to entering the HZ.It has been proposed that such planets are desiccated by this hot early phase and enter the HZ as dry, inhospitable worlds.Here we model the water loss during this pre-HZ hot phase taking into account recent upper limits on the XUV emission of UCDs and using 1D radiation-hydrodynamic simulations.We address the whole range of UCDs but also focus on the planets b, c and d recently found around the 0.08 M⊙ dwarf TRAPPIST-1.Despite assumptions maximizing the FUV-photolysis of water and the XUV-driven escape of hydrogen, we find that planets can retain significant amounts of water in the HZ of UCDs, with a sweet spot in the 0.04-0.06 M⊙ range.We also studied the TRAPPIST-1 system using observed constraints on the XUV-flux.We found that TRAPPIST-1b and c can lose as much as 15 Earth Ocean and planet d -- which may be inside the HZ depending on its actual period -- may have lost less than 1 Earth Ocean.Depending on its initial content, they could have enough water to remain habitable.TRAPPIST-1 planets are key targets for atmospheric characterization and could provide strong constraints on the water erosion around UCDs.

High resolution Florida IR silicon immersion grating spectrometer and an M dwarf planet survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ge, Jian; Powell, Scott; Zhao, Bo; Wang, Ji; Fletcher, Adam; Schofield, Sidney; Liu, Jian; Muterspaugh, Matthew; Blake, Cullen; Barnes, Rory

2012-09-01

We report the system design and predicted performance of the Florida IR Silicon immersion grating spectromeTer (FIRST). This new generation cryogenic IR spectrograph offers broad-band high resolution IR spectroscopy with R=72,000 at 1.4-1.8 μm and R=60,000 at 0.8-1.35 μm in a single exposure with a 2kx2k H2RG IR array. It is enabled by a compact design using an extremely high dispersion silicon immersion grating (SIG) and an R4 echelle with a 50 mm diameter pupil in combination with an Image Slicer. This instrument is operated in vacuum with temperature precisely controlled to reach long term stability for high precision radial velocity (RV) measurements of nearby stars, especially M dwarfs and young stars. The primary technical goal is to reach better than 4 m/s long term RV precision with J<9 M dwarfs within 30 min exposures. This instrument is scheduled to be commissioned at the Tennessee State University (TSU) 2-m Automatic Spectroscopic Telescope (AST) at Fairborn Observatory in spring 2013. FIRST can also be used for observing transiting planets, young stellar objects (YSOs), magnetic fields, binaries, brown dwarfs (BDs), ISM and stars. We plan to launch the FIRST NIR M dwarf planet survey in 2014 after FIRST is commissioned at the AST. This NIR M dwarf survey is the first large-scale NIR high precision Doppler survey dedicated to detecting and characterizing planets around 215 nearby M dwarfs with J< 10. Our primary science goal is to look for habitable Super-Earths around the late M dwarfs and also to identify transiting systems for follow-up observations with JWST to measure the planetary atmospheric compositions and study their habitability. Our secondary science goal is to detect and characterize a large number of planets around M dwarfs to understand the statistics of planet populations around these low mass stars and constrain planet formation and evolution models. Our survey baseline is expected to detect ~30 exoplanets, including 10 Super Earths

A Venus-mass Planet Orbiting a Brown Dwarf: A Missing Link between Planets and Moons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Udalski, A.; Jung, Y. K.; Han, C.; Gould, A.; Kozłowski, S.; Skowron, J.; Poleski, R.; Soszyński, I.; Pietrukowicz, P.; Mróz, P.; Szymański, M. K.; Wyrzykowski, Ł.; Ulaczyk, K.; Pietrzyński, G.; Shvartzvald, Y.; Maoz, D.; Kaspi, S.; Gaudi, B. S.; Hwang, K.-H.; Choi, J.-Y.; Shin, I.-G.; Park, H.; Bozza, V.

2015-10-01

The co-planarity of solar system planets led Kant to suggest that they formed from an accretion disk, and the discovery of hundreds of such disks around young stars as well as hundreds of co-planar planetary systems by the Kepler satellite demonstrate that this formation mechanism is extremely widespread. Many moons in the solar system, such as the Galilean moons of Jupiter, also formed out of the accretion disks that coalesced into the giant planets. Here we report the discovery of an intermediate system, OGLE-2013-BLG-0723LB/Bb, composed of a Venus-mass planet orbiting a brown dwarf, which may be viewed either as a scaled-down version of a planet plus a star or as a scaled-up version of a moon plus a planet orbiting a star. The latter analogy can be further extended since they orbit in the potential of a larger, stellar body. For ice-rock companions formed in the outer parts of accretion disks, like Uranus and Callisto, the scaled masses and separations of the three types of systems are similar, leading us to suggest that the formation processes of companions within accretion disks around stars, brown dwarfs, and planets are similar.

Habitable Planets Around White and Brown Dwarfs: The Perils of a Cooling Primary

PubMed Central

Heller, René

2013-01-01

Abstract White and brown dwarfs are astrophysical objects that are bright enough to support an insolation habitable zone (IHZ). Unlike hydrogen-burning stars, they cool and become less luminous with time; hence their IHZ moves in with time. The inner edge of the IHZ is defined as the orbital radius at which a planet may enter a moist or runaway greenhouse, phenomena that can remove a planet's surface water forever. Thus, as the IHZ moves in, planets that enter it may no longer have any water and are still uninhabitable. Additionally, the close proximity of the IHZ to the primary leads to concern that tidal heating may also be strong enough to trigger a runaway greenhouse, even for orbital eccentricities as small as 10−6. Water loss occurs due to photolyzation by UV photons in the planetary stratosphere, followed by hydrogen escape. Young white dwarfs emit a large amount of these photons, as their surface temperatures are over 104 K. The situation is less clear for brown dwarfs, as observational data do not constrain their early activity and UV emission very well. Nonetheless, both types of planets are at risk of never achieving habitable conditions, but planets orbiting white dwarfs may be less likely to sustain life than those orbiting brown dwarfs. We consider the future habitability of the planet candidates KOI 55.01 and 55.02 in these terms and find they are unlikely to become habitable. Key Words: Extrasolar terrestrial planets—Habitability—Habitable zone—Tides—Exoplanets. Astrobiology 13, 279–291. PMID:23537137

Physical Conditions and Exobiology Potential of Icy Satellites of the Giant Planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simakov, M. B.

2017-05-01

All giant planets of the Solar system have a big number of satellites. A small part of them consist very large bodies, quite comparable to planets of terrestrial type, but including very significant share of water ice. Galileo spacecraft has given indications, primarily from magnetometer and gravity data, of the possibility that three of Jupiter's four large moons, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto have internal oceans. Formation of such satellites is a natural phenomenon, and satellite systems definitely should exist at extrasolar planets. The most recent models of the icy satellites interior lead to the conclusion that a substantial liquid layer exists today under relatively thin ice cover inside. The putative internal water ocean provide some exobiological niches on these bodies. We can see all conditions needed for origin and evolution of biosphere - liquid water, complex organic chemistry and energy sources for support of biological processes - are on the moons. The existing of liquid water ocean within icy world can be consequences of the physical properties of water ice, and they neither require the addition of antifreeze substances nor any other special conditions. On Earth life exists in all niches where water exists in liquid form for at least a portion of the year. Possible metabolic processes, such as nitrate/nitrite reduction, sulfate reduction and methanogenesis could be suggested for internal oceans of Titan and Jovanian satellites. Excreted products of the primary chemoautotrophic organisms could serve as a source for other types of microorganisms (heterotrophes). Subglacial life may be widespread among such planetary bodies as satellites of extrasolar giant planets, detected in our Galaxy.

Emergence of Habitable Environments in Icy World Interiors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neveu, Marc

2016-07-01

Finding habitable worlds is a key driver of solar system exploration. Many solar system missions seek environments providing liquid water, energy, and nutrients, the three ingredients necessary to sustain life [1]. Such environments include hydrothermal systems, spatially confined systems where hot aqueous fluid circulates through rock by convection. Hydrothermal activity may be widespread in the solar system. Most solar system worlds larger than 200 km in radius are icy moons and dwarf planets, likely composed of an icy, cometary mantle surrounding a rocky, chondritic core [2]. By improving an icy world evolution code [3] to include the effects of core fracturing and hydrothermal circulation, I show that several icy moons and dwarf planets likely have undergone extensive water-rock interaction [4,5]. This supports observations of aqueous products on their surfaces [6,7]. I simulated the alteration of chondritic rock [8] by pure water or fluid of cometary composition [9] to show that aqueous alteration feeds back on geophysical evolution: it modifies the fluid antifreeze content, affecting its persistence over geological timescales; and the distribution of radionuclides, whose decay is a chief heat source on dwarf planets [10]. Hydrothermal circulation also efficiently transports heat from the core into the ocean, thereby increasing ocean persistence [4]. Thus, these coupled geophysical-geochemical models provide a comprehensive picture of icy world evolution and the emergence of liquid environments in chemical disequilibrium with underlying rock in their interiors. Habitable settings also require a suitable supply of bioessential elements; but what constitutes "suitable"? I sought to quantify the bulk elemental composition of hydrothermal microbial communities, collected in hot spring sediments and mats at Yellowstone National Park, USA. To do so, one must minimize the contribution of non-biological material to the samples analyzed. This was achieved using a

Exploration Strategy for the Ice Dwarf Planets 2013-2022

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grundy, W. M.; McKinnon, W. B.

2009-12-01

The past decade saw the discovery of many ice dwarf planets, a new category distinct from terrestrial and giant planets. Future ice dwarf missions depend on increasing our knowledge of these objects as a class. Competing needs to broaden the sample and to explore individual objects in greater detail must be balanced so that neither is excluded. A balance also needs to be struck between development of enabling technologies and making use of those available today. We propose this strategy for dwarf planet investigation during 2013-2022: 1. NASA should encourage and support ground- and space-based observations along with associated theoretical and laboratory work to investigate the ice dwarfs as a population, to motivate missions to individual objects and to provide context for mission results. Access to a range of telescope capabilities is essential to complete the inventory of ice dwarfs, determine their gross characteristics, and monitor their seasonal behavior. NASA's best course of action is to ensure adequate community access to facilities such as HST, Keck, VLT, Herschel, etc., to work for access to and ensure moving target tracking capabilities in future projects such as JWST, ALMA, SIM, and future large aperture ground-based telescopes still on the drawing board, and to support improvements to the IRTF. Funding support is needed for observational, laboratory, and theoretical studies to ensure availability of researchers to undertake needed work and to inform mission development activities, independent of whether or not there is a new mission start for ice dwarfs. Additional increments are also needed for thorough analysis of New Horizons and Dawn data. 2. A New Frontiers class mission using existing, proven technology to an unexplored ice dwarf should be a candidate for NASA AOs during the next decade. The Haumea system could be a particularly compelling target, as it could significantly advance understanding of the diversity and the role of collisions in ice

N-Body Simulations of Planetary Accretion Around M Dwarf Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ogihara, Masahiro; Ida, Shigeru

2009-07-01

We have investigated planetary accretion from planetesimals in terrestrial planet regions inside the ice line around M dwarf stars through N-body simulations including tidal interactions with disk gas. Because of low luminosity of M dwarfs, habitable zones (HZs) are located in inner regions (~0.1 AU). In the close-in HZ, type-I migration and the orbital decay induced by eccentricity damping are efficient according to the high disk gas density in the small orbital radii. Since the orbital decay is terminated around the disk inner edge and the disk edge is close to the HZ, the protoplanets accumulated near the disk edge affect formation of planets in the HZ. Ice lines are also in relatively inner regions at ~0.3 AU. Due to the small orbital radii, icy protoplanets accrete rapidly and undergo type-I migration before disk depletion. The rapid orbital decay, the proximity of the disk inner edge, and large amount of inflow of icy protoplanets are characteristic in planetary accretion in terrestrial planet regions around M dwarfs. In the case of full efficiency of type-I migration predicted by the linear theory, we found that protoplanets that migrate to the vicinity of the host star undergo close scatterings and collisions, and four to six planets eventually remain in mutual mean-motion resonances and their orbits have small eccentricities (lsim0.01) and they are stable both before and after disk gas decays. In the case of slow migration, the resonant capture is so efficient that densely packed ~40 small protoplanets remain in mutual mean-motion resonances. In this case, they start orbit crossing, after the disk gas decays and eccentricity damping due to tidal interaction with gas is no more effective. Through merging of the protoplanets, several planets in widely separated non-resonant orbits with relatively large eccentricities (~0.05) are formed. Thus, the final orbital configurations (separations, resonant or non-resonant, eccentricity, and distribution) of the

FORMING HABITABLE PLANETS AROUND DWARF STARS: APPLICATION TO OGLE-06-109L

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang Su; Zhou Jilin, E-mail: suwang@nju.edu.cn, E-mail: zhoujl@nju.edu.cn

2011-02-01

Dwarf stars are believed to have a small protostar disk where planets may grow up. During the planet formation stage, embryos undergoing type I migration are expected to be stalled at an inner edge of the magnetically inactive disk (a{sub crit} {approx} 0.2-0.3 AU). This mechanism makes the location around a{sub crit} a 'sweet spot' for forming planets. In dwarf stars with masses {approx}0.5 M{sub sun}, a{sub crit} is roughly inside the habitable zone of the system. In this paper, we study the formation of habitable planets due to this mechanism using model system OGLE-06-109L, which has a 0.51 M{submore » sun} dwarf star with two giant planets in 2.3 and 4.6 AU observed by microlensing. We model the embryos undergoing type I migration in the gas disk with a constant disk-accretion rate ( M-dot ). Giant planets in outside orbits affect the formation of habitable planets through secular perturbations at the early stage and secular resonance at the late stage. We find that the existence and the masses of the habitable planets in the OGLE-06-109L system depend on both M-dot and the speed of type I migration. If planets are formed earlier, so that M-dot is larger ({approx}10{sup -7} M{sub sun} yr{sup -1}), terrestrial planets cannot survive unless the type I migration rate is an order of magnitude less. If planets are formed later, so that M-dot is smaller ({approx}10{sup -8} M{sub sun} yr{sup -1}), single and high-mass terrestrial planets with high water contents ({approx}5%) will be formed by inward migration of outer planet cores. A slower-speed migration will result in several planets via collisions of embryos, and thus their water contents will be low ({approx}2%). Mean motion resonances or apsidal resonances among planets may be observed if multiple planets survive in the inner system.« less

Laboratory Simulations of Ammonia-Rich Oceans in Icy Worlds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vance, S. D.; Brown, J. M.

2011-01-01

Improved equations of state for ammonia-water solutions are important for properly understanding the interiors of large icy satellites hosting deep interior oceans. Titan is the primary example of such a world, but water-rich dwarf planets Measurements of solution density are now possible at relevant pressures (above approx. 250 megapascals) using the Simulator for Icy World Interiors. Analysis of sound velocity measurements in aqueous magnesium sulfate obtained in our laboratory, shows a correction on the order of 5% to 700 megapascals (7 kilobar) from -20 to 100 C and to 3 m (approx. 30 percentage by weight) concentration. Accurate prediction of density as a function of pressure, temperature, and ammonia concentration are needed for interpretation of remote observations to address questions of interior liquid layer depth, composition, and fluid dynamics.

Throwing Icebergs at White Dwarfs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, Susanna

2017-08-01

Where do the metals come from that pollute the atmospheres of many white dwarfs? Close-in asteroids may not be the only culprits! A new study shows that distant planet-size and icy objects could share some of the blame.Pollution ProblemsArtists impression of rocky debris lying close around a white dwarf star. [NASA/ESA/STScI/G. Bacon]When a low- to intermediate-mass star reaches the end of its life, its outer layers are blown off, leaving behind its compact core. The strong gravity of this white dwarf causes elements heavier than hydrogen and helium to rapidly sink to its center in a process known as sedimentation, leaving an atmosphere that should be free of metallic elements.Therefore its perhaps surprising that roughly 2550% of all white dwarfs are observed to have atmospheric pollution by heavy elements. The short timescales for sedimentation suggest that these elements were added to the white dwarf recently but how did they get there?Bringing Ice InwardIn the generally accepted theory, pre-existing rocky bodies or an orbiting asteroid belt survive the stars evolution, later accreting onto the final white dwarf. But this scenario doesnt explain a few observations that suggest white dwarfs might be accreting larger planetary-size bodies and bodies with ices and volatile materials.Dynamical evolution of a Neptune-like planet (a) and a Kuiper belt analog object (b) in wide binary star systems. Both have large eccentricity excitations during the white dwarf phase. [Stephan et al. 2017]How might you get large or icy objects which would begin on very wide orbits close enough to a white dwarf to become disrupted and accrete? Led by Alexander Stephan, a team of scientists at UCLA now suggest that the key is for the white dwarf to be in a binary system.Influence of a CompanionIn the authors model, the white-dwarf progenitor is orbited by both a distant stellar companion (a common occurrence) and a number of large potential polluters, which could have masses between that

Astrobiological and Geological Implications of Convective Transport in Icy Outer Planet Satellites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pappalardo, Robert T.; Zhong, Shi-Jie; Barr, Amy

2005-01-01

The oceans of large icy outer planet satellites are prime targets in the search for extraterrestrial life in our solar system. The goal of our project has been to develop models of ice convection in order to understand convection as an astrobiologically relevant transport mechanism within icy satellites, especially Europa. These models provide valuable constraints on modes of surface deformation and thus the implications of satellite surface geology for astrobiology, and for planetary protection. Over the term of this project, significant progress has been made in three areas: (1) the initiation of convection in large icy satellites, which we find probably requires tidal heating; (2) the relationship of surface features on Europa to internal ice convection, including the likely role of low-melting-temperature impurities; and (3) the effectiveness of convection as an agent of icy satellite surface-ocean material exchange, which seems most plausible if tidal heating, compositional buoyancy, and solid-state convection work in combination. Descriptions of associated publications include: 3 published papers (including contributions to 1 review chapter), 1 manuscript in revision, 1 manuscript in preparation (currently being completed under separate funding), and 1 published popular article. A myriad of conference abstracts have also been published, and only those from the past year are listed.

Fundmental Parameters of Low-Mass Stars, Brown Dwarfs, and Planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montet, Benjamin; Johnson, John A.; Bowler, Brendan; Shkolnik, Evgenya

2016-01-01

Despite advances in evolutionary models of low-mass stars and brown dwarfs, these models remain poorly constrained by observations. In order to test these predictions directly, masses of individual stars must be measured and combined with broadband photometry and medium-resolution spectroscopy to probe stellar atmospheres. I will present results from an astrometric and spectroscopic survey of low-mass pre-main sequence binary stars to measure individual dynamical masses and compare to model predictions. This is the first systematic test of a large number of stellar systems of intermediate age between young star-forming regions and old field stars. Stars in our sample are members of the Tuc-Hor, AB Doradus, and beta Pictoris moving groups, the last of which includes GJ 3305 AB, the wide binary companion to the imaged exoplanet host 51 Eri. I will also present results of Spitzer observations of secondary eclipses of LHS 6343 C, a T dwarf transiting one member of an M+M binary in the Kepler field. By combining these data with Kepler photometry and radial velocity observations, we can measure the luminosity, mass, and radius of the brown dwarf. This is the first non-inflated brown dwarf for which all three of these parameters have been measured, providing the first benchmark to test model predictions of the masses and radii of field T dwarfs. I will discuss these results in the context of K2 and TESS, which will find additional benchmark transiting brown dwarfs over the course of their missions, including a description of the first planet catalog developed from K2 data and a program to search for transiting planets around mid-M dwarfs.

Planets around Low-mass Stars (PALMS). IV. The Outer Architecture of M Dwarf Planetary Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bowler, Brendan P.; Liu, Michael C.; Shkolnik, Evgenya L.; Tamura, Motohide

2015-01-01

We present results from a high-contrast adaptive optics imaging search for giant planets and brown dwarfs (gsim1 M Jup) around 122 newly identified nearby (lsim40 pc) young M dwarfs. Half of our targets are younger than 135 Myr and 90% are younger than the Hyades (620 Myr). After removing 44 close stellar binaries (implying a stellar companion fraction of >35.4% ± 4.3% within 100 AU), 27 of which are new or spatially resolved for the first time, our remaining sample of 78 single M dwarfs makes this the largest imaging search for planets around young low-mass stars (0.1-0.6 M ⊙) to date. Our H- and K-band coronagraphic observations with Keck/NIRC2 and Subaru/HiCIAO achieve typical contrasts of 12-14 mag and 9-13 mag at 1'', respectively, which correspond to limiting planet masses of 0.5-10 M Jup at 5-33 AU for 85% of our sample. We discovered four young brown dwarf companions: 1RXS J235133.3+312720 B (32 ± 6 M Jup; L0+2-1; 120 ± 20 AU), GJ 3629 B (64+30-23 M Jup; M7.5 ± 0.5; 6.5 ± 0.5 AU), 1RXS J034231.8+121622 B (35 ± 8 M Jup; L0 ± 1; 19.8 ± 0.9 AU), and 2MASS J15594729+4403595 B (43 ± 9 M Jup; M8.0 ± 0.5; 190 ± 20 AU). Over 150 candidate planets were identified; we obtained follow-up imaging for 56% of these but all are consistent with background stars. Our null detection of planets enables strong statistical constraints on the occurrence rate of long-period giant planets around single M dwarfs. We infer an upper limit (at the 95% confidence level) of 10.3% and 16.0% for 1-13 M Jup planets between 10-100 AU for hot-start and cold-start (Fortney) evolutionary models, respectively. Fewer than 6.0% (9.9%) of M dwarfs harbor massive gas giants in the 5-13 M Jup range like those orbiting HR 8799 and β Pictoris between 10-100 AU for a hot-start (cold-start) formation scenario. The frequency of brown dwarf (13-75 M Jup) companions to single M dwarfs between 10-100 AU is 2.8+2.4-1.5%. Altogether we find that giant planets, especially massive ones, are rare

PLANETS AROUND LOW-MASS STARS (PALMS). IV. THE OUTER ARCHITECTURE OF M DWARF PLANETARY SYSTEMS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bowler, Brendan P.; Liu, Michael C.; Shkolnik, Evgenya L.

2015-01-01

We present results from a high-contrast adaptive optics imaging search for giant planets and brown dwarfs (≳1 M {sub Jup}) around 122 newly identified nearby (≲40 pc) young M dwarfs. Half of our targets are younger than 135 Myr and 90% are younger than the Hyades (620 Myr). After removing 44 close stellar binaries (implying a stellar companion fraction of >35.4% ± 4.3% within 100 AU), 27 of which are new or spatially resolved for the first time, our remaining sample of 78 single M dwarfs makes this the largest imaging search for planets around young low-mass stars (0.1-0.6 M {sub ☉}) to date. Our H-more » and K-band coronagraphic observations with Keck/NIRC2 and Subaru/HiCIAO achieve typical contrasts of 12-14 mag and 9-13 mag at 1'', respectively, which correspond to limiting planet masses of 0.5-10 M {sub Jup} at 5-33 AU for 85% of our sample. We discovered four young brown dwarf companions: 1RXS J235133.3+312720 B (32 ± 6 M {sub Jup}; L0{sub −1}{sup +2}; 120 ± 20 AU), GJ 3629 B (64{sub −23}{sup +30} M {sub Jup}; M7.5 ± 0.5; 6.5 ± 0.5 AU), 1RXS J034231.8+121622 B (35 ± 8 M {sub Jup}; L0 ± 1; 19.8 ± 0.9 AU), and 2MASS J15594729+4403595 B (43 ± 9 M {sub Jup}; M8.0 ± 0.5; 190 ± 20 AU). Over 150 candidate planets were identified; we obtained follow-up imaging for 56% of these but all are consistent with background stars. Our null detection of planets enables strong statistical constraints on the occurrence rate of long-period giant planets around single M dwarfs. We infer an upper limit (at the 95% confidence level) of 10.3% and 16.0% for 1-13 M {sub Jup} planets between 10-100 AU for hot-start and cold-start (Fortney) evolutionary models, respectively. Fewer than 6.0% (9.9%) of M dwarfs harbor massive gas giants in the 5-13 M {sub Jup} range like those orbiting HR 8799 and β Pictoris between 10-100 AU for a hot-start (cold-start) formation scenario. The frequency of brown dwarf (13-75 M {sub Jup}) companions

Giant Planet Candidates, Brown Dwarfs, and Binaries from the SDSS-III MARVELS Planet Survey.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thomas, Neil; Ge, Jian; Li, Rui; de Lee, Nathan M.; Heslar, Michael; Ma, Bo; SDSS-Iii Marvels Team

2015-01-01

We report the discoveries of giant planet candidates, brown dwarfs, and binaries from the SDSS-III MARVELS survey. The finalized 1D pipeline has provided 18 giant planet candidates, 16 brown dwarfs, and over 500 binaries. An additional 96 targets having RV variability indicative of a giant planet companion are also reported for future investigation. These candidates are found using the advanced MARVELS 1D data pipeline developed at UF from scratch over the past three years. This pipeline carefully corrects most of the instrument effects (such as trace, slant, distortion, drifts and dispersion) and observation condition effects (such as illumination profile, fiber degradation, and tracking variations). The result is long-term RV precisions that approach the photon limits in many cases for the ~89,000 individual stellar observations. A 2D version of the pipeline that uses interferometric information is nearing completion and is demonstrating a reduction of errors to half the current levels. The 2D processing will be used to increase the robustness of the detections presented here and to find new candidates in RV regions not confidently detectable with the 1D pipeline. The MARVELS survey has produced the largest homogeneous RV measurements of 3300 V=7.6-12 FGK stars with a well defined cadence of 27 RV measurements over 2 years. The MARVELS RV data and other follow-up data (photometry, high contrast imaging, high resolution spectroscopy and RV measurements) will explore the diversity of giant planet companion formation and evolution around stars with a broad range in metallicity (Fe/H -1.5-0.5), mass ( 0.6-2.5M(sun)), and environment (thin disk and thick disk), and will help to address the key scientific questions identified for the MARVELS survey including, but not limited to: Do metal poor stars obey the same trends for planet occurrence as metal rich stars? What is the distribution of giant planets around intermediate-mass stars and binaries? Is the 'planet desert

Future Interstellar Travel Destinations: Assessing the Suitability of Nearby Red Dwarf Stars as Hosts to Habitable Life-bearing Planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guinan, Edward F.; Engle, S. G.

2013-01-01

As part of our NSF/NASA sponsored “Living with a Red Dwarf Star” program, we are carrying out a comprehensive study of red dwarf stars across the electromagnetic spectrum to assess their suitability as hosts for habitable planets. These cool, dim, long-lived, low mass stars comprise >75% of the stars in our Galaxy. Moreover an increasing number of (potentially habitable) large Earth-size planets are being found hosted by red dwarfs. With intrinsically low luminosities (L < 0.02 Lsun), the habitable zones (HZs) of hosted planets are close to their host stars (typically 0.05 AU < HZ <0.4 AU). Our study indicates red dwarf HZ planets without strong (protective) magnetic fields are especially susceptible to atmospheric erosion & loss by the star’s X-UV and wind fluxes. Also, the frequent flaring of young red dwarf stars and tidal-locking of close-in planets could challenge the development of life. But tidal locking of these planets could have some advantages for the developmenet of life. The long lifetimes of the red dwarfs (> 50 BY) could be favorable for the development of complex (possibly even intelligent) life. We discuss our results in the context of nearby red dwarfs as possible destinations for future interstellar missions program. We illustrate this with examples of the red dwarf exoplanet systems: GJ 581 and HD 85512 (both with large HZ Earth-size planets). Also we discuss the nearest star (4.3 LY) - the red dwarf - Proxima Centauri as a potential destination for future interstellar missions such proposed by Icarus Interstellar and the 100-Year Starship and StarVoyager programs. We gratefully acknowledge the support from NSF-Grant AST-10-09903, Chandra Grants GO1-12124X & GO2-13020X and HST Grant GO-10920.

Little Stars Don't Like Big Planets: An Astrometric Search for Super-Jupiters Around Red Dwarfs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lurie, John C.; Henry, T. J.; Jao, W.; Koerner, D. W.; Riedel, A. R.; Subasavage, J.; RECONS

2013-01-01

The astrometric detection and characterization of extrasolar planets presents considerable technical challenges, but also promises to greatly enhance our understanding of these systems. Nearly all currently confirmed exoplanets have been discovered using transit or radial velocity techniques. The former is geometrically biased towards planets with small orbits, while the latter is biased towards massive planets with short periods that exert large gravitational accelerations on their host stars. Astrometric techniques are limited by the minimum detectable perturbation of a star's position due to a planet, but allow for the determination of orbit inclination and an accurate planetary mass. Here we present astrometric solutions for five nearby stars with known planets: four M dwarfs (GJ 317, GJ 581, GJ 849, and GJ 1214) and one K dwarf (BD -10 3166). Observations have baselines of three to thirteen years, and were made using the 0.9 m telescope at CTIO as part of the RECONS long-term astrometry program. We provide improved parallaxes for the stars and find that there are no planets of several Jupiter masses or brown dwarfs orbiting these stars with periods up to twice the length of the astrometric coverage. In the broader context, these results are consistent with the paucity of super-Jupiter and brown dwarf companions we find among the roughly 200 red dwarfs searched in our astrometric program. This effort has been supported by the National Science Foundation via grant AST 09-08402 and the long-term cooperative efforts of the National Optical Astronomy Observatories and the members of the SMARTS Consortium.

A disintegrating minor planet transiting a white dwarf.

PubMed

Vanderburg, Andrew; Johnson, John Asher; Rappaport, Saul; Bieryla, Allyson; Irwin, Jonathan; Lewis, John Arban; Kipping, David; Brown, Warren R; Dufour, Patrick; Ciardi, David R; Angus, Ruth; Schaefer, Laura; Latham, David W; Charbonneau, David; Beichman, Charles; Eastman, Jason; McCrady, Nate; Wittenmyer, Robert A; Wright, Jason T

2015-10-22

Most stars become white dwarfs after they have exhausted their nuclear fuel (the Sun will be one such). Between one-quarter and one-half of white dwarfs have elements heavier than helium in their atmospheres, even though these elements ought to sink rapidly into the stellar interiors (unless they are occasionally replenished). The abundance ratios of heavy elements in the atmospheres of white dwarfs are similar to the ratios in rocky bodies in the Solar System. This fact, together with the existence of warm, dusty debris disks surrounding about four per cent of white dwarfs, suggests that rocky debris from the planetary systems of white-dwarf progenitors occasionally pollutes the atmospheres of the stars. The total accreted mass of this debris is sometimes comparable to the mass of large asteroids in the Solar System. However, rocky, disintegrating bodies around a white dwarf have not yet been observed. Here we report observations of a white dwarf--WD 1145+017--being transited by at least one, and probably several, disintegrating planetesimals, with periods ranging from 4.5 hours to 4.9 hours. The strongest transit signals occur every 4.5 hours and exhibit varying depths (blocking up to 40 per cent of the star's brightness) and asymmetric profiles, indicative of a small object with a cometary tail of dusty effluent material. The star has a dusty debris disk, and the star's spectrum shows prominent lines from heavy elements such as magnesium, aluminium, silicon, calcium, iron, and nickel. This system provides further evidence that the pollution of white dwarfs by heavy elements might originate from disrupted rocky bodies such as asteroids and minor planets.

A DEFINITION FOR GIANT PLANETS BASED ON THE MASS–DENSITY RELATIONSHIP

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hatzes, Artie P.; Rauer, Heike, E-mail: artie@tls-tautenburg.de, E-mail: Heike.Rauer@dlr.de

We present the mass–density relationship (log M − log ρ) for objects with masses ranging from planets (M ≈ 0.01 M{sub Jup}) to stars (M > 0.08 M{sub ⊙}). This relationship shows three distinct regions separated by a change in slope in the log M − log ρ plane. In particular, objects with masses in the range 0.3 M{sub Jup}–60 M{sub Jup} follow a tight linear relationship with no distinguishing feature to separate the low-mass end (giant planets) from the high-mass end (brown dwarfs). We propose a new definition of giant planets simply based on changes in the slope ofmore » the log M versus log ρ relationship. By this criterion, objects with masses less than ≈0.3 M{sub Jup} are low-mass planets, either icy or rocky. Giant planets cover the mass range 0.3 M{sub Jup}–60 M{sub Jup}. Analogous to the stellar main sequence, objects on the upper end of the giant planet sequence (brown dwarfs) can simply be referred to as “high-mass giant planets,” while planets with masses near that of Jupiter can be called “low-mass giant planets.”.« less

Water and the Interior Structure of Terrestrial Planets and Icy Bodies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monteux, J.; Golabek, G. J.; Rubie, D. C.; Tobie, G.; Young, E. D.

2018-02-01

Water content and the internal evolution of terrestrial planets and icy bodies are closely linked. The distribution of water in planetary systems is controlled by the temperature structure in the protoplanetary disk and dynamics and migration of planetesimals and planetary embryos. This results in the formation of planetesimals and planetary embryos with a great variety of compositions, water contents and degrees of oxidation. The internal evolution and especially the formation time of planetesimals relative to the timescale of radiogenic heating by short-lived 26Al decay may govern the amount of hydrous silicates and leftover rock-ice mixtures available in the late stages of their evolution. In turn, water content may affect the early internal evolution of the planetesimals and in particular metal-silicate separation processes. Moreover, water content may contribute to an increase of oxygen fugacity and thus affect the concentrations of siderophile elements within the silicate reservoirs of Solar System objects. Finally, the water content strongly influences the differentiation rate of the icy moons, controls their internal evolution and governs the alteration processes occurring in their deep interiors.

Discovery of Temperate Earth-Sized Planets Transiting a Nearby Ultracool Dwarf Star

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jehin, Emmanuel; Gillon, Michael; Lederer, Susan M.; Delrez, Laetitia; De Wit, Julien; Burdanov, Artem; Van Grootel, Valerie; Burgasser, Adam; Triaud, Amaury; Demory, Brice-Olivier;

A Universal Spin–Mass Relation for Brown Dwarfs and Planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scholz, Aleks; Moore, Keavin; Jayawardhana, Ray; Aigrain, Suzanne; Peterson, Dawn; Stelzer, Beate

2018-06-01

While brown dwarfs show similarities to stars early in their lives, their spin evolutions are much more akin to those of planets. We have used light curves from the K2 mission to measure new rotation periods for 18 young brown dwarfs in the Taurus star-forming region. Our sample spans masses from 0.02 to 0.08 M ⊙ and has been characterized extensively in the past. To search for periods, we utilize three different methods (autocorrelation, periodogram, Gaussian processes). The median period for brown dwarfs with disks is twice as long as for those without (3.1 versus 1.6 days), a signature of rotational braking by the disk, albeit with small numbers. With an overall median period of 1.9 days, brown dwarfs in Taurus rotate slower than their counterparts in somewhat older (3–10 Myr) star-forming regions, consistent with spin-up of the latter due to contraction and angular momentum conservation, a clear sign that disk braking overall is inefficient and/or temporary in this mass domain. We confirm the presence of a linear increase of the typical rotation period as a function of mass in the substellar regime. The rotational velocities, when calculated forward to the age of the solar system, assuming angular momentum conservation, fit the known spin–mass relation for solar system planets and extra-solar planetary-mass objects. This spin–mass trend holds over six orders of magnitude in mass, including objects from several different formation paths. Our result implies that brown dwarfs by and large retain their primordial angular momentum through the first few Myr of their evolution.

3D hydrodynamic simulations of tidal disruption of terrestrial planets around white dwarfs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Shangfei; Zhang, Jinsu; Lin, Douglas N. C.

2018-01-01

Recent K2 mission spotted striking variability due to a group of minor bodies transiting white dwarf WD 1145+017 with periods ranging from 4.5 hours to 4.9 hours. One of the formation scenarios is that those transiting objects are the debris of a tidally disrupted minor planet. This scenario is consistent with fact that the white dwarf also hosts a dusty disk and displays strong metal atmospheric pollution. In this work, we perform state-of-the-art three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations to study the consequences of tidal disruption of planets with various differentiated compositions by a white dwarf. We study the general outcomes of tidal disruption including partially disruption and total disruption. We also apply our results to the WD 1145+017 system to infer the physical and orbital properties of the progenitor.

The Surface UV Environment on Planets Orbiting M Dwarfs: Implications for Prebiotic Chemistry and the Need for Experimental Follow-up

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ranjan, Sukrit; Sasselov, Dimitar D.; Wordsworth, Robin, E-mail: sranjan@cfa.harvard.edu

Potentially habitable planets orbiting M dwarfs are of intense astrobiological interest because they are the only rocky worlds accessible to biosignature search over the next 10+ years because of a confluence of observational effects. Simultaneously, recent experimental and theoretical work suggests that UV light may have played a key role in the origin of life on Earth, especially the origin of RNA. Characterizing the UV environment on M-dwarf planets is important for understanding whether life as we know it could emerge on such worlds. In this work, we couple radiative transfer models to observed M-dwarf spectra to determine the UVmore » environment on prebiotic Earth-analog planets orbiting M dwarfs. We calculate dose rates to quantify the impact of different host stars on prebiotically important photoprocesses. We find that M-dwarf planets have access to 100–1000 times less bioactive UV fluence than the young Earth. It is unclear whether UV-sensitive prebiotic chemistry that may have been important to abiogenesis, such as the only known prebiotically plausible pathways for pyrimidine ribonucleotide synthesis, could function on M-dwarf planets. This uncertainty affects objects like the recently discovered habitable-zone planets orbiting Proxima Centauri, TRAPPIST-1, and LHS 1140. Laboratory studies of the sensitivity of putative prebiotic pathways to irradiation level are required to resolve this uncertainty. If steady-state M-dwarf UV output is insufficient to power these pathways, transient elevated UV irradiation due to flares may suffice; laboratory studies can constrain this possibility as well.« less

The Surface UV Environment on Planets Orbiting M Dwarfs: Implications for Prebiotic Chemistry and the Need for Experimental Follow-up

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ranjan, Sukrit; Wordsworth, Robin; Sasselov, Dimitar D.

2017-07-01

Potentially habitable planets orbiting M dwarfs are of intense astrobiological interest because they are the only rocky worlds accessible to biosignature search over the next 10+ years because of a confluence of observational effects. Simultaneously, recent experimental and theoretical work suggests that UV light may have played a key role in the origin of life on Earth, especially the origin of RNA. Characterizing the UV environment on M-dwarf planets is important for understanding whether life as we know it could emerge on such worlds. In this work, we couple radiative transfer models to observed M-dwarf spectra to determine the UV environment on prebiotic Earth-analog planets orbiting M dwarfs. We calculate dose rates to quantify the impact of different host stars on prebiotically important photoprocesses. We find that M-dwarf planets have access to 100–1000 times less bioactive UV fluence than the young Earth. It is unclear whether UV-sensitive prebiotic chemistry that may have been important to abiogenesis, such as the only known prebiotically plausible pathways for pyrimidine ribonucleotide synthesis, could function on M-dwarf planets. This uncertainty affects objects like the recently discovered habitable-zone planets orbiting Proxima Centauri, TRAPPIST-1, and LHS 1140. Laboratory studies of the sensitivity of putative prebiotic pathways to irradiation level are required to resolve this uncertainty. If steady-state M-dwarf UV output is insufficient to power these pathways, transient elevated UV irradiation due to flares may suffice; laboratory studies can constrain this possibility as well.

Laser-driven shock experiments on precompressed water: Implications for "icy" giant planets.

PubMed

Lee, Kanani K M; Benedetti, L Robin; Jeanloz, Raymond; Celliers, Peter M; Eggert, Jon H; Hicks, Damien G; Moon, Stephen J; Mackinnon, Andrew; Da Silva, Luis B; Bradley, David K; Unites, Walter; Collins, Gilbert W; Henry, Emeric; Koenig, Michel; Benuzzi-Mounaix, Alessandra; Pasley, John; Neely, David

2006-07-07

Laser-driven shock compression of samples precompressed to 1 GPa produces high-pressure-temperature conditions inducing two significant changes in the optical properties of water: the onset of opacity followed by enhanced reflectivity in the initially transparent water. The onset of reflectivity at infrared wavelengths can be interpreted as a semiconductor<-->electronic conductor transition in water, and is found at pressures above approximately 130 GPa for single-shocked samples precompressed to 1 GPa. Our results indicate that conductivity in the deep interior of "icy" giant planets is greater than realized previously because of an additional contribution from electrons.

Coagulation calculations of icy planet formation around 0.1-0.5 M {sub ☉} stars: Super-Earths from large planetesimals

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kenyon, Scott J.; Bromley, Benjamin C., E-mail: skenyon@cfa.harvard.edu, E-mail: bromley@physics.utah.edu

2014-01-01

We investigate formation mechanisms for icy super-Earth-mass planets orbiting at 2-20 AU around 0.1-0.5 M {sub ☉} stars. A large ensemble of coagulation calculations demonstrates a new formation channel: disks composed of large planetesimals with radii of 30-300 km form super-Earths on timescales of ∼1 Gyr. In other gas-poor disks, a collisional cascade grinds planetesimals to dust before the largest planets reach super-Earth masses. Once icy Earth-mass planets form, they migrate through the leftover swarm of planetesimals at rates of 0.01-1 AU Myr{sup –1}. On timescales of 10 Myr to 1 Gyr, many of these planets migrate through the diskmore » of leftover planetesimals from semimajor axes of 5-10 AU to 1-2 AU. A few percent of super-Earths might migrate to semimajor axes of 0.1-0.2 AU. When the disk has an initial mass comparable with the minimum-mass solar nebula, scaled to the mass of the central star, the predicted frequency of super-Earths matches the observed frequency.« less

Ogle-2012-blg-0724lb: A Saturn Mass Planet Around an M-dwarf

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hirao, Y.; Sumi, T.; Bennett, D. P.; Bond, I. A.; Rattenbury, N.; Suzuki, D.; Koshimoto, N.; Abe, F.; Asakura, Y.; Bhattacharya, A.

2016-01-01

We report the discovery of a planet by the microlensing method, OGLE-2012-BLG-0724Lb. Although the duration of the planetary signal for this event was one of the shortest seen for a planetary event, the anomaly was well covered thanks to high-cadence observations taken by the survey groups OGLE and MOA. By analyzing the light curve, this planetary system is found to have a mass ratio q = (1.58 +/- 0.15) x 10(exp -3). By conducting a Bayesian analysis, we estimate that the host star is an M dwarf with a mass of M(sub L) = 0.29(+0.33/-0.16) solar mass located at D(sub L) = 6.7(+1.1/-1.2) kpc away from the Earth and the companion's mass is m(sub P) = 0.47(+0.54/-0.26) M(Jup). The projected planet- host separation is a falsum = 1.6(+0.4/-0.3) AU. Because the lens-source relative proper motion is relatively high, future highresolution images would detect the lens host star and determine the lens properties uniquely. This system is likely a Saturn-mass exoplanet around an M dwarf, and such systems are commonly detected by gravitational microlensing. This adds another example of a possible pileup of sub-Jupiters (0.2 less than m(sub P)/M(sub Jup) less than 1) in contrast to a lack of Jupiters (approximately 1-2 M(sub Jup)) around M dwarfs, supporting the prediction by core accretion models that Jupiter-mass or more massive planets are unlikely to form around M dwarfs.

A Common Origin of Magnetism from Planets to White Dwarfs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Isern, Jordi; Külebi, Baybars; García-Berro, Enrique

Isolated magnetic white dwarfs have field strengths ranging from kilogauss to gigagauss. However, the origin of the magnetic field has not been hitherto elucidated. Whether these fields are fossil, hence the remnants of original weak magnetic fields amplified during the course of the evolution of their progenitor stars, or are the result of binary interactions, or, finally, they are produced by other internal physical mechanisms during the cooling of the white dwarf itself, remains a mystery. At sufficiently low temperatures, white dwarfs crystallize. Upon solidification, phase separation of its main constituents, {sup 12}C and {sup 16}O, and of the impuritiesmore » left by previous evolution occurs. This process leads to the formation of a Rayleigh–Taylor unstable liquid mantle on top of a solid core. This convective region, as it occurs in solar system planets like the Earth and Jupiter, can produce a dynamo able to yield magnetic fields of strengths of up to 0.1 MG, thus providing a mechanism that could explain magnetism in single white dwarfs.« less

Icy Profile

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-10-20

The Cassini spacecraft looks toward Rhea cratered, icy landscape with the dark line of Saturn ringplane and the planet murky atmosphere as a background. Rhea is Saturn second-largest moon, at 1,528 kilometers 949 miles across.

OGLE-2016-BLG-1190Lb: The First Spitzer Bulge Planet Lies Near the Planet/Brown-dwarf Boundary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ryu, Y.-H.; Yee, J. C.; Udalski, A.; Bond, I. A.; Shvartzvald, Y.; Zang, W.; Figuera Jaimes, R.; Jørgensen, U. G.; Zhu, W.; Huang, C. X.; Jung, Y. K.; Albrow, M. D.; Chung, S.-J.; Gould, A.; Han, C.; Hwang, K.-H.; Shin, I.-G.; Cha, S.-M.; Kim, D.-J.; Kim, H.-W.; Kim, S.-L.; Lee, C.-U.; Lee, D.-J.; Lee, Y.; Park, B.-G.; Pogge, R. W.; KMTNet Collaboration; Calchi Novati, S.; Carey, S.; Henderson, C. B.; Beichman, C.; Gaudi, B. S.; Spitzer team; Mróz, P.; Poleski, R.; Skowron, J.; Szymański, M. K.; Soszyński, I.; Kozłowski, S.; Pietrukowicz, P.; Ulaczyk, K.; Pawlak, M.; OGLE Collaboration; Abe, F.; Asakura, Y.; Barry, R.; Bennett, D. P.; Bhattacharya, A.; Donachie, M.; Evans, P.; Fukui, A.; Hirao, Y.; Itow, Y.; Kawasaki, K.; Koshimoto, N.; Li, M. C. A.; Ling, C. H.; Masuda, K.; Matsubara, Y.; Miyazaki, S.; Muraki, Y.; Nagakane, M.; Ohnishi, K.; Ranc, C.; Rattenbury, N. J.; Saito, To.; Sharan, A.; Sullivan, D. J.; Sumi, T.; Suzuki, D.; Tristram, P. J.; Yamada, T.; Yamada, T.; Yonehara, A.; MOA Collaboration; Bryden, G.; Howell, S. B.; Jacklin, S.; UKIRT Microlensing Team; Penny, M. T.; Mao, S.; Fouqué, Pascal; Wang, T.; CFHT-K2C9 Microlensing Survey group; Street, R. A.; Tsapras, Y.; Hundertmark, M.; Bachelet, E.; Dominik, M.; Li, Z.; Cross, S.; Cassan, A.; Horne, K.; Schmidt, R.; Wambsganss, J.; Ment, S. K.; Maoz, D.; Snodgrass, C.; Steele, I. A.; RoboNet Team; Bozza, V.; Burgdorf, M. J.; Ciceri, S.; D’Ago, G.; Evans, D. F.; Hinse, T. C.; Kerins, E.; Kokotanekova, R.; Longa, P.; MacKenzie, J.; Popovas, A.; Rabus, M.; Rahvar, S.; Sajadian, S.; Skottfelt, J.; Southworth, J.; von Essen, C.; MiNDSTEp Team

2018-01-01

We report the discovery of OGLE-2016-BLG-1190Lb, which is likely to be the first Spitzer microlensing planet in the Galactic bulge/bar, an assignation that can be confirmed by two epochs of high-resolution imaging of the combined source–lens baseline object. The planet’s mass, M p = 13.4 ± 0.9 M J , places it right at the deuterium-burning limit, i.e., the conventional boundary between “planets” and “brown dwarfs.” Its existence raises the question of whether such objects are really “planets” (formed within the disks of their hosts) or “failed stars” (low-mass objects formed by gas fragmentation). This question may ultimately be addressed by comparing disk and bulge/bar planets, which is a goal of the Spitzer microlens program. The host is a G dwarf, M host = 0.89 ± 0.07 M ⊙, and the planet has a semimajor axis a ∼ 2.0 au. We use Kepler K2 Campaign 9 microlensing data to break the lens-mass degeneracy that generically impacts parallax solutions from Earth–Spitzer observations alone, which is the first successful application of this approach. The microlensing data, derived primarily from near-continuous, ultradense survey observations from OGLE, MOA, and three KMTNet telescopes, contain more orbital information than for any previous microlensing planet, but not quite enough to accurately specify the full orbit. However, these data do permit the first rigorous test of microlensing orbital-motion measurements, which are typically derived from data taken over <1% of an orbital period.

New spectroscopic tools and techniques for characterizing M dwarfs and discovering their planets in the near-infrared

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Terrien, Ryan C.

M dwarfs are the least massive and most common stars in the Galaxy. Due to their prevalence and long lifetimes, these diminutive stars play an outsize role in several fields of astronomical study. In particular, it is now known that they commonly host planetary systems, and may be the most common hosts of Earth-size, rocky planets in the habitable zone. A comprehensive understanding of M dwarfs is crucial for understanding the origins and conditions of their planetary systems, including their potential habitability. Such an understanding depends on methods for precisely and accurately measuring their properties. These tools have broader applicability as well, underlying the use of M dwarfs as fossils of Galactic evolution, and helping to constrain the structures and interiors of these stars. The measurement of the fundamental parameters of M dwarfs is encumbered by their spectral complexity. Unlike stars of spectral type F, G, or K that are similar to our G type Sun, whose spectra are dominated by continuum emission and atomic features, the cool atmospheres of M dwarfs are dominated by complex molecular absorption. Another challenge for studies of M dwarfs is that these stars are optically faint, emitting much of their radiation in the near-infrared (NIR). The availability and performance of NIR spectrographs have lagged behind those of optical spectrographs due to the challenges of producing low-noise, high-sensitivity NIR detector arrays, which have only recently become available. This thesis discusses two related lines of work that address these challenges, motivated by the development of the Habitable Zone Planet Finder (HPF), a NIR radial velocity (RV) spectrograph under development at Penn State that will search for and confirm planets around nearby M dwarfs. This work includes the development and application of new NIR spectroscopic techniques for characterizing M dwarfs, and the development and optimization of new NIR instrumentation for HPF. The first line

Ensemble Atmospheric Properties of Small Planets around M Dwarfs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Xueying; Ballard, Sarah; Dragomir, Diana

2018-01-01

With the growing number of planets discovered by the Kepler mission and ground-base surveys, people start to try to understand the atmospheric features of those uncovered new worlds. While it has been found that hot Jupiters exhibit diverse atmosphere composition with both clear and cloudy/hazy atmosphere possible, similar studies on ensembles of smaller planets (Earth analogs) have been held up due to the faintness of most of their host stars. In this work, a sample of 20 Earth analogs of similar periods around M dwarfs with existing Kepler transit information and Spitzer observations is composed, complemented with previously studies GJ1214b and GJ1132b, as well as the recently announced 7 small planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system. We evaluate their transit depths with uncertainties on the Spitzer 4.5 micron band using the “pixel-level decorrelation” method, and together with their well analyzed Kepler data and Hubble data, we put constraints on their atmosphere haze slopes and cloud levels. Aside from improving the understanding of ensemble properties of small planets, this study will also provide clues of potential targets for detailed atmospheric studies using the upcoming James Webb Telescope.

The Direct Detection and Characterization of M-dwarf Planets Using Light Echoes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sparks, William B.; White, Richard L.; Lupu, Roxana E.; Ford, Holland C.

2018-02-01

Exoplanets orbiting M-dwarf stars are a prime target in the search for life in the universe. M-dwarf stars are active, with powerful flares that could adversely impact prospects for life, though there are counter-arguments. Here, we turn flaring to advantage and describe ways in which it can be used to enhance the detectability of planets, in the absence of transits or a coronagraph, significantly expanding the accessible discovery and characterization space. Flares produce brief bursts of intense luminosity, after which the star dims. Due to the light travel time between the star and planet, the planet receives the high-intensity pulse, which it re-emits through scattering (a light echo) or intrinsic emission when the star is much fainter, thereby increasing the planet’s detectability. The planet’s light-echo emission can potentially be discriminated from that of the host star by means of a time delay, Doppler shift, spatial shift, and polarization, each of which can improve the contrast of the planet to the star. Scattered light can reveal the albedo spectrum of the planet to within a size scale factor, and is likely to be polarized. Intrinsic emission mechanisms include fluorescent pumping of multiple molecular hydrogen and neutral oxygen lines by intense Lyα and Lyβ flare emission, recombination radiation of ionized and photodissociated species, and atmospheric processes such as terrestrial upper atmosphere airglow and near-infrared hydroxyl emission. We discuss the feasibility of detecting light echoes and find that light echo detection is possible under favorable circumstances.

All in the Family: What Brown Dwarfs Teach Us About Extrasolar Giant Planets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marley, M.

2003-01-01

As we await the first direct image of an extrasolar giant planet, we can turn to theory and the experience gained in the campaign to detect and understand brown dwarfs for guidance on what to expect. As with any new arrival to a family, there should be a strong family resemblance (one hopes) along with notable unique features and interesting peculiarities. The 300 or so known L and T dwarfs, combined with our own giant planets, already span much of the effective temperature range within which extrasolar planets will be found. Only objects with thick, easily detectable, water clouds have yet to be seen. Thus we already know much of the family. I will describe what we have learned from studying these objects, focusing on the important roles clouds and atmospheric chemistry play in affecting their atmospheres and emergent spectra. Relying on these findings and theoretical models, I'll sketch out what we can expect from extrasolar giant planets, focusing on easily detectable features. Some wild cards, of course, are to be expected. Photochemical hazes, in particular, may obscure the family traits on the faces of Jupiter's distant cousins and may make one wonder, at least momentarily, about the milkman.

CARMENES: A Spectroscopic Survey of M Dwarfs and their Planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quirrenbach, Andreas; Consortium, CARMENES

2015-08-01

CARMENES (Calar Alto high-Resolution search for M dwarfs with Exo-earths with Near-infrared and optical Echelle Spectrographs) is a next-generation instrument currently under construction for the 3.5m telescope at the Calar Alto Observatory by a consortium of eleven Spanish and German institutions. Commissioning of CARMENES will start in April 2015. CARMENES will conduct a 600-night exoplanet survey targeting ~300 M dwarfs. An important and unique feature of the CARMENES instrument is that it consists of two separate échelle spectrographs, which together cover the wavelength range from 0.55 to 1.7 μm at a spectral resolution of R = 82,000. The spectrographs are fed by fibers from the Cassegrain focus of the telescope.The main scientific objective of CARMENES is to carry out a survey of late-type main sequence stars with the goal of detecting low-mass planets in their habitable zones (HZs). In the focus of the project are very cool stars later than spectral type M4 and moderately active stars. We aim at being able to detect a 2M⊕ planet in the HZ of an M5 star, which requires a long-term radial velocity precision of 1ms-1 per measurement. For stars later than M4 (M < 0.25M⊙), such precision will yield detections of super-Earths of 5M⊕ and smaller inside the entire width of the HZ. The CARMENES survey will thus provide a comprehensive overview of planetary systems around nearby Northern M dwarfs. By reaching into the realm of Earth-like planets, it will provide a treasure trove for follow-up studies probing their habitability.At the same time, the CARMENES survey will generate a unique data set for studies of M star atmospheres, rotation, and activity. The spectra will cover important diagnostic lines for activity (Hα, Na I D1 and D2, and the Ca II infrared triplet), as well as FeH lines around 10,000Å, from which the magnetic field can be inferred. Correlating the time series of these features with each other, and with wavelength-dependent radial

Methane, carbon monoxide, and ammonia in brown dwarfs and self-luminous giant planets

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zahnle, Kevin J.; Marley, Mark S., E-mail: Kevin.J.Zahnle@NASA.gov, E-mail: Mark.S.Marley@NASA.gov

2014-12-10

We address disequilibrium abundances of some simple molecules in the atmospheres of solar composition brown dwarfs and self-luminous extrasolar giant planets using a kinetics-based one-dimensional atmospheric chemistry model. Our approach is to use the full kinetics model to survey the parameter space with effective temperatures between 500 K and 1100 K. In all of these worlds, equilibrium chemistry favors CH{sub 4} over CO in the parts of the atmosphere that can be seen from Earth, but in most disequilibrium favors CO. The small surface gravity of a planet strongly discriminates against CH{sub 4} when compared to an otherwise comparable brownmore » dwarf. If vertical mixing is like Jupiter's, the transition from methane to CO occurs at 500 K in a planet. Sluggish vertical mixing can raise this to 600 K, but clouds or more vigorous vertical mixing could lower this to 400 K. The comparable thresholds in brown dwarfs are 1100 ± 100 K. Ammonia is also sensitive to gravity, but, unlike CH{sub 4}/CO, the NH{sub 3}/N{sub 2} ratio is insensitive to mixing, which makes NH{sub 3} a potential proxy for gravity. HCN may become interesting in high-gravity brown dwarfs with very strong vertical mixing. Detailed analysis of the CO-CH{sub 4} reaction network reveals that the bottleneck to CO hydrogenation goes through methanol, in partial agreement with previous work. Simple, easy to use quenching relations are derived by fitting to the complete chemistry of the full ensemble of models. These relations are valid for determining CO, CH{sub 4}, NH{sub 3}, HCN, and CO{sub 2} abundances in the range of self-luminous worlds we have studied, but may not apply if atmospheres are strongly heated at high altitudes by processes not considered here (e.g., wave breaking).« less

A Dwarf Planet Class Object in the 21:5 Resonance with Neptune

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holman, Matthew J.; Payne, Matthew J.; Fraser, Wesley; Lacerda, Pedro; Bannister, Michele T.; Lackner, Michael; Chen, Ying-Tung; Lin, Hsing Wen; Smith, Kenneth W.; Kokotanekova, Rosita; Young, David; Chambers, K.; Chastel, S.; Denneau, L.; Fitzsimmons, A.; Flewelling, H.; Grav, Tommy; Huber, M.; Induni, Nick; Kudritzki, Rolf-Peter; Krolewski, Alex; Jedicke, R.; Kaiser, N.; Lilly, E.; Magnier, E.; Mark, Zachary; Meech, K. J.; Micheli, M.; Murray, Daniel; Parker, Alex; Protopapas, Pavlos; Ragozzine, Darin; Veres, Peter; Wainscoat, R.; Waters, C.; Weryk, R.

2018-03-01

We report the discovery of an H r = 3.4 ± 0.1 dwarf planet candidate by the Pan-STARRS Outer Solar System Survey. 2010 JO179 is red with (g ‑ r) = 0.88 ± 0.21, roughly round, and slowly rotating, with a period of 30.6 hr. Estimates of its albedo imply a diameter of 600–900 km. Observations sampling the span between 2005 and 2016 provide an exceptionally well determined orbit for 2010 JO179, with a semimajor axis of 78.307 ± 0.009 au; distant orbits known to this precision are rare. We find that 2010 JO179 librates securely within the 21:5 mean-motion resonance with Neptune on 100 Myr timescales, joining the small but growing set of known distant dwarf planets on metastable resonant orbits. These imply a substantial trans-Neptunian population that shifts between stability in high-order resonances, the detached population, and the eroding population of the scattering disk.

Titan and habitable planets around M-dwarfs.

PubMed

Lunine, Jonathan I

2010-01-01

The Cassini-Huygens mission discovered an active "hydrologic cycle" on Saturn's giant moon Titan, in which methane takes the place of water. Shrouded by a dense nitrogen-methane atmosphere, Titan's surface is blanketed in the equatorial regions by dunes composed of solid organics, sculpted by wind and fluvial erosion, and dotted at the poles with lakes and seas of liquid methane and ethane. The underlying crust is almost certainly water ice, possibly in the form of gas hydrates (clathrate hydrates) dominated by methane as the included species. The processes that work the surface of Titan resemble in their overall balance no other moon in the solar system; instead, they are most like that of the Earth. The presence of methane in place of water, however, means that in any particular planetary system, a body like Titan will always be outside the orbit of an Earth-type planet. Around M-dwarfs, planets with a Titan-like climate will sit at 1 AU--a far more stable environment than the approximately 0.1 AU where Earth-like planets sit. However, an observable Titan-like exoplanet might have to be much larger than Titan itself to be observable, increasing the ratio of heat contributed to the surface atmosphere system from internal (geologic) processes versus photons from the parent star.

A Revised Estimate of the Occurrence Rate of Terrestrial Planets in the Habitable Zones around Kepler M-dwarfs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kopparapu, Ravi Kumar

2013-04-01

Because of their large numbers, low-mass stars may be the most abundant planet hosts in our Galaxy. Furthermore, terrestrial planets in the habitable zones (HZs) around M-dwarfs can potentially be characterized in the near future and hence may be the first such planets to be studied. Recently, Dressing & Charbonneau used Kepler data and calculated the frequency of terrestrial planets in the HZ of cool stars to be 0.15^{+0.13}_{-0.06} per star for Earth-size planets (0.5-1.4 R ⊕). However, this estimate was derived using the Kasting et al. HZ limits, which were not valid for stars with effective temperatures lower than 3700 K. Here we update their result using new HZ limits from Kopparapu et al. for stars with effective temperatures between 2600 K and 7200 K, which includes the cool M stars in the Kepler target list. The new HZ boundaries increase the number of planet candidates in the HZ. Assuming Earth-size planets as 0.5-1.4 R ⊕, when we reanalyze their results, we obtain a terrestrial planet frequency of 0.48^{+0.12}_{-0.24} and 0.53^{+0.08}_{-0.17} planets per M-dwarf star for conservative and optimistic limits of the HZ boundaries, respectively. Assuming Earth-size planets as 0.5-2 R ⊕, the frequency increases to 0.51^{+0.10}_{-0.20} per star for the conservative estimate and to 0.61^{+0.07}_{-0.15} per star for the optimistic estimate. Within uncertainties, our optimistic estimates are in agreement with a similar optimistic estimate from the radial velocity survey of M-dwarfs (0.41^{+0.54}_{-0.13}). So, the potential for finding Earth-like planets around M stars may be higher than previously reported.

The First Brown Dwarf Discovered by the Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 Citizen Science Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kuchner, Marc J.; Faherty, Jacqueline K.; Schneider, Adam C.; Meisner, Aaron M.; Filippazzo, Joseph C.; Gagne, Jonathan; Trouille, Laura; Silverberg, Steven M.; Castro, Rosa; Fletcher, Bob;

The First Brown Dwarf Discovered by the Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 Citizen Science Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuchner, Marc J.; Faherty, Jacqueline K.; Schneider, Adam C.; Meisner, Aaron M.; Filippazzo, Joseph C.; Gagné, Jonathan; Trouille, Laura; Silverberg, Steven M.; Castro, Rosa; Fletcher, Bob; Mokaev, Khasan; Stajic, Tamara

2017-06-01

The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) is a powerful tool for finding nearby brown dwarfs and searching for new planets in the outer solar system, especially with the incorporation of NEOWISE and NEOWISE-Reactivation data. However, so far, searches for brown dwarfs in WISE data have yet to take advantage of the full depth of the WISE images. To efficiently search this unexplored space via visual inspection, we have launched a new citizen science project, called “Backyard Worlds: Planet 9,” which asks volunteers to examine short animations composed of difference images constructed from time-resolved WISE coadds. We report the first new substellar object discovered by this project, WISEA J110125.95+540052.8, a T5.5 brown dwarf located approximately 34 pc from the Sun with a total proper motion of ˜0.″7 {{yr}}-1. WISEA J110125.95+540052.8 has a WISE W2 magnitude of W2=15.37+/- 0.09; our sensitivity to this source demonstrates the ability of citizen scientists to identify moving objects via visual inspection that are 0.9 mag fainter than the W2 single-exposure sensitivity, a threshold that has limited prior motion-based brown dwarf searches with WISE.

On the Growth and Detectability of Land Plants on Habitable Planets around M Dwarfs.

PubMed

Cui, Duo; Tian, Feng; Wang, Yuwei; Li, Changshen; Yu, Chaoqing; Yu, Le

2017-12-01

One signature of life on Earth is the vegetation red edge (VRE) feature of land plants, a dramatic change of reflectivity at wavelength near 0.7 μm. Potentially habitable planets around M dwarfs are tidally locked, which can limit the distribution of land plants. In this study, we used a biogeochemical model to investigate the distribution of land plants on potentially habitable planets around M dwarfs driven by climate data produced in a general circulation model (GCM). When considering the effects of clouds, the observation time needed for VRE detection on nearby p = 1 exoplanets around nearby M dwarfs is on the order of days using a 25 m 2 telescope if a large continent faces Earth during observations. For p = 1.5 exoplanets, the detection time could be similar if land plants developed the capability to endure a dark/cold environment for extended periods of time and the continent configuration favors observations. Our analysis suggests that hypothetical exovegetation VRE features are easier to detect than Earth vegetation and that VRE detection is possible for nearby exoplanets even under cloudy conditions. Key Words: Vegetation red edge-Exoplanets-M dwarfs-Biosignature detection. Astrobiology 17, 1219-1232.

On the Growth and Detectability of Land Plants on Habitable Planets around M Dwarfs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, Duo; Tian, Feng; Wang, Yuwei; Li, Changshen; Yu, Chaoqing; Yu, Le

2017-12-01

One signature of life on Earth is the vegetation red edge (VRE) feature of land plants, a dramatic change of reflectivity at wavelength near 0.7 μm. Potentially habitable planets around M dwarfs are tidally locked, which can limit the distribution of land plants. In this study, we used a biogeochemical model to investigate the distribution of land plants on potentially habitable planets around M dwarfs driven by climate data produced in a general circulation model (GCM). When considering the effects of clouds, the observation time needed for VRE detection on nearby p = 1 exoplanets around nearby M dwarfs is on the order of days using a 25 m2 telescope if a large continent faces Earth during observations. For p = 1.5 exoplanets, the detection time could be similar if land plants developed the capability to endure a dark/cold environment for extended periods of time and the continent configuration favors observations. Our analysis suggests that hypothetical exovegetation VRE features are easier to detect than Earth vegetation and that VRE detection is possible for nearby exoplanets even under cloudy conditions.

Migration of Icy Bodies to the Terrestrial Planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sergei, I. I.; Mather, J. C.; Marov, M. Y.

2006-05-01

In our opinion [1-2], some trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) and planetesimals in the feeding zone of the giant planets with diameters up to 1000 km could be formed directly by the compression of large rarefied dust condensations, but not by the accretion of smaller solid planetesimals. Migration processes of small bodies from the outer regions of the solar system, including the Edgeworth-Kuiper belt, could be responsible for the delivery of the original matter (mainly volatiles) to the terrestrial planets and thus to give rise to the life origin. As migration of TNOs to Jupiter's orbit was studied by several authors, we integrated the orbital evolution of 30,000 Jupiter-crossing objects under the gravitational influence of planets [3]. A few considered objects got Earth-crossing orbits with aphelion distances Q<4.2 AU and moved in such orbits for more than 1 Myr (up to tens or even hundreds of Myrs). Collisions of cometary objects with the terrestrial planets from the Encke- type orbits with aphelia located inside the orbit of Jupiter are assumed to play a greater role than direct impacts from the Jupiter-crossing orbits. It may be possible that the fraction of 1-km former TNOs among near- Earth objects (NEOs) can exceed several tens of percents or most of former TNOs that had got NEO orbits disintegrated into mini-comets and dust during a smaller part of their dynamical lifetimes if these lifetimes are not small. Our estimates show that the amount of icy planetesimals impacted on the Earth during formation of the giant planets is of the order of mass of water in the Earth oceans if the total mass of these planetesimals was about 100 Earth masses. Mars acquired more water per unit of mass of a planet than Earth. During the following 4 Gyr the effectiveness of transport was much less. We integrated [4-5] the orbital evolution of 12,000 dust particles. Probabilites of collisions of particles started from Jupiter-family comets were maximum at diameter d about 100

Hubble Witnesses Massive Comet-Like Object Pollute Atmosphere of a White Dwarf

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

For the first time, scientists using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope have witnessed a massive object with the makeup of a comet being ripped apart and scattered in the atmosphere of a white dwarf, the burned-out remains of a compact star. The object has a chemical composition similar to Halley’s Comet, but it is 100,000 times more massive and has a much higher amount of water. It is also rich in the elements essential for life, including nitrogen, carbon, oxygen, and sulfur. These findings are evidence for a belt of comet-like bodies orbiting the white dwarf, similar to our solar system’s Kuiper Belt. These icy bodies apparently survived the star’s evolution as it became a bloated red giant and then collapsed to a small, dense white dwarf. Caption: This artist's concept shows a massive, comet-like object falling toward a white dwarf. New Hubble Space Telescope findings are evidence for a belt of comet-like bodies orbiting the white dwarf, similar to our solar system's Kuiper Belt. The findings also suggest the presence of one or more unseen surviving planets around the white dwarf, which may have perturbed the belt to hurl icy objects into the burned-out star. Credits: NASA, ESA, and Z. Levay (STScI) NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

The stellar occultation by the dwarf planet Haumea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santos-Sanz, Pablo; Ortiz, Jose Luis; Sicardy, Bruno; Rossi, Gustavo; Berard, Diane; Morales, Nicolas; Duffard, Rene; Braga-Ribas, Felipe; Hopp, Ulrich; Ries, Christoph; Nascimbeni, Valerio; Marzari, Francesco; Granata, Valentina; Pál, András; Kiss, Csaba; Pribulla, Theodor; Milan Komzík, Richard; Hornoch, Kamil; Pravec, Petr; Bacci, Paolo; Maestripieri, Martina; Nerli, Luca; Mazzei, Leonardo; Bachini, Mauro; Martinelli, Fabio; Succi, Giacomo; Ciabattari, Fabrizio; Mikuz, Herman; Carbognani, Albino; Gaehrken, Bernd; Mottola, Stefano; Hellmich, Stephan; Rommel, Flavia; Fernández-Valenzuela, Estela; Campo Bagatin, Adriano; Haumea occultation international Collaboration: https://cloud.iaa.csic.es/public.php?service=files&t=d9276f8ab1a316cef13bee28bef75add

2017-10-01

The dwarf planet Haumea is a very peculiar Trans-Neptunian Object (TNO) with unique and exotic characteristics. It is currently classified as one of the five dwarf planets of the solar system, and it is the only one for which size, shape, albedo, density and other basic properties were not accurately known. To solve that we predicted an occultation of the star GaiaDR1 1233009038221203584 by Haumea and organized observations within the expected shadow path. Medium/large telescopes were needed to record the occultation with enough signal to noise ratio because the occulted star is of similar brightness as Haumea (R~17.7 mag). We will report results derived from this successful stellar occultation by Haumea on 2017 January 21st. The occultation was positive from 12 telescopes at 10 observing stations in Europe: the Asiago Observatory 1.8m telescope (Italy), the Mount Agliale Observatory 0.5m telescope (Italy), the Lajatico Astronomical Centre 0.5m telescope (Italy), the S.Marcello Pistoiese Observatory 0.6m telescope (Italy), the Crni Vrh Observatory 0.6m telescope (Slovenia), the Ondrejov Observatory 0.65m telescope (Czech Republic), the Bavarian Public Observatory 0.81m telescope (Germany), the Konkoly Observatory 1m and 0.6m telescopes (Hungary), the Skalnate Pleso Observatory 1.3m telescope (Slovakia), and the Wendelstein Observatory 2m and 0.4m telescopes (Germany). This is the occultation by a TNO with the largest number of chords ever recorded.Part of this work has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement No. 687378.

A REVISED ESTIMATE OF THE OCCURRENCE RATE OF TERRESTRIAL PLANETS IN THE HABITABLE ZONES AROUND KEPLER M-DWARFS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kopparapu, Ravi Kumar

Because of their large numbers, low-mass stars may be the most abundant planet hosts in our Galaxy. Furthermore, terrestrial planets in the habitable zones (HZs) around M-dwarfs can potentially be characterized in the near future and hence may be the first such planets to be studied. Recently, Dressing and Charbonneau used Kepler data and calculated the frequency of terrestrial planets in the HZ of cool stars to be 0.15{sup +0.13}{sub -0.06} per star for Earth-size planets (0.5-1.4 R{sub Circled-Plus }). However, this estimate was derived using the Kasting et al. HZ limits, which were not valid for stars with effectivemore » temperatures lower than 3700 K. Here we update their result using new HZ limits from Kopparapu et al. for stars with effective temperatures between 2600 K and 7200 K, which includes the cool M stars in the Kepler target list. The new HZ boundaries increase the number of planet candidates in the HZ. Assuming Earth-size planets as 0.5-1.4 R{sub Circled-Plus }, when we reanalyze their results, we obtain a terrestrial planet frequency of 0.48{sup +0.12}{sub -0.24} and 0.53{sup +0.08}{sub -0.17} planets per M-dwarf star for conservative and optimistic limits of the HZ boundaries, respectively. Assuming Earth-size planets as 0.5-2 R{sub Circled-Plus }, the frequency increases to 0.51{sup +0.10}{sub -0.20} per star for the conservative estimate and to 0.61{sup +0.07}{sub -0.15} per star for the optimistic estimate. Within uncertainties, our optimistic estimates are in agreement with a similar optimistic estimate from the radial velocity survey of M-dwarfs (0.41{sup +0.54}{sub -0.13}). So, the potential for finding Earth-like planets around M stars may be higher than previously reported.« less

Abrupt Climate Transition of Icy Worlds from Snowball to Moist or Runaway Greenhouse

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, J.; Ding, F.; Ramirez, R. M.; Peltier, W. R.; Hu, Y.; Liu, Y.

2017-12-01

Ongoing and future space missions aim to identify potentially habitable planets in our Solar System and beyond. Planetary habitability is determined not only by a planet's current stellar insolation and atmospheric properties, but also by the evolutionary history of its climate. It has been suggested that icy planets and moons become habitable after their initial ice shield melts as their host stars brighten. Here we show from global climate model simulations that a habitable state is not achieved in the climatic evolution of those icy planets and moons that possess an inactive carbonate-silicate cycle and low concentrations of greenhouse gases. Examples for such planetary bodies are the icy moons Europa and Enceladus, and certain icy exoplanets orbiting G and F stars. We find that the stellar fluxes that are required to overcome a planet's initial snowball state are so large that they lead to significant water loss and preclude a habitable planet. Specifically, they exceed the moist greenhouse limit, at which water vapour accumulates at high altitudes where it can readily escape, or the runaway greenhouse limit, at which the strength of the greenhouse increases until the oceans boil away. We suggest that some icy planetary bodies may transition directly to a moist or runaway greenhouse without passing through a habitable Earth-like state.

Abrupt climate transition of icy worlds from snowball to moist or runaway greenhouse

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Jun; Ding, Feng; Ramirez, Ramses M.; Peltier, W. R.; Hu, Yongyun; Liu, Yonggang

2017-08-01

Ongoing and future space missions aim to identify potentially habitable planets in our Solar System and beyond. Planetary habitability is determined not only by a planet's current stellar insolation and atmospheric properties, but also by the evolutionary history of its climate. It has been suggested that icy planets and moons become habitable after their initial ice shield melts as their host stars brighten. Here we show from global climate model simulations that a habitable state is not achieved in the climatic evolution of those icy planets and moons that possess an inactive carbonate-silicate cycle and low concentrations of greenhouse gases. Examples for such planetary bodies are the icy moons Europa and Enceladus, and certain icy exoplanets orbiting G and F stars. We find that the stellar fluxes that are required to overcome a planet's initial snowball state are so large that they lead to significant water loss and preclude a habitable planet. Specifically, they exceed the moist greenhouse limit, at which water vapour accumulates at high altitudes where it can readily escape, or the runaway greenhouse limit, at which the strength of the greenhouse increases until the oceans boil away. We suggest that some icy planetary bodies may transition directly to a moist or runaway greenhouse without passing through a habitable Earth-like state.

An Astrobiological Experiment to Explore the Habitability of Tidally Locked M-Dwarf Planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Angerhausen, Daniel; Sapers, Haley; Simoncini, Eugenio; Lutz, Stefanie; Alexandre, Marcelo da Rosa; Galante, Douglas

2014-04-01

We present a summary of a three-year academic research proposal drafted during the Sao Paulo Advanced School of Astrobiology (SPASA) to prepare for upcoming observations of tidally locked planets orbiting M-dwarf stars. The primary experimental goal of the suggested research is to expose extremophiles from analogue environments to a modified space simulation chamber reproducing the environmental parameters of a tidally locked planet in the habitable zone of a late-type star. Here we focus on a description of the astronomical analysis used to define the parameters for this climate simulation.

Detectable close-in planets around white dwarfs through late unpacking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Veras, Dimitri; Gänsicke, Boris T.

2015-02-01

Although 25-50 per cent of white dwarfs (WDs) display evidence for remnant planetary systems, their orbital architectures and overall sizes remain unknown. Vibrant close-in (≃1 R⊙) circumstellar activity is detected at WDs spanning many Gyr in age, suggestive of planets further away. Here we demonstrate how systems with 4 and 10 closely packed planets that remain stable and ordered on the main sequence can become unpacked when the star evolves into a WD and experience pervasive inward planetary incursions throughout WD cooling. Our full-lifetime simulations run for the age of the Universe and adopt main-sequence stellar masses of 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 M⊙, which correspond to the mass range occupied by the progenitors of typical present-day WDs. These results provide (i) a natural way to generate an ever-changing dynamical architecture in post-main-sequence planetary systems, (ii) an avenue for planets to achieve temporary close-in orbits that are potentially detectable by transit photometry and (iii) a dynamical explanation for how residual asteroids might pollute particularly old WDs.

A NICMOS direct imaging search for giant planets around the seven single white dwarfs in the Hyades

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zinnecker, Hans

2003-07-01

We propose to use the NIC1 camera on HST to search for massive giant planets around the known seven single white dwarfs in the nearby Hyades cluster at sub-arcsec separations. At an age of 625 Myr, the white dwarfs had protogenitor masses of about 3 solar masses, and massive gaseous giant planets should have formed in the massive circumstellar disks around these ex Herbig A0 stars, probably at orbital separations similar or slightly larger than that of Jupiter {5 AU} in our own solar system. Such planets would have survived the post-Main Sequence mass loss of the parent star, and would have migrated outward adiabatically by a factor 4.5, equal to the ratio of initial to final stellar mass {3Mo/0.66Mo}, due to conservation of orbital angular momentum during the mass loss {AGB and PN} phase. Thus the orbital separation NOW would be 4.5 x 5 AU = 22.5 AU, which at the distance of the Hyades {45 pc} corresponds to 0.50 arcsec. Simulations with TinyTim then show that giant planets at this separation with masses in the range 6-12 Jupiter masses and apparent J and H magnitudes in the range 20.5-23.3 mag {from Baraffe or Burrows models} can be spatially resolved around the Hyades white dwarfs. Their J and H brightnesses are known to be 15 +/- 0.5 mag, implying a median star-planet brightness ratio of 1000:1 {7.5 mag}. This combination of dynamic range and orbital separation is observable with NICMOS, by subtracting images taken at two roll angles. Therefore, the proposed near-IR diffraction-limited observations in the F110W and F160W filters promise to resolve giant planets around low-mass stars for the first time. If successful, the observations would also prove that giant planets do form around early-type stars more massive than the Sun.

Outer planets and icy satellites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Drobyshevski, E. M.

1991-01-01

The resources offered by the outer bodies in the Solar System, starting with the main belt asteroids and Jovian System, are not only larger and more diverse but may even be easier to reach than, say, those of Mars. The use of their material, including water and organic matter, depends exclusively on the general strategy of exploration of the Solar System. Of major interest in this respect are the large ice satellites - Titan, Ganymede, and Callisto. Motion through the planetary magnetospheres excites in their ice envelopes megampere currents which, in the presence of rocky, etc., inclusions with electronic conduction should lead to the bulk electrolysis of ice and accumulation in it of 2H2 + O2 in the form of a solid solution. With the concentration of 2H2 + O2 reaching about 15 wt. percent, the solution becomes capable of detonation by a strong meteoritic impact. An explosion of Ganymede's ice envelope about 0.5 By ago could account for the formation of the Trojans and irregular satellites, all known differences between Ganymede and Callisto, and many other things. The explosion of a small icy planet with M approx less than 0.5 Moon created the asteroid belt. Two to three explosions occurred on Io, and two on Europa. The specific features of the longperiod comets close to Saturn's orbit permit dating Titan's envelope explosion as 10,000 yr ago, which produced its thick atmosphere, young Saturn's rings, as well as a reservoir of ice fragments saturated by 2H2 + O2, i.e., cometary nuclei between the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn. Thus these nuclei should contain, besides organic matter, also 2H2 + O2, which could be used for their transportation as well as for fuel for spaceships. Ices of such composition can reside deep inside Deimos, the Trojans, C-asteroids, etc. The danger of a future explosion of Callisto's electrolyzed ices, which would result in a catastrophic bombardment of the Earth by comets, may be high enough to warrant a revision of the priorities and

Outer planets and icy satellites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drobyshevski, E. M.

The resources offered by the outer bodies in the Solar System, starting with the main belt asteroids and Jovian System, are not only larger and more diverse but may even be easier to reach than, say, those of Mars. The use of their material, including water and organic matter, depends exclusively on the general strategy of exploration of the Solar System. Of major interest in this respect are the large ice satellites - Titan, Ganymede, and Callisto. Motion through the planetary magnetospheres excites in their ice envelopes megampere currents which, in the presence of rocky, etc., inclusions with electronic conduction should lead to the bulk electrolysis of ice and accumulation in it of 2H2 + O2 in the form of a solid solution. With the concentration of 2H2 + O2 reaching about 15 wt. percent, the solution becomes capable of detonation by a strong meteoritic impact. An explosion of Ganymede's ice envelope about 0.5 By ago could account for the formation of the Trojans and irregular satellites, all known differences between Ganymede and Callisto, and many other things. The explosion of a small icy planet with M approx less than 0.5 Moon created the asteroid belt. Two to three explosions occurred on Io, and two on Europa. The specific features of the longperiod comets close to Saturn's orbit permit dating Titan's envelope explosion as 10,000 yr ago, which produced its thick atmosphere, young Saturn's rings, as well as a reservoir of ice fragments saturated by 2H2 + O2, i.e., cometary nuclei between the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn. Thus these nuclei should contain, besides organic matter, also 2H2 + O2, which could be used for their transportation as well as for fuel for spaceships. Ices of such composition can reside deep inside Deimos, the Trojans, C-asteroids, etc. The danger of a future explosion of Callisto's electrolyzed ices, which would result in a catastrophic bombardment of the Earth by comets, may be high enough to warrant a revision of the priorities and

OGLE-2017-BLG-1522: A Giant Planet around a Brown Dwarf Located in the Galactic Bulge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jung, Y. K.; Udalski, A.; Gould, A.; Ryu, Y.-H.; Yee, J. C.; and; Han, C.; Albrow, M. D.; Lee, C.-U.; Kim, S.-L.; Hwang, K.-H.; Chung, S.-J.; Shin, I.-G.; Zhu, W.; Cha, S.-M.; Kim, D.-J.; Lee, Y.; Park, B.-G.; Lee, D.-J.; Kim, H.-W.; Pogge, R. W.; The KMTNet Collaboration; Szymański, M. K.; Mróz, P.; Poleski, R.; Skowron, J.; Pietrukowicz, P.; Soszyński, I.; Kozłowski, S.; Ulaczyk, K.; Pawlak, M.; Rybicki, K.; The OGLE Collaboration

2018-05-01

We report the discovery of a giant planet in the OGLE-2017-BLG-1522 microlensing event. The planetary perturbations were clearly identified by high-cadence survey experiments despite the relatively short event timescale of t E ∼ 7.5 days. The Einstein radius is unusually small, θ E = 0.065 mas, implying that the lens system either has very low mass or lies much closer to the microlensed source than the Sun, or both. A Bayesian analysis yields component masses ({M}host},{M}planet})=({46}-25+79,{0.75}-0.40+1.26) {M}{{J}} and source-lens distance {D}LS}={0.99}-0.54+0.91 {kpc}, implying that this is a brown-dwarf/Jupiter system that probably lies in the Galactic bulge, a location that is also consistent with the relatively low lens-source relative proper motion μ = 3.2 ± 0.5 mas yr‑1. The projected companion-host separation is {0.59}-0.11+0.12 {au}, indicating that the planet is placed beyond the snow line of the host, i.e., a sl ∼ 0.12 au. Planet formation scenarios combined with the small companion-host mass ratio q ∼ 0.016 and separation suggest that the companion could be the first discovery of a giant planet that formed in a protoplanetary disk around a brown-dwarf host.

Dwarf carbon stars are likely metal-poor binaries and unlikely hosts to carbon planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whitehouse, Lewis J.; Farihi, J.; Green, P. J.; Wilson, T. G.; Subasavage, J. P.

2018-06-01

Dwarf carbon stars make up the largest fraction of carbon stars in the Galaxy with ≈1200 candidates known to date primarily from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. They either possess primordial carbon-enhancements, or are polluted by mass transfer from an evolved companion such that C/O is enhanced beyond unity. To directly test the binary hypothesis, a radial velocity monitoring survey has been carried out on 28 dwarf carbon stars, resulting in the detection of variations in 21 targets. Using Monte Carlo simulations,this detection fraction is found to be consistent with a 100% binary population and orbital periods on the order of hundreds of days. This result supports the post-mass transfer nature of dwarf carbon stars, and implies they are not likely hosts to carbon planets.

HABITABLE PLANETS ECLIPSING BROWN DWARFS: STRATEGIES FOR DETECTION AND CHARACTERIZATION

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Belu, Adrian R.; Selsis, Franck; Raymond, Sean N.

2013-05-10

Given the very close proximity of their habitable zones, brown dwarfs (BDs) represent high-value targets in the search for nearby transiting habitable planets that may be suitable for follow-up occultation spectroscopy. In this paper, we develop search strategies to find habitable planets transiting BDs depending on their maximum habitable orbital period (P{sub HZ{sub out}}). Habitable planets with P{sub HZ{sub out}} shorter than the useful duration of a night (e.g., 8-10 hr) can be screened with 100% completeness from a single location and in a single night (near-IR). More luminous BDs require continuous monitoring for longer duration, e.g., from space ormore » from a longitude-distributed network (one test scheduling achieved three telescopes, 13.5 contiguous hours). Using a simulated survey of the 21 closest known BDs (within 7 pc) we find that the probability of detecting at least one transiting habitable planet is between 4.5{sup +5.6}{sub -1.4}% and 56{sup +31}{sub -13}%, depending on our assumptions. We calculate that BDs within 5-10 pc are characterizable for potential biosignatures with a 6.5 m space telescope using {approx}1% of a five-year mission's lifetime spread over a contiguous segment only one-fifth to one-tenth of this duration.« less

The effect of host star spectral energy distribution and ice-albedo feedback on the climate of extrasolar planets.

PubMed

Shields, Aomawa L; Meadows, Victoria S; Bitz, Cecilia M; Pierrehumbert, Raymond T; Joshi, Manoj M; Robinson, Tyler D

2013-08-01

Planetary climate can be affected by the interaction of the host star spectral energy distribution with the wavelength-dependent reflectivity of ice and snow. In this study, we explored this effect with a one-dimensional (1-D), line-by-line, radiative transfer model to calculate broadband planetary albedos as input to a seasonally varying, 1-D energy balance climate model. A three-dimensional (3-D) general circulation model was also used to explore the atmosphere's response to changes in incoming stellar radiation, or instellation, and surface albedo. Using this hierarchy of models, we simulated planets covered by ocean, land, and water-ice of varying grain size, with incident radiation from stars of different spectral types. Terrestrial planets orbiting stars with higher near-UV radiation exhibited a stronger ice-albedo feedback. We found that ice extent was much greater on a planet orbiting an F-dwarf star than on a planet orbiting a G-dwarf star at an equivalent flux distance, and that ice-covered conditions occurred on an F-dwarf planet with only a 2% reduction in instellation relative to the present instellation on Earth, assuming fixed CO(2) (present atmospheric level on Earth). A similar planet orbiting the Sun at an equivalent flux distance required an 8% reduction in instellation, while a planet orbiting an M-dwarf star required an additional 19% reduction in instellation to become ice-covered, equivalent to 73% of the modern solar constant. The reduction in instellation must be larger for planets orbiting cooler stars due in large part to the stronger absorption of longer-wavelength radiation by icy surfaces on these planets in addition to stronger absorption by water vapor and CO(2) in their atmospheres, which provides increased downwelling longwave radiation. Lowering the IR and visible-band surface ice and snow albedos for an M-dwarf planet increased the planet's climate stability against changes in instellation and slowed the descent into global ice

The occurrence of planets and other substellar bodies around white dwarfs using K2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Sluijs, L.; Van Eylen, V.

2018-03-01

The majority of stars both host planetary systems and evolve into a white dwarf (WD). To understand their post-main-sequence planetary system evolution, we present a search for transiting/eclipsing planets and other substellar bodies (SBs) around WDs using a sample of 1148 WDs observed by K2. Using transit injections, we estimate the completeness of our search. We place constraints on the occurrence of planets and SBs around WDs as a function of planet radius and orbital period. For short-period (P < 40 d) small objects, from asteroid-sized to 1.5 R⊕, these are the strongest constraints known to date. We further constrain the occurrence of hot Jupiters ( < 1.5 per cent), habitable zone Earth-sized planets ( < 28 per cent), and disintegrating short-period planets ( ˜ 12 per cent). We blindly recovered all previously known eclipsing objects, providing confidence in our analysis, and make all light curves publicly available.

K2-137 b: an Earth-sized planet in a 4.3-h orbit around an M-dwarf

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, A. M. S.; Cabrera, J.; Csizmadia, Sz; Dai, F.; Gandolfi, D.; Hirano, T.; Winn, J. N.; Albrecht, S.; Alonso, R.; Antoniciello, G.; Barragán, O.; Deeg, H.; Eigmüller, Ph; Endl, M.; Erikson, A.; Fridlund, M.; Fukui, A.; Grziwa, S.; Guenther, E. W.; Hatzes, A. P.; Hidalgo, D.; Howard, A. W.; Isaacson, H.; Korth, J.; Kuzuhara, M.; Livingston, J.; Narita, N.; Nespral, D.; Nowak, G.; Palle, E.; Pätzold, M.; Persson, C. M.; Petigura, E.; Prieto-Arranz, J.; Rauer, H.; Ribas, I.; Van Eylen, V.

2018-03-01

We report the discovery in K2's Campaign 10 of a transiting terrestrial planet in an ultra-short-period orbit around an M3-dwarf. K2-137 b completes an orbit in only 4.3 h, the second shortest orbital period of any known planet, just 4 min longer than that of KOI 1843.03, which also orbits an M-dwarf. Using a combination of archival images, adaptive optics imaging, radial velocity measurements, and light-curve modelling, we show that no plausible eclipsing binary scenario can explain the K2 light curve, and thus confirm the planetary nature of the system. The planet, whose radius we determine to be 0.89 ± 0.09 R⊕, and which must have an iron mass fraction greater than 0.45, orbits a star of mass 0.463 ± 0.052 M⊙ and radius 0.442 ± 0.044 R⊙.

The WFCAM Transit Survey: a search for rocky planets around cool stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Birkby, Jayne

2010-09-01

The theory of core accretion makes two intriguing, observable predictions: i) that the formation of rocky/icy planets is common around M-dwarfs, and ii) that hot-Jupiters are extremely difficult to produce around low-mass stars. Furthermore, due to their small physical size and lower bolometric luminosity, M-dwarfs are up to 300? more sensitive to planetary transits in their habitable zones than solar-type stars. We present here the WFCAM Transit Survey (WTS); an ambitious, near- infrared photometric monitoring campaign of ˜6000 M-dwarfs across four 1.5 sq deg fields situated >5 degrees above and below the galactic plane. We utilise a unique opportunity provided by the highly efficient queue-scheduled operational mode of the UKIRT to observe our fields, with at least one visible at any time, when atmospheric conditions and RA coverage are unsuitable for other ongoing UKIRT programs. By probing the peak of the M-dwarf spectral energy distribution (13<17), we obtain a statistically significant sample of low-mass stars, which allows us to place meaningful constraints on the occurrence and formation of planets around M-dwarfs. The WTS has achieved one thousand epochs after 2 years in one of our target fields and will continue until April 2012. Our light curves have a per datapoint photometric precision of ˜3-4 mmag for the brightest objects, with RMS scatter < 1% for J<16, sufficient to detect Earth-like transits around M-dwarfs. I report here on the goals of our survey, our most recent results and the properties of our M-dwarf target sample. I also discuss our processing methods and how we combat the challenges encountered when observing occultations of faint red stars and the spectroscopic follow-up required to confirm them. (http://www.ast.cam.ac.uk/˜sth/wts/index.html)

The abundance of biotic exoplanets and life on planets of Red Dwarf stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wandel, Amri; Gale, Joseph

2016-07-01

The Kepler mission has shown that Earthlike planets orbiting within the Habitable Zones of their host stars are common. We derive an expression for the abundance of life bearing (biotic) extra-solar-system planets (exoplanets) in terms of the (yet unknown) probability for the evolution of biotic life. This "biotic probability" may be estimated by future missions and observations, e.g. spectral analyses of the atmospheres of exoplanets, looking for biomarkers. We show that a biotic probability in the range 0.001-1 implies that a biotic planet may be expected within ~10-100 light years from Earth. Of particular interest in the search for exolife are planets orbiting Red Dwarf (RD) stars, the most frequent stellar type. Previous researches suggested that conditions on planets near RDs would be inimical to life, e.g. the Habitable Zone of RDs is small, so their habitable planets would be close enough to be tidally locked. Recent calculations show that this and other properties of RDs, presumed hostile for the evolution of life, are less severe than originally estimated. We conclude that RD planets could be hospitable for the evolution of life as we know it, not less so than planets of solar-type stars. This result, together with the large number of RDs and their Kepler planet-statistics, makes finding life on RD planets ~10-1000 times more likely than on planets of solar-type stars. Our nearest biotic RD-planet is likely to be 2-10 times closer than the nearest solar-type one.

Extended transiting discs and rings around planets and brown dwarfs: theoretical constraints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zanazzi, J. J.; Lai, Dong

2017-02-01

Newly formed planets (or brown dwarfs) may possess discs or rings which occupy an appreciable fraction of the planet's Hill sphere and extend beyond the Laplace radius, where the tidal torque from the host star dominates over the torque from the oblate planet. Such a disc/ring can exhibit unique, detectable transit signatures, provided that the disc/ring is significantly misaligned with the orbital plane of the planet. There exists tentative evidence for an extended ring system around the young K5 star 1 SWASP J140747-354542. We present a general theoretical study of the inclination (warp) profile of circumplanetary discs under the combined influences of the tidal torque from the central star, the torque from the oblate planet, and the self-gravity of the disc. We calculate the equilibrium warp profile (`generalized Laplace surface') and investigate the condition for coherent precession of the disc. We find that to maintain a non-negligible misalignment between the extended outer disc and the planet's orbital plane, and to ensure coherent disc precession, the disc surface density must be sufficiently large so that the self-gravity torque overcomes the tidal torque from the central star. Our analysis and quantitative results can be used to constrain the parameters of transiting circumplanetary discs which may be detected in the future.

Hypothetical Rejuvenated Planets Artist Concept

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-06-25

This artist's concept shows a hypothetical "rejuvenated" planet -- a gas giant that has reclaimed its youthful infrared glow. NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope found tentative evidence for one such planet around a dead star, or white dwarf, called PG 0010+280 (depicted as white dot in illustration). When planets are young, they are warm and toasty due to internal heat left over from their formation. Planets cool over time -- until they are possibly rejuvenated. The theory goes that this Jupiter-like planet, which orbits far from its star, would accumulate some of the material sloughed off by its star as the star was dying. The material would cause the planet to swell in mass. As the material fell onto the planet, it would heat up due to friction and glow with infrared light. The final result would be an old planet, billions of years in age, radiating infrared light as it did in its youth. Spitzer detected an excess infrared light around the white dwarf PG 0010+280. Astronomers aren't sure where the light is coming from, but one possibility is a rejuvenated planet. Future observations may help solve the mystery. A Jupiter-like planet is about ten times the size of a white dwarf. White dwarfs are about the size of Earth, so one white dwarf would easily fit into the Great Red Spot on Jupiter! http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19346

OGLE-2013-BLG-0132Lb and OGLE-2013-BLG-1721Lb: Two Saturn-mass Planets Discovered around M-dwarfs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mróz, Przemek; Udalski, A.; Bond, I. A.; Skowron, J.; Sumi, T.; Han, C.; Szymański, M. K.; Soszyński, I.; Poleski, R.; Pietrukowicz, P.; Kozłowski, S.; Wyrzykowski, Ł.; Ulaczyk, K.; OGLE Collaboration; Abe, F.; Asakura, Y.; Barry, R. K.; Bennett, D. P.; Bhattacharya, A.; Donachie, M.; Evans, P.; Fukui, A.; Hirao, Y.; Itow, Y.; Koshimoto, N.; Li, M. C. A.; Ling, C. H.; Masuda, K.; Matsubara, Y.; Muraki, Y.; Nagakane, M.; Ohnishi, K.; Ranc, C.; Rattenbury, N. J.; Saito, To.; Sharan, A.; Sullivan, D. J.; Suzuki, D.; Tristram, P. J.; Yamada, T.; Yamada, T.; Yonehara, A.; The MOA Collaboration

2017-11-01

We present the discovery of two planetary systems consisting of a Saturn-mass planet orbiting an M-dwarf, which were detected in faint microlensing events OGLE-2013-BLG-0132 and OGLE-2013-BLG-1721. The planetary anomalies were covered with high cadence by Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE) and Microlensing Observations in Astrophysics (MOA) photometric surveys. The light curve modeling indicates that the planet-to-host mass ratios are (5.15+/- 0.28)× {10}-4 and (13.18+/- 0.72)× {10}-4, respectively. Both events were too short and too faint to measure a reliable parallax signal and hence the lens mass. We therefore used a Bayesian analysis to estimate the masses of both planets: {0.29}-0.13+0.16 {M}{Jup} (OGLE-2013-BLG-0132Lb) and {0.64}-0.31+0.35 {M}{Jup} (OGLE-2013-BLG-1721Lb). Thanks to a high relative proper motion, OGLE-2013-BLG-0132 is a promising candidate for the high-resolution imaging follow-up. Both planets belong to an increasing sample of sub-Jupiter-mass planets orbiting M-dwarfs beyond the snow line.

Sonora: A New Generation Model Atmosphere Grid for Brown Dwarfs and Young Extrasolar Giant Planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marley, Mark S.; Saumon, Didier; Fortney, Jonathan J.; Morley, Caroline; Lupu, Roxana E.; Freedman, Richard; Visscher, Channon

2017-06-01

Brown dwarf and giant planet atmospheric structure and composition has been studied both by forward models and, increasingly so, by retrieval methods. While indisputably informative, retrieval methods are of greatest value when judged in the context of grid model predictions. Meanwhile retrieval models can test the assumptions inherent in the forward modeling procedure.In order to provide a new, systematic survey of brown dwarf atmospheric structure, emergent spectra, and evolution, we have constructed a new grid of brown dwarf model atmospheres. We ultimately aim for our grid to span substantial ranges of atmospheric metallilcity, C/O ratios, cloud properties, atmospheric mixing, and other parameters. Spectra predicted by our modeling grid can be compared to both observations and retrieval results to aid in the interpretation and planning of future telescopic observations.We thus present Sonora, a new generation of substellar atmosphere models, appropriate for application to studies of L, T, and Y-type brown dwarfs and young extrasolar giant planets. The models describe the expected temperature-pressure profile and emergent spectra of an atmosphere in radiative-convective equilibrium for ranges of effective temperatures and gravities encompassing 200 ≤ Teff ≤ 2400 K and 2.5 ≤ log g ≤ 5.5. In our poster we briefly describe our modeling methodology, enumerate various updates since our group's previous models, and present our initial tranche of models for cloudless, solar metallicity, and solar carbon-to-oxygen ratio, chemical equilibrium atmospheres. These models will be available online and will be updated as opacities and cloud modeling methods continue to improve.

TRAPPIST-1 Planets - Flyaround Animation

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-02-22

This frame from a video depicts artist concepts of each of the seven planets orbiting TRAPPIST-1, an ultra-cool dwarf stars. Over 21 days, NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope measured the drop in light as each planet passed in front of the star. Spitzer was able to identify a total of seven rocky worlds, including three in the habitable zone where life is possible. The study established the planets' size, distance from their sun and, for some of them, their approximate mass and density. It also established that some, if not all, these planets are tidally locked, meaning one face of the planet permanently faces their sun. The planets appear in the order of innermost to outermost planets. These artist's concepts were designed as follows: TRAPPIST-1b, closest to the star, was modeled on Jupiter's moon Io, which has volcanic features due to strong gravitational tugs. TRAPPIST-1c is shown as a rocky, warm world with a small ice cap on the side that never faces the star. TRAPPSIT-1d is rocky and has water only in a thin band along the terminator, dividing the day side and night side. TRAPPIST-1e and TRAPPIST-1f are both shown covered in water, but with progressively larger ice caps on the night side. TRAPPIST-1g is portrayed with an atmosphere like Neptune's, although it is still a rocky world. The farthest planet, TRAPPIST-1h, is shown as covered in ice, similar to Jupiter's icy moon Europa. The background stars are what you would see if you were in the TRAPPIST-1 system. Orion passes behind the planets, recognizable but distorted from what we're familiar with, in addition to Taurus and Pleiades. A video is available at http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21468

Stellar activity masquerading as planets in the habitable zone of the M dwarf Gliese 581

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robertson, Paul; Mahadevan, Suvrath; Endl, Michael; Roy, Arpita

2014-07-01

The M dwarf star Gliese 581 is believed to host four planets, including one (GJ 581d) near the habitable zone that could possibly support liquid water on its surface if it is a rocky planet. The detection of another habitable-zone planet—GJ 581g—is disputed, as its significance depends on the eccentricity assumed for d. Analyzing stellar activity using the Hα line, we measure a stellar rotation period of 130 ± 2 days and a correlation for Hα modulation with radial velocity. Correcting for activity greatly diminishes the signal of GJ 581d (to 1.5 standard deviations) while significantly boosting the signals of the other known super-Earth planets. GJ 581d does not exist, but is an artifact of stellar activity which, when incompletely corrected, causes the false detection of planet g.

The Effect of Host Star Spectral Energy Distribution and Ice-Albedo Feedback on the Climate of Extrasolar Planets

PubMed Central

Meadows, Victoria S.; Bitz, Cecilia M.; Pierrehumbert, Raymond T.; Joshi, Manoj M.; Robinson, Tyler D.

2013-01-01

Abstract Planetary climate can be affected by the interaction of the host star spectral energy distribution with the wavelength-dependent reflectivity of ice and snow. In this study, we explored this effect with a one-dimensional (1-D), line-by-line, radiative transfer model to calculate broadband planetary albedos as input to a seasonally varying, 1-D energy balance climate model. A three-dimensional (3-D) general circulation model was also used to explore the atmosphere's response to changes in incoming stellar radiation, or instellation, and surface albedo. Using this hierarchy of models, we simulated planets covered by ocean, land, and water-ice of varying grain size, with incident radiation from stars of different spectral types. Terrestrial planets orbiting stars with higher near-UV radiation exhibited a stronger ice-albedo feedback. We found that ice extent was much greater on a planet orbiting an F-dwarf star than on a planet orbiting a G-dwarf star at an equivalent flux distance, and that ice-covered conditions occurred on an F-dwarf planet with only a 2% reduction in instellation relative to the present instellation on Earth, assuming fixed CO2 (present atmospheric level on Earth). A similar planet orbiting the Sun at an equivalent flux distance required an 8% reduction in instellation, while a planet orbiting an M-dwarf star required an additional 19% reduction in instellation to become ice-covered, equivalent to 73% of the modern solar constant. The reduction in instellation must be larger for planets orbiting cooler stars due in large part to the stronger absorption of longer-wavelength radiation by icy surfaces on these planets in addition to stronger absorption by water vapor and CO2 in their atmospheres, which provides increased downwelling longwave radiation. Lowering the IR and visible-band surface ice and snow albedos for an M-dwarf planet increased the planet's climate stability against changes in instellation and slowed the descent into global

Preparing for Dawn's Mission at Ceres: Challenges and Opportunities in the Exploration of a Dwarf Planet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rayman, Marc D.; Mase, Robert A.

2014-01-01

After escaping from Vesta in 2012, Dawn is continuing its 2.5-year flight to dwarf planet Ceres. Investigating this second destination promises to provide a view of an intriguing world of ice and rock, likely displaying fascinating geology entirely unlike any body yet orbited by a spacecraft. Dawn spends the significant majority of the time thrusting with its ion propulsion system to deliver the 3.6 km/s required to rendezvous with Ceres. Meanwhile, the operations team has developed the sequences that will be used there. Following orbit capture in March 2015, Dawn will fly to a series of four circular polar science orbits. The orbits, ranging from about 13,500 km to 375 km in altitude, are designed to optimize the scientific observations. The overall strategy for exploring Ceres is based strongly on the extremely successful 16 months of Vesta operations, during which Dawn met or exceeded all of its objectives. Nevertheless, the loss of two of the spacecraft's four reaction wheels has necessitated some important changes. Based on a very productive hydrazine conservation campaign in the interplanetary cruise and the development of new hydrazine-efficient methods of operating at Ceres, there is good reason to expect that Dawn will be able to accomplish all of its objectives regardless of the health of the reaction wheels. This paper describes the progress in traveling to Ceres as well as the plans for exploring this giant, icy world.

Cloudless Atmospheres for L/T Dwarfs and Extrasolar Giant Planets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tremblin, P.; Amundsen, D. S.; Chabrier, G.; Baraffe, I.; Drummond, B.; Hinkley, S.; Mourier, P.; Venot, O.

2016-01-01

The admitted, conventional scenario to explain the complex spectral evolution of brown dwarfs (BDs) since their first detection 20 years ago has always been the key role played by micron-size condensates, called "dust" or "clouds," in their atmosphere. This scenario, however, faces major problems, in particular the J-band brightening and the resurgence of FeH absorption at the L to T transition, and a physical first-principle understanding of this transition is lacking. In this Letter, we propose a new, completely different explanation for BD and extrasolar giant planet (EGP) spectral evolution, without the need to invoke clouds. We show that, due to the slowness of the CO/ CH4 and N2/NH3 chemical reactions, brown dwarf (L and T, respectively) and EGP atmospheres are subject to a thermo-chemical instability similar in nature to the fingering or chemical convective instability present in Earth oceans and at the Earth core/mantle boundary. The induced small-scale turbulent energy transport reduces the temperature gradient in the atmosphere, explaining the observed increase in near-infrared J-H and J-K colors of L dwarfs and hot EGPs, while a warming up of the deep atmosphere along the L to T transition, as the CO/CH4 instability vanishes, naturally solves the two aforementioned puzzles, and provides a physical explanation of the L to T transition. This new picture leads to a drastic revision of our understanding of BD and EGP atmospheres and their evolution.

Young Brown Dwarfs and Giant Planets as Companions to Weak-Line T Tauri Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brandner, Wolfgang; Frink, Sabine; Kohler, Rainer; Kunkel, Michael

Weak-line T Tauri stars, contrary to classical T Tauri stars, no longer possess massive circumstellar disks. In weak-line T Tauri stars, the circumstellar matter was either accreted onto the T Tauri star or has been redistributed. Disk instabilities in the outer disk might result in the formation of brown dwarfs and giant planets. Based on photometric and spectroscopic studies of ROSAT sources, we have selected an initial sample of 200 weak-line T Tauri stars in the Chamaeleon T association and the Scorpius-Centaurus OB association. In the course of follow-up observations, we identified visual and spectroscopic binary stars and excluded them from our final list, as the complex dynamics and gravitational interaction in binary systems might aggravate or even completely inhibit the formation of planets (depending on physical separation of the binary components and their mass ratio). The membership of individual stars to the associations was established from proper motion studies and radial velocity surveys. Our final sample consists of 70 single weak-line T Tauri stars. We have initiated a program to spatially resolve young brown dwarfs and young giant planets as companions to single weak-line T Tauri stars using adaptive optics at the ESO 3.6 m telescope and HST/NICMOS. In this poster we describe the observing strategy and present first results of our adaptive optics observations. An update on the program status can be found at http://www.astro.uiuc.edu/~brandner/text/bd/bd.html

Sonora: A New Generation Model Atmosphere Grid for Brown Dwarfs and Young Extrasolar Giant Planets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marley, Mark S.; Saumon, Didier; Fortney, Jonathan J.; Morley, Caroline; Lupu, Roxana Elena; Freedman, Richard; Visscher, Channon

2017-01-01

Brown dwarf and giant planet atmospheric structure and composition has been studied both by forward models and, increasingly so, by retrieval methods. While indisputably informative, retrieval methods are of greatest value when judged in the context of grid model predictions. Meanwhile retrieval models can test the assumptions inherent in the forward modeling procedure. In order to provide a new, systematic survey of brown dwarf atmospheric structure, emergent spectra, and evolution, we have constructed a new grid of brown dwarf model atmospheres. We ultimately aim for our grid to span substantial ranges of atmospheric metallilcity, C/O ratios, cloud properties, atmospheric mixing, and other parameters. Spectra predicted by our modeling grid can be compared to both observations and retrieval results to aid in the interpretation and planning of future telescopic observations. We thus present Sonora, a new generation of substellar atmosphere models, appropriate for application to studies of L, T, and Y-type brown dwarfs and young extrasolar giant planets. The models describe the expected temperature-pressure profile and emergent spectra of an atmosphere in radiative-convective equilibrium for ranges of effective temperatures and gravities encompassing 200 less than or equal to T(sub eff) less than or equal to 2400 K and 2.5 less than or equal to log g less than or equal to 5.5. In our poster we briefly describe our modeling methodology, enumerate various updates since our group's previous models, and present our initial tranche of models for cloudless, solar metallicity, and solar carbon-to-oxygen ratio, chemical equilibrium atmospheres. These models will be available online and will be updated as opacities and cloud modeling methods continue to improve.

Three small transiting planets around the M-dwarf host star LP 358-499

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wells, R.; Poppenhaeger, K.; Watson, C. A.

2018-01-01

We report on the detection of three transiting small planets around the low-mass star LP 358-499 (K2-133), using photometric data from the Kepler-K2 mission. Using multiband photometry, we determine the host star to be an early M dwarf with an age likely older than a gigayear. The three detected planets K2-133 b, c and d have orbital periods of ca. 3, 4.9 and 11 d and transit depths of ca. 700, 1000 and 2000 ppm, respectively. We also report a planetary candidate EPIC 247887989.01 with a period of 26.6 d and a depth of ca. 1000 ppm, which may be at the inner edge of the stellar habitable zone, depending on the specific host star properties. Using the transit parameters and the stellar properties, we estimate that the innermost planet may be rocky. The system is suited for follow-up observations to measure planetary masses and JWST transmission spectra of planetary atmospheres.

The effect of a strong stellar flare on the atmospheric chemistry of an earth-like planet orbiting an M dwarf.

PubMed

Segura, Antígona; Walkowicz, Lucianne M; Meadows, Victoria; Kasting, James; Hawley, Suzanne

2010-09-01

Main sequence M stars pose an interesting problem for astrobiology: their abundance in our galaxy makes them likely targets in the hunt for habitable planets, but their strong chromospheric activity produces high-energy radiation and charged particles that may be detrimental to life. We studied the impact of the 1985 April 12 flare from the M dwarf AD Leonis (AD Leo), simulating the effects from both UV radiation and protons on the atmospheric chemistry of a hypothetical, Earth-like planet located within its habitable zone. Based on observations of solar proton events and the Neupert effect, we estimated a proton flux associated with the flare of 5.9 × 10⁸ protons cm⁻² sr⁻¹ s⁻¹ for particles with energies >10 MeV. Then we calculated the abundance of nitrogen oxides produced by the flare by scaling the production of these compounds during a large solar proton event called the Carrington event. The simulations were performed with a 1-D photochemical model coupled to a 1-D radiative/convective model. Our results indicate that the UV radiation emitted during the flare does not produce a significant change in the ozone column depth of the planet. When the action of protons is included, the ozone depletion reaches a maximum of 94% two years after the flare for a planet with no magnetic field. At the peak of the flare, the calculated UV fluxes that reach the surface, in the wavelength ranges that are damaging for life, exceed those received on Earth during less than 100 s. Therefore, flares may not present a direct hazard for life on the surface of an orbiting habitable planet. Given that AD Leo is one of the most magnetically active M dwarfs known, this conclusion should apply to planets around other M dwarfs with lower levels of chromospheric activity.

TRAPPIST-1 Planet Lineup

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-02-22

This artist's concept shows what the TRAPPIST-1 planetary system may look like, based on available data about the planets' diameters, masses and distances from the host star. The system has been revealed through observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and the ground-based TRAPPIST (TRAnsiting Planets and PlanetesImals Small Telescope) telescope, as well as other ground-based observatories. The system was named for the TRAPPIST telescope. The seven planets of TRAPPIST-1 are all Earth-sized and terrestrial, according to research published in 2017 in the journal Nature. TRAPPIST-1 is an ultra-cool dwarf star in the constellation Aquarius, and its planets orbit very close to it. They are likely all tidally locked, meaning the same face of the planet is always pointed at the star, as the same side of our moon is always pointed at Earth. This creates a perpetual night side and perpetual day side on each planet. TRAPPIST-1b and c receive the most light from the star and would be the warmest. TRAPPIST-1e, f and g all orbit in the habitable zone, the area where liquid water is most likely to be detected. But any of the planets could potentially harbor liquid water, depending on their compositions. In the imagined planets shown here, TRAPPIST-1b is shown as a larger analogue to Jupiter's moon Io. TRAPPIST-1d is depicted with a narrow band of water near the terminator, the divide between a hot, dry day and an ice-covered night side. TRAPPIST-1e and TRAPPIST-1f are both shown covered in water, but with progressively larger ice caps on the night side. TRAPPIST-1g is portrayed with an atmosphere like Neptune's, although it is still a rocky world. TRAPPIST-1h, the farthest from the star, would be the coldest. It is portrayed here as an icy world, similar to Jupiter's moon Europa, but the least is known about it. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21422

The Composition of the Dwarf Planet Ceres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rivkin, A.; Li, J. Y.; Milliken, R. E.; Lim, L. F.; Lovell, A.; Schmidt, B. E.; McFadden, L. A.

2012-12-01

Ceres, the largest object between Mars and Jupiter, is not easily classified. Its low density suggests a significant ice fraction, like the icy satellites. It is too warm for ice to remain stable over much of its surface, but may maintain ice at a depth of a few meters [1,2]. It is large enough to be in hydrostatic equilibrium, but is probably differentiated rock from ice rather than the metal-rock separation seen in the planets [3,4]. It is considered a "dwarf planet" in the current IAU scheme, the only one interior to Neptune. What we know about Ceres has to this point been determined via remote sensing. The first observations of Ceres were made in the visible-near IR (0.4-2.5 μm) spectral region, and established an overall similarity to carbonaceous chondrites based on a low albedo and relatively flat spectrum. Its visible specrtum places it within the C class, which dominates the middle of the asteroid belt [5,6]. Positive identifications of absorptions have been rare in this spectral region, beyond a decrease in reflectance shortward of 0.4 μm due to oxidized iron. A broad band centered near 1.1 μm is consistent with magnetite, which is also found in some carbonaceous chondrites [7]. Longer wavelengths have provided more quantitative identifications. A series of absorptions in the 3-4 μm region have been interpreted most recently as due to brucite and carbonates [8-11]. Mid-IR (8-13 μm) observations have inconsistently found evidence for carbonates, but on the whole are consistent with the 3-4 μm observations [12,13]. A list of identified and yet-unidentified [14,15] absorptions in Ceres' spectrum is presented in Table 1. In addition to these identified species, the possibility of near-surface ice on Ceres combined with a low obliquity and resultant low temperatures at high latitudes leads to the prospect of polar caps, undetected in our low spatial resolution data but observable from orbit. The possibility of solar wind-created OH and impactor

Searching for organics on the dwarf planet Ceres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nayak, Michael

The Herschel Space Observatory recently detected the presence of water vapor in observations of Ceres, bringing it into the crosshairs of the search for the building blocks of life in the solar system. I present a mission concept designed in collaboration with the NASA Ames Research Center for a two-probe mission to the dwarf planet Ceres, utilizing a pair of small low-cost spacecraft. The primary spacecraft will carry both a mass and an infrared spectrometer to characterize the detected vapor. Shortly after its arrival a second and largely similar spacecraft will impact Ceres to create an impact ejecta "plume" timed to enable a rendezvous and sampling by the primary spacecraft. This enables additional subsurface chemistry, volatile content and material characterization, and new science complementary to the Dawn spacecraft, the first to arrive at Ceres. Science requirements, candidate instruments, rendezvous trajectories, spacecraft design and comparison with Dawn science are detailed.

Host Star Dependence of Small Planet Mass–Radius Distributions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neil, Andrew R.; Rogers, Leslie A.

2018-05-01

The planet formation environment around M dwarf stars is different than around G dwarf stars. The longer hot protostellar phase, activity levels and lower protoplanetary disk mass of M dwarfs all may leave imprints on the composition distribution of planets. We use hierarchical Bayesian modeling conditioned on the sample of transiting planets with radial velocity mass measurements to explore small planet mass–radius distributions that depend on host star mass. We find that the current mass–radius data set is consistent with no host star mass dependence. These models are then applied to the Kepler planet radius distribution to calculate the mass distribution of close-orbiting planets and how it varies with host star mass. We find that the average heavy element mass per star at short orbits is higher for M dwarfs compared to FGK dwarfs, in agreement with previous studies. This work will facilitate comparisons between microlensing planet surveys and Kepler, and will provide an analysis framework that can readily be updated as more M dwarf planets are discovered by ongoing and future surveys such as K2 and the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite.

Recent Variability Observations of Solar System Giant Planets: Fresh Context for Understanding Exoplanet and Brown Dwarf Weather

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marley, Mark S.; Kepler Giant Planet Variability Team, Spitzer Ice Giant Variability Team

2016-10-01

Over the past several years a number of of high cadence photometric observations of solar system giant planets have been acquired by various platforms. Such observations are of interest as they provide points of comparison to the already expansive set of brown dwarf variability observations and the small, but growing, set of exoplanet variability observations. By measuring how rapidly the integrated light from solar system giant planets can evolve, variability observations of substellar objects that are unlikely to ever be resolved can be placed in a fuller context. Examples of brown dwarf variability observations include extensive work from the ground (e.g., Radigan et al. 2014), Spitzer (e.g., Metchev et al. 2015), Kepler (Gizis et al. 2015), and HST (Yang et al. 2015). Variability has been measured on the planetary mass companion to the brown dwarf 2MASS 1207b (Zhou et al. 2016) and further searches are planned in thermal emission for the known directly imaged planets with ground based telescopes (Apai et al. 2016) and in reflected light with future space based telescopes. Recent solar system variability observations include Kepler monitoring of Neptune (Simon et al. 2016) and Uranus, Spitzer observations of Neptune (Stauffer et al. 2016), and Cassini observations of Jupiter (West et al. in prep). The Cassini observations are of particular interest as they measured the variability of Jupiter at a phase angle of ˜60○, comparable to the viewing geometry expected for space based direct imaging of cool extrasolar Jupiters in reflected light. These solar system analog observations capture many of the characteristics seen in brown dwarf variability, including large amplitudes and rapid light curve evolution on timescales as short as a few rotation periods. Simon et al. (2016) attribute such variations at Neptune to a combination of large scale, stable cloud structures along with smaller, more rapidly varying, cloud patches. The observed brown dwarf and exoplanet

Recent Variability Observations of Solar System Giant Planets: Fresh Context for Understanding Exoplanet and Brown Dwarf Weather

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marley, Mark Scott

2016-01-01

Over the past several years a number of high cadence photometric observations of solar system giant planets have been acquired by various platforms. Such observations are of interest as they provide points of comparison to the already expansive set of brown dwarf variability observations and the small, but growing, set of exoplanet variability observations. By measuring how rapidly the integrated light from solar system giant planets can evolve, variability observations of substellar objects that are unlikely to ever be resolved can be placed in a fuller context. Examples of brown dwarf variability observations include extensive work from the ground (e.g., Radigen et al. 2014), Spitzer (e.g., Metchev et al. 2015), Kepler (Gizis et al. 2015), and HST (Yang et al. 2015).Variability has been measured on the planetary mass companion to the brown dwarf 2MASS 1207b (Zhou et al. 2016) and further searches are planned in thermal emission for the known directly imaged planets with ground based telescopes (Apai et al. 2016) and in reflected light with future space based telescopes. Recent solar system variability observations include Kepler monitoring of Neptune (Simon et al. 2016) and Uranus, Spitzer observations of Neptune (Stauffer et al. 2016), and Cassini observations of Jupiter (West et al. in prep). The Cassini observations are of particular interest as they measured the variability of Jupiter at a phase angle of approximately 60 deg, comparable to the viewing geometry expected for space based direct imaging of cool extrasolar Jupiters in reflected light. These solar system analog observations capture many of the characteristics seen in brown dwarf variability, including large amplitudes and rapid light curve evolution on timescales as short as a few rotation periods. Simon et al. (2016) attribute such variations at Neptune to a combination of large scale, stable cloud structures along with smaller, more rapidly varying, cloud patches. The observed brown dwarf and

CLOUDLESS ATMOSPHERES FOR L/T DWARFS AND EXTRASOLAR GIANT PLANETS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tremblin, P.; Amundsen, D. S.; Chabrier, G.

2016-02-01

The admitted, conventional scenario to explain the complex spectral evolution of brown dwarfs (BDs) since their first detection 20 years ago has always been the key role played by micron-size condensates, called “dust” or “clouds,” in their atmosphere. This scenario, however, faces major problems, in particular the J-band brightening and the resurgence of FeH absorption at the L to T transition, and a physical first-principle understanding of this transition is lacking. In this Letter, we propose a new, completely different explanation for BD and extrasolar giant planet (EGP) spectral evolution, without the need to invoke clouds. We show that, due to themore » slowness of the CO/CH{sub 4} and N{sub 2}/NH{sub 3} chemical reactions, brown dwarf (L and T, respectively) and EGP atmospheres are subject to a thermo-chemical instability similar in nature to the fingering or chemical convective instability present in Earth oceans and at the Earth core/mantle boundary. The induced small-scale turbulent energy transport reduces the temperature gradient in the atmosphere, explaining the observed increase in near-infrared J–H and J–K colors of L dwarfs and hot EGPs, while a warming up of the deep atmosphere along the L to T transition, as the CO/CH{sub 4} instability vanishes, naturally solves the two aforementioned puzzles, and provides a physical explanation of the L to T transition. This new picture leads to a drastic revision of our understanding of BD and EGP atmospheres and their evolution.« less

Ionisation and discharge in cloud-forming atmospheres of brown dwarfs and extrasolar planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Helling, Ch; Rimmer, P. B.; Rodriguez-Barrera, I. M.; Wood, Kenneth; Robertson, G. B.; Stark, C. R.

2016-07-01

Brown dwarfs and giant gas extrasolar planets have cold atmospheres with rich chemical compositions from which mineral cloud particles form. Their properties, like particle sizes and material composition, vary with height, and the mineral cloud particles are charged due to triboelectric processes in such dynamic atmospheres. The dynamics of the atmospheric gas is driven by the irradiating host star and/or by the rotation of the objects that changes during its lifetime. Thermal gas ionisation in these ultra-cool but dense atmospheres allows electrostatic interactions and magnetic coupling of a substantial atmosphere volume. Combined with a strong magnetic field \\gg {{B}\\text{Earth}} , a chromosphere and aurorae might form as suggested by radio and x-ray observations of brown dwarfs. Non-equilibrium processes like cosmic ray ionisation and discharge processes in clouds will increase the local pool of free electrons in the gas. Cosmic rays and lighting discharges also alter the composition of the local atmospheric gas such that tracer molecules might be identified. Cosmic rays affect the atmosphere through air showers in a certain volume which was modelled with a 3D Monte Carlo radiative transfer code to be able to visualise their spacial extent. Given a certain degree of thermal ionisation of the atmospheric gas, we suggest that electron attachment to charge mineral cloud particles is too inefficient to cause an electrostatic disruption of the cloud particles. Cloud particles will therefore not be destroyed by Coulomb explosion for the local temperature in the collisional dominated brown dwarf and giant gas planet atmospheres. However, the cloud particles are destroyed electrostatically in regions with strong gas ionisation. The potential size of such cloud holes would, however, be too small and might occur too far inside the cloud to mimic the effect of, e.g. magnetic field induced star spots.

Exoplanet detection. Stellar activity masquerading as planets in the habitable zone of the M dwarf Gliese 581.

PubMed

Robertson, Paul; Mahadevan, Suvrath; Endl, Michael; Roy, Arpita

2014-07-25

The M dwarf star Gliese 581 is believed to host four planets, including one (GJ 581d) near the habitable zone that could possibly support liquid water on its surface if it is a rocky planet. The detection of another habitable-zone planet--GJ 581g--is disputed, as its significance depends on the eccentricity assumed for d. Analyzing stellar activity using the Hα line, we measure a stellar rotation period of 130 ± 2 days and a correlation for Hα modulation with radial velocity. Correcting for activity greatly diminishes the signal of GJ 581d (to 1.5 standard deviations) while significantly boosting the signals of the other known super-Earth planets. GJ 581d does not exist, but is an artifact of stellar activity which, when incompletely corrected, causes the false detection of planet g. Copyright © 2014, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

The Effect of a Strong Stellar Flare on the Atmospheric Chemistry of an Earth-like Planet Orbiting an M Dwarf

PubMed Central

Walkowicz, Lucianne M.; Meadows, Victoria; Kasting, James; Hawley, Suzanne

2010-01-01

Abstract Main sequence M stars pose an interesting problem for astrobiology: their abundance in our galaxy makes them likely targets in the hunt for habitable planets, but their strong chromospheric activity produces high-energy radiation and charged particles that may be detrimental to life. We studied the impact of the 1985 April 12 flare from the M dwarf AD Leonis (AD Leo), simulating the effects from both UV radiation and protons on the atmospheric chemistry of a hypothetical, Earth-like planet located within its habitable zone. Based on observations of solar proton events and the Neupert effect, we estimated a proton flux associated with the flare of 5.9 × 108 protons cm−2 sr−1 s−1 for particles with energies >10 MeV. Then we calculated the abundance of nitrogen oxides produced by the flare by scaling the production of these compounds during a large solar proton event called the Carrington event. The simulations were performed with a 1-D photochemical model coupled to a 1-D radiative/convective model. Our results indicate that the UV radiation emitted during the flare does not produce a significant change in the ozone column depth of the planet. When the action of protons is included, the ozone depletion reaches a maximum of 94% two years after the flare for a planet with no magnetic field. At the peak of the flare, the calculated UV fluxes that reach the surface, in the wavelength ranges that are damaging for life, exceed those received on Earth during less than 100 s. Therefore, flares may not present a direct hazard for life on the surface of an orbiting habitable planet. Given that AD Leo is one of the most magnetically active M dwarfs known, this conclusion should apply to planets around other M dwarfs with lower levels of chromospheric activity. Key Words: M dwarf—Flare—Habitable zone—Planetary atmospheres. Astrobiology 10, 751–771. PMID:20879863

M-dwarf stellar winds: the effects of realistic magnetic geometry on rotational evolution and planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vidotto, A. A.; Jardine, M.; Morin, J.; Donati, J. F.; Opher, M.; Gombosi, T. I.

2014-02-01

We perform three-dimensional numerical simulations of stellar winds of early-M-dwarf stars. Our simulations incorporate observationally reconstructed large-scale surface magnetic maps, suggesting that the complexity of the magnetic field can play an important role in the angular momentum evolution of the star, possibly explaining the large distribution of periods in field dM stars, as reported in recent works. In spite of the diversity of the magnetic field topologies among the stars in our sample, we find that stellar wind flowing near the (rotational) equatorial plane carries most of the stellar angular momentum, but there is no preferred colatitude contributing to mass-loss, as the mass flux is maximum at different colatitudes for different stars. We find that more non-axisymmetric magnetic fields result in more asymmetric mass fluxes and wind total pressures ptot (defined as the sum of thermal, magnetic and ram pressures). Because planetary magnetospheric sizes are set by pressure equilibrium between the planet's magnetic field and ptot, variations of up to a factor of 3 in ptot (as found in the case of a planet orbiting at several stellar radii away from the star) lead to variations in magnetospheric radii of about 20 per cent along the planetary orbital path. In analogy to the flux of cosmic rays that impact the Earth, which is inversely modulated with the non-axisymmetric component of the total open solar magnetic flux, we conclude that planets orbiting M-dwarf stars like DT Vir, DS Leo and GJ 182, which have significant non-axisymmetric field components, should be the more efficiently shielded from galactic cosmic rays, even if the planets lack a protective thick atmosphere/large magnetosphere of their own.

Origins and Destinations: Tracking Planet Composition through Planet Formation Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chance, Quadry; Ballard, Sarah

2018-01-01

There are now several thousand confirmed exoplanets, a number which far exceeds our resources to study them all in detail. In particular, planets around M dwarfs provide the best opportunity for in-depth study of their atmospheres by telescopes in the near future. The question of which M dwarf planets most merit follow-up resources is a pressing one, given that NASA’s TESS mission will soon find hundreds of such planets orbiting stars bright enough for both ground and spaced-based follow-up.Our work aims to predict the approximate composition of planets around these stars through n-body simulations of the last stage of planet formation. With a variety of initial disk conditions, we investigate how the relative abundances of both refractory and volatile compounds in the primordial planetesimals are mapped to the final planet outcomes. These predictions can serve to provide a basis for making an educated guess about (a) which planets to observe with precious resources like JWST and (b) how to identify them based on dynamical clues.

To melt is not enough: Retention of volatile species through internal processing in icy bodies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarid, G.; Stewart-Mukhopadhyay, S.

2014-07-01

The outer Solar System hosts a vast population of small icy bodies, considered to be primitive remnants from the planet-formation epoch. Early thermal and collisional processes affected such planetesimals to varying degrees depending on the time scale and dynamics of early planet growth. Recent observations have revealed that many large (>˜1000 km in diameter) transneptunian objects (TNOs) exhibit features of crystalline water ice in their surface spectra [1], as well as spectral features of more volatile ices, such as methane or hydrated ammonia [2]. These telltale observations should be accounted for when considering the alteration history and bulk processing of dwarf planets and their icy progeny. We will discuss preliminary calculations of early evolution scenarios for small icy-rocky bodies formed beyond the water-ice snow line. Such objects should also contain non-negligible fractions of pre-organic volatile compounds. The volatile composition and interior structure of these objects may change considerably due to internal heating and/or collisional modification prior to settling in their current (relatively quiescent) dynamical niches. Our initial model for the objects in question is that of a porous aggregate of various volatile compounds (as ices or trapped gases) and refractory silicate-metal solid grains, comprising the bulk matrix [3]. Chemical compositions for these objects are taken from existing simulations of chemical and dynamical evolution of disk material [4]. The key volatile species (e.g., H_2O, CO, CO_2, NH_3, CH_4, and CH_3OH) are also the most commonly observed in comets [5], which are remnants of such an early planetesimal population. Thermal and chemical internal evolution is examined self-consistently, as the abundances and locations of all species evolve, and we record mass ratios, temperatures, pressures, and porosity variations. The presence of volatile species in the interior can affect the overall heat balance and accompanied phase

THE ROTATION PERIOD AND LIGHT-CURVE AMPLITUDE OF KUIPER BELT DWARF PLANET 136472 MAKEMAKE (2005 FY9)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Heinze, A. N.; DeLahunta, Daniel

Kuiper Belt dwarf planet 136472 Makemake, formerly known as 2005 FY9, is currently the third-largest known object in the Kuiper Belt, after the dwarf planets Pluto and Eris. It is currently second only to Pluto in apparent brightness, due to Eris' much larger heliocentric distance. Makemake shows very little photometric variability, which has prevented confident determination of its rotation period until now. Using extremely precise time-series photometry, we find that the rotation period of Makemake is 7.7710 {+-} 0.0030 hr, where the uncertainty is a 90% confidence interval. An alias period is detected at 11.41 hr, but is determined withmore » approximately 95% confidence not to be the true period. Makemake's 7.77 hr rotation period is in the typical range for Kuiper Belt objects, consistent with Makemake's apparent lack of a substantial satellite to alter its rotation through tides. The amplitude of Makemake's photometric light curve is 0.0286 {+-} 0.0016 mag in V. This amplitude is about 10 times less than Pluto's, which is surprising given the two objects' similar sizes and spectral characteristics. Makemake's photometric variability is instead similar to that of Eris, which is so small that no confident rotation period has yet been determined. It has been suggested that dwarf planets such as Makemake and Eris, both farther from the Sun and colder than Pluto, exhibit lower photometric variability because they are covered with a uniform layer of frost. Such a frost is probably the correct explanation for Eris. However, it may be inconsistent with the spectrum of Makemake, which resembles reddish Pluto more than neutrally colored Eris. Makemake may instead be a more Pluto-like object that we observe at present with a nearly pole-on viewing geometry-a possibility that can be tested with continuing observations over the coming decades.« less

Large Impact Features on Icy Galilean Satellites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, J. M.; Schenk, P. M.; Korycansky, D. G.

2017-01-01

Impact crater morphology can be a very useful tool for probing planetary interiors, but nowhere in the solar system is a greater variety of crater morphologies observed (Fig. 1) than on the large icy Galilean satellites Ganymede and Callisto [e.g., 1- 3]. As on the rocky terrestrial planets, impact crater morphology becomes more complex with increasing size on these satellites. With increasing size, however, these same craters become less like their counterparts on the rocky planets. Several impact landforms and structures (multiring furrows, palimpsests, and central domes, for example), have no obvious analogs on any other planets. Further, several studies [e.g., 4-6] have drawn attention to impact landforms on Europa which are unusual, even by Galilean satellite standards. These radical differences in morphology suggest that impact into icy lithospheres that are mechanically distinct from silicate lithospheres may be responsible. As such, large impact structures may be important probes of the interiors of these bodies over time [e.g., 7]. The first goal of this work is to integrate and correlate the detailed morphologic and morphometric measurements and observations of craters on icy Galilean satellites [e.g., 4, 8-12] with new detailed mapping of these structures from Galileo high-resolution images. As a result, we put forward a revised crater taxonomy for Ganymede and Callisto in order to simplify the nonuniform impact crater nomenclature cluttering the literature. We develop and present an integrated model for the development of these unusual crater morphologies and their implications for the thermal evolution of these bodies.

Significance of brown dwarfs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Black, D. C.

1986-01-01

The significance of brown dwarfs for resolving some major problems in astronomy is discussed. The importance of brown dwarfs for models of star formation by fragmentation of molecular clouds and for obtaining independent measurements of the ages of stars in binary systems is addressed. The relationship of brown dwarfs to planets is considered.

Sowing the Seeds of Planets? (Artist's Concept)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] Planet Clumps and Crystals around Brown Dwarfs

This artist's concept shows microscopic crystals in the dusty disk surrounding a brown dwarf, or 'failed star.' The crystals, made up of a green mineral found on Earth called olivine, are thought to help seed the formation of planets.

NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope detected the tiny crystals circling around five brown dwarfs, the cooler and smaller cousins of stars. Though crystallized minerals have been seen in space before -- in comets and around other stars -- the discovery represents the first time the little gem-like particles have been spotted around confirmed brown dwarfs.

Astronomers believe planets form out of disks of dust that circle young brown dwarfs and stars. Over time, the various minerals making up the disks crystallize and begin to clump together. Eventually, the clumps collide and stick, building up mass like snowmen until planets are born.

About the Graph: Planet Clumps and Crystals around Brown Dwarfs The graph of data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the spectra (middle four lines) of dusty disks around four brown dwarfs, or 'failed stars,' located 520 light-years away in the Chamaeleon constellation. The data suggest that the dust in these disks is crystallizing and clumping together in what may be the birth of planets.

Spectra are created by breaking light apart into its basic components, like a prism turning sunlight into a rainbow. Their bumps represent the 'fingerprints' or signatures of different minerals.

Here, the light green vertical bands highlight the spectral fingerprints of crystals made up primarily of a green silicate mineral found on Earth called olivine. As the graph illustrates, three of the four brown dwarfs possess these microscopic gem-like particles. For comparison, the spectra of dust between stars (top) and the comet Hale-Bopp (bottom) are shown. The comet has the tiny

Extrasolar Planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deeg, Hans; Belmonte, Juan Antonio; Aparicio, Antonio

2012-03-01

Participants; Preface; Acknowledgements; 1. Extrasolar planet detection methods Laurance R. Doyle; 2. Statistical properties of exoplanets Stéphane Udry; 3. Characterizing extrasolar planets Timothy M. Brown; 4. From clouds to planet systems: formation and evolution of stars and planets Günther Wuchterl; 5. Abundances in stars with extrasolar planetary systems Garik Israelian; 6. Brown dwarfs: the bridge between stars and planets Rafael Rebolo; 7. The perspective: a panorama of the Solar System Agustín Sánchez-Lavega; 8. Habitable planets around the Sun and other stars James F. Kasting; 9. Biomarkers of extrasolar planets and their observability Franck Selsis, Jimmy Paillet and France Allard; Index.

Our Solar System Features Eight Planets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2009-01-01

Our solar system features eight planets, seen in this artist's diagram. Although there is some debate within the science community as to whether Pluto should be classified as a Planet or a dwarf planet, the International Astronomical Union has decided on the term plutoid as a name for dwarf planets like Pluto.

This representation is intentionally fanciful, as the planets are depicted far closer together than they really are. Similarly, the bodies' relative sizes are inaccurate. This is done for the purpose of being able to depict the solar system and still represent the bodies with some detail. (Otherwise the Sun would be a mere speck, and the planets even the majestic Jupiter would be far too small to be seen.)

Migration of icy planetesimals to forming terrestrial planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ipatov, Sergei I.; Marov, Mikhail

2016-07-01

Our studies of migration of planetesimals from the feeding zone of Jupiter and Saturn to forming terrestrial planets were based on computer simulations of the orbital evolution of 10^4 planetesimals under the gravitational influence of planets. In series JN, all planets were considered in present orbits with present masses, and in series JS, Uranus and Neptune were excluded. Initial eccentricities and inclinations of planetesimals were 0.3 and 0.15 rad, respectively. Their initial semi-major axes were between 4.5 and 12 AU. Masses of planets moving in the orbits of the terrestrial planets were equal to present masses of the planets in series JS and JN, and were smaller by a factor of 10 in series JS_{01} and JN_{01}. The obtained results show that the ratio of the fraction of the planetesimals collided with an embryo of the Earth's embryo was about 2\\cdot10^{-6} and 4\\cdot10^{-7} for the mass of the embryo equal to the Earth mass and to 10% of the Earth mass, respectively. We concluded that during the growth of the mass of the Earth's embryo up to a half of the present mass of the Earth, the amount of water delivered to the embryo could be about 30% of all water delivered to the Earth from the feeding zone of Jupiter and Saturn. The total mass of water delivered to the Earth from the feeding zones of the giant planets and beyond these zones could be comparable with the mass of the Earth's oceans. A half of this water could come from the feeding zone of Jupiter and Saturn, and another half from more distant regions. Most of the water that was delivered from the distant regions to the Earth's embryo came when its mass was not small (e.g., was mainly greater than a half of the Earth mass). In series JS, the ratio of the mass of water delivered to a planet to the mass of the planet for the Earth was smaller by a factor of 2, 1.25, and 1.3 than for Mars, Venus and Mercury, respectively. For series JN, the above values of the factor were equal to 3.4, 0.7 i 0.8. For

Constraining the Properties of Small Stars and Small Planets Observed by K2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dressing, Courtney D.; Newton, Elisabeth R.; Charbonneau, David; Schlieder, Josh; Hawaii/California/Arizona/Indiana K2 Follow-up Consortium, HARPS-N Consortium

2016-01-01

We are using the results of the NASA K2 mission (the second career of the Kepler spacecraft) to study how the frequency and architectures of planetary systems orbiting M dwarfs throughout the ecliptic plane compare to those of the early M dwarf planetary systems observed by Kepler. In a previous analysis of the Kepler data set, we found that planets orbiting early M dwarfs are common: we measured a cumulative planet occurrence rate of 2.45 +/- 0.22 planets per M dwarf with periods of 0.5-200 days and planet radii of 1-4 Earth radii. Within a conservative habitable zone based on the moist greenhouse inner limit and maximum greenhouse outer limit, we estimated an occurrence rate of 0.15 (+0.18/-0.06) Earth-size planets and 0.09 (+0.10/-0.04) super-Earths per M dwarf HZ. Applying these occurrence rates to the population of nearby stars and assuming that mid- and late-M dwarfs host planets at the same rate as early M dwarfs, we predicted that the nearest potentially habitable Earth-size planet likely orbits an M dwarf a mere 2.6 ± 0.4 pc away. We are now testing the assumption of equal planet occurrence rates for M dwarfs of all types by inspecting the population of planets detected by K2 and conducting follow-up observations of planet candidate host stars to identify false positives and better constrain system parameters. I will present the results of recent observing runs with SpeX on the IRTF to obtain near-infrared spectra of low-mass stars targeted by K2 and determine the radii, temperatures, and metallicities of our target stars using empirical relations. We gratefully acknowledge funding from the NASA XRP Program, the John Templeton Foundation, and the NASA Sagan Fellowship Program.

The Longevity of Water Ice on Ganymedes and Europas around Migrated Giant Planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lehmer, Owen R.; Catling, David C.; Zahnle, Kevin J.

2017-04-01

The gas giant planets in the Solar System have a retinue of icy moons, and we expect giant exoplanets to have similar satellite systems. If a Jupiter-like planet were to migrate toward its parent star the icy moons orbiting it would evaporate, creating atmospheres and possible habitable surface oceans. Here, we examine how long the surface ice and possible oceans would last before being hydrodynamically lost to space. The hydrodynamic loss rate from the moons is determined, in large part, by the stellar flux available for absorption, which increases as the giant planet and icy moons migrate closer to the star. At some planet-star distance the stellar flux incident on the icy moons becomes so great that they enter a runaway greenhouse state. This runaway greenhouse state rapidly transfers all available surface water to the atmosphere as vapor, where it is easily lost from the small moons. However, for icy moons of Ganymede’s size around a Sun-like star we found that surface water (either ice or liquid) can persist indefinitely outside the runaway greenhouse orbital distance. In contrast, the surface water on smaller moons of Europa’s size will only persist on timescales greater than 1 Gyr at distances ranging 1.49-0.74 au around a Sun-like star for Bond albedos of 0.2 and 0.8, where the lower albedo becomes relevant if ice melts. Consequently, small moons can lose their icy shells, which would create a torus of H atoms around their host planet that might be detectable in future observations.

OGLE-2013-BLG-1761Lb: A Massive Planet around an MK Dwarf

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hirao, Y.; Udalski, A.; Sumi, T.; Bennett, D. P.; Koshimoto, N.; Bond, I. A.; Rattenbury, N. J.; Suzuki, D.; Abe, F.; Asakura, Y.;

The size, shape, density and ring of the dwarf planet Haumea from a stellar occultation.

PubMed

Ortiz, J L; Santos-Sanz, P; Sicardy, B; Benedetti-Rossi, G; Bérard, D; Morales, N; Duffard, R; Braga-Ribas, F; Hopp, U; Ries, C; Nascimbeni, V; Marzari, F; Granata, V; Pál, A; Kiss, C; Pribulla, T; Komžík, R; Hornoch, K; Pravec, P; Bacci, P; Maestripieri, M; Nerli, L; Mazzei, L; Bachini, M; Martinelli, F; Succi, G; Ciabattari, F; Mikuz, H; Carbognani, A; Gaehrken, B; Mottola, S; Hellmich, S; Rommel, F L; Fernández-Valenzuela, E; Bagatin, A Campo; Cikota, S; Cikota, A; Lecacheux, J; Vieira-Martins, R; Camargo, J I B; Assafin, M; Colas, F; Behrend, R; Desmars, J; Meza, E; Alvarez-Candal, A; Beisker, W; Gomes-Junior, A R; Morgado, B E; Roques, F; Vachier, F; Berthier, J; Mueller, T G; Madiedo, J M; Unsalan, O; Sonbas, E; Karaman, N; Erece, O; Koseoglu, D T; Ozisik, T; Kalkan, S; Guney, Y; Niaei, M S; Satir, O; Yesilyaprak, C; Puskullu, C; Kabas, A; Demircan, O; Alikakos, J; Charmandaris, V; Leto, G; Ohlert, J; Christille, J M; Szakáts, R; Farkas, A Takácsné; Varga-Verebélyi, E; Marton, G; Marciniak, A; Bartczak, P; Santana-Ros, T; Butkiewicz-Bąk, M; Dudziński, G; Alí-Lagoa, V; Gazeas, K; Tzouganatos, L; Paschalis, N; Tsamis, V; Sánchez-Lavega, A; Pérez-Hoyos, S; Hueso, R; Guirado, J C; Peris, V; Iglesias-Marzoa, R

2017-10-11

Haumea-one of the four known trans-Neptunian dwarf planets-is a very elongated and rapidly rotating body. In contrast to other dwarf planets, its size, shape, albedo and density are not well constrained. The Centaur Chariklo was the first body other than a giant planet known to have a ring system, and the Centaur Chiron was later found to possess something similar to Chariklo's rings. Here we report observations from multiple Earth-based observatories of Haumea passing in front of a distant star (a multi-chord stellar occultation). Secondary events observed around the main body of Haumea are consistent with the presence of a ring with an opacity of 0.5, width of 70 kilometres and radius of about 2,287 kilometres. The ring is coplanar with both Haumea's equator and the orbit of its satellite Hi'iaka. The radius of the ring places it close to the 3:1 mean-motion resonance with Haumea's spin period-that is, Haumea rotates three times on its axis in the time that a ring particle completes one revolution. The occultation by the main body provides an instantaneous elliptical projected shape with axes of about 1,704 kilometres and 1,138 kilometres. Combined with rotational light curves, the occultation constrains the three-dimensional orientation of Haumea and its triaxial shape, which is inconsistent with a homogeneous body in hydrostatic equilibrium. Haumea's largest axis is at least 2,322 kilometres, larger than previously thought, implying an upper limit for its density of 1,885 kilograms per cubic metre and a geometric albedo of 0.51, both smaller than previous estimates. In addition, this estimate of the density of Haumea is closer to that of Pluto than are previous estimates, in line with expectations. No global nitrogen- or methane-dominated atmosphere was detected.

Microlensing Discovery of an Earth-Mass Planet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, Susanna

2017-04-01

What do we know about planet formation around stars that are so light that they cant fuse hydrogen in their cores? The new discovery of an Earth-mass planet orbiting what is likely a brown dwarf may help us better understand this process.Planets Around Brown Dwarfs?Comparison of the sizes of the Sun, a low-mass star, a brown dwarf, Jupiter, and Earth. [NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCB]Planets are thought to form from the material inprotoplanetary disks around their stellar hosts. But the lowest-mass end of the stellar spectrum brown dwarfs, substellar objects so light that they straddle the boundary between planet and star will have correspondingly light disks. Do brown dwarfs disks typically have enough mass to form Earth-mass planets?To answer this question, scientists have searched for planets around brown dwarfs with marginal success. Thus far, only four such planets have been found and these systems may not be typical, since they were discovered via direct imaging. To build a more representative sample, wed like to discover exoplanets around brown dwarfs via a method that doesnt rely on imaging the faint light of the system.A diagram of how planets are detected via gravitational microlensing. The detectable planet is in orbit around the foreground lens star. [NASA]Lensed Light as a GiveawayConveniently, such a method exists and its recently been used to make a major discovery! The planet OGLE-2016-BLG-1195Lb was detected as a result of a gravitational microlensing event that was observed both from the ground and from space.The discovery of a planet via microlensing occurs when the light of a distant source star is magnified by a passing foreground star hosting a planet. The light curve of the source shows a distinctive magnification signature as a result of the gravitational lensing from the foreground star, and the gravitational field of the lensing stars planet can add its own detectable blip to the curve.OGLE-2016-BLG-1195LbThe magnification curve of OGLE-2016-BLG-1195

The Maximum Mass of a Planet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schlaufman, Kevin C.

2018-06-01

Giant planet occurrence is a steeply increasing function of FGK dwarf host star metallicity, and this is interpreted as support for the core-accretion model of giant planet formation. On the other hand, the occurrence of low-mass stellar companions to FGK dwarf stars does not appear to depend on stellar metallicity. The mass at which objects no longer prefer metal-rich FGK dwarf host stars can therefore be used to infer the maximum mass of objects that form like planets through core accretion. I'll show that objects more massive than about 10 M_Jup do not orbit metal-rich host stars and that this transition is coincident with a minimum in the occurrence rate of such objects. These facts suggest that the maximum mass of a celestial body formed through core accretion like a planet is less than 10 M_Jup. This observation can be used to infer the properties of protoplanetary disks and reveals that the Type I and Type II disk migration problems---two major issues for the modern model of planet formation---are not problems at all.

The CARMENES Search for Exoplanets around M Dwarfs: A Low-mass Planet in the Temperate Zone of the Nearby K2-18

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarkis, Paula; Henning, Thomas; Kürster, Martin; Trifonov, Trifon; Zechmeister, Mathias; Tal-Or, Lev; Anglada-Escudé, Guillem; Hatzes, Artie P.; Lafarga, Marina; Dreizler, Stefan; Ribas, Ignasi; Caballero, José A.; Reiners, Ansgar; Mallonn, Matthias; Morales, Juan C.; Kaminski, Adrian; Aceituno, Jesús; Amado, Pedro J.; Béjar, Victor J. S.; Hagen, Hans-Jürgen; Jeffers, Sandra; Quirrenbach, Andreas; Launhardt, Ralf; Marvin, Christopher; Montes, David

2018-06-01

K2-18 is a nearby M2.5 dwarf, located at 34 pc and hosting a transiting planet that was first discovered by the K2 mission and later confirmed with Spitzer Space Telescope observations. With a radius of ∼2 R ⊕ and an orbital period of ∼33 days, the planet lies in the temperate zone of its host star and receives stellar irradiation similar to that of Earth. Here we perform radial velocity follow-up observations with the visual channel of CARMENES with the goal of determining the mass and density of the planet. We measure a planetary semi-amplitude of K b ∼ 3.5 {{m}} {{{s}}}-1 and a mass of M b ∼ 9 M ⊕, yielding a bulk density around {ρ }b∼ 4 {{g}} {cm}}-3. This indicates a low-mass planet with a composition consistent with a solid core and a volatile-rich envelope. A signal at 9 days was recently reported using radial velocity measurements taken with the HARPS spectrograph. This was interpreted as being due to a second planet. We see a weaker, time- and wavelength-dependent signal in the CARMENES data set and thus favor stellar activity for its origin. K2-18 b joins the growing group of low-mass planets detected in the temperate zone of M dwarfs. The brightness of the host star in the near-infrared makes the system a good target for detailed atmospheric studies with the James Webb Space Telescope.

Ages of M Dwarf Stars from their Alpha Enhancement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muirhead, Philip Steven; Veyette, Mark

2018-01-01

M dwarf stars dominate stellar populations, and recent results from NASA's Kepler Mission suggest rocky planets are abundant around M dwarf stars. With so many planets orbiting M dwarfs, exoplanet scientists can now turn to questions about their history and evolution. Unfortunately, measuring fundamental properties of M dwarfs is challenging for a variety of reasons. I will discuss the importance of near-infrared spectroscopy in this effort. With high-resolution near-infrared spectroscopy covering Y to K band, we can measure detailed fundamental properties of low-mass stars. With new techniques to measure stellar alpha and iron abundances, we can begin to measure the most challenging fundamental property of M dwarfs: their age. These efforts are even more exciting in the coming years, when the TESS spacecraft is expected to discover five times as many planets orbiting low-mass stars as Kepler.

Plume Collection Strategies for Icy World Sample Return

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Neveu, M.; Glavin, D. P.; Tsou, P.; Anbar, A. D.; Williams, P.

2015-01-01

Three icy worlds in the solar system display evidence of pluming activity. Water vapor and ice particles emanate from cracks near the south pole of Saturn's moon Enceladus. The plume gas contains simple hydrocarbons that could be fragments of larger, more complex organics. More recently, observations using the Hubble and Herschel space telescopes have hinted at transient water vapor plumes at Jupiter's moon Europa and the dwarf planet Ceres. Plume materials may be ejected directly from possible sub-surface oceans, at least on Enceladus. In such oceans, liquid water, organics, and energy may co-exist, making these environments habitable. The venting of habitable ocean material into space provides a unique opportunity to capture this material during a relatively simple flyby mission and return it to Earth. Plume collection strategies should enable investigations of evidence for life in the returned samples via laboratory analyses of the structure, distribution, isotopic composition, and chirality of the chemical components (including biomolecules) of plume materials. Here, we discuss approaches for the collection of dust and volatiles during flybys through Enceladus' plume, based on Cassini results and lessons learned from the Stardust comet sample return mission. We also highlight areas where sample collector and containment technology development and testing may be needed for future plume sample return missions.

The K Dwarf Advantage for Biosignatures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arney, Giada; Domagal-Goldman, Shawn David; Meadows, Victoria

2018-01-01

Biosignature detection is typically studied in the context of an atmosphere in chemical disequilibrium. Oxygen (O2) and methane (CH4) are generally considered the “canonical” biosignature disequilibrium pair. However, the modern CH4 concentration poses a major detection challenge to future direct imaging telescopes, and it has been difficult for Earth to accumulate spectrally detectable quantities of O2 and CH4 over its history (Olson et al 2016, Reinhard et al 2017). Even the lower atmospheric levels of O2 typical of the Earth’s Proterozoic eon (0.01-1% of the modern O2 amount) may have resulted in a reduced photochemical lifetime of CH4 due to decreased UV shielding of CH4 (Claire et al 2006, Goldblatt et al 2006). However, while the above is true for an Earthlike planet orbiting a sunlike star, the situation changes for other stars. For instance, Segura et al (2005) found longer photochemical lifetimes for CH4 in the atmospheres of Earthlike planets orbiting M dwarfs. M dwarfs, however, present several barriers to planetary habitability including desiccation during the stellar super-luminous pre-main sequence phase (Lugar and Barnes 2015) and tidal locking. K dwarfs, which comprise about 12% of all main sequence stars, avoid these M dwarf hazards, and will be important targets for future exoplanet direct imaging missions. Using a photochemical model, we find CH4 and O2 are simultaneously detectable in the atmospheres of K dwarf planets with various O2 concentrations ranging between Proterozoic levels and modern O2 amounts. For instance, for a planet with an Earth-like CH4 surface flux (1 x 1011 molecules/cm2/s) and a Proterozoic-like O2 level (1% of modern), the planet generates a CH4 surface mixing ratio of 1x10-5 for a planet orbiting the sun, and 1.5x10-4 – an order of magnitude more CH4 – for a planet orbiting a K6V star. This is enough to produce detectable CH4 and O2 for the planet orbiting the K6V star. We discuss the implications of this �

Forced-folding by laccolith and saucer-shaped sill intrusions on the Earth, planets and icy satellites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Michaut, Chloé

2017-04-01

Horizontal intrusions probably initially start as cracks, with negligible surface deformation. Once their horizontal extents become large enough compared to their depths, they make room for themselves by lifting up their overlying roofs, creating characteristic surface deformations that can be observed at the surface of planets. We present a model where magma flows below a thin elastic overlying layer characterized by a flexural wavelength Λ and study the dynamics and morphology of such a magmatic intrusion. Our results show that, depending on its size, the intrusion present different shapes and thickness-to-radius relationships. During a first phase, elastic bending of the overlying layer is the main source of driving pressure in the flow; the pressure decreases as the flow radius increases, the intrusion is bell-shaped and its thickness is close to being proportional to its radius. When the intrusion radius becomes larger than 4 times Λ, the flow enters a gravity current regime and progressively develops a pancake shape with a flat top. We study the effect of topography on flow spreading in particular in the case where the flow is constrained by a lithostatic barrier within a depression, such as an impact crater on planets or a caldera on Earth. We show that the resulting shape for the flow depends on the ratio between the flexural wavelength of the layer overlying the intrusion and the depression radius. The model is tested against terrestrial data and is shown to well explain the size and morphology of laccoliths and saucer-shaped sills on Earth. We use our results to detect and characterize shallow solidified magma reservoirs in the crust of terrestrial planets and potential shallow water reservoirs in the ice shell of icy satellites.

Flaring Red Dwarf Star (Illustration)

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-06-06

This illustration shows a red dwarf star orbited by a hypothetical exoplanet. Red dwarfs tend to be magnetically active, displaying gigantic arcing prominences and a wealth of dark sunspots. Red dwarfs also erupt with intense flares that could strip a nearby planet's atmosphere over time, or make the surface inhospitable to life as we know it. By mining data from the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) spacecraft, a team of astronomers identified dozens of flares at a range of durations and strengths. The team measured events with less total energy than many previously detected flares from red dwarfs. This is important because, although individually less energetic and therefore less hostile to life, smaller flares might be much more frequent and add up over time to produce a cumulative effect on an orbiting planet. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21473

The HARPS search for southern extra-solar planets. XLII. A system of Earth-mass planets around the nearby M dwarf YZ Ceti

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Astudillo-Defru, N.; Díaz, R. F.; Bonfils, X.; Almenara, J. M.; Delisle, J.-B.; Bouchy, F.; Delfosse, X.; Forveille, T.; Lovis, C.; Mayor, M.; Murgas, F.; Pepe, F.; Santos, N. C.; Ségransan, D.; Udry, S.; Wünsche, A.

2017-09-01

Exoplanet surveys have shown that systems with multiple low-mass planets on compact orbits are common. Except for a few cases, however, the masses of these planets are generally unknown. At the very end of the main sequence, host stars have the lowest mass and hence offer the largest reflect motion for a given planet. In this context, we monitored the low-mass (0.13 M⊙) M dwarf YZ Cet (GJ 54.1, HIP 5643) intensively and obtained radial velocities and stellar-activity indicators derived from spectroscopy and photometry, respectively. We find strong evidence that it is orbited by at least three planets in compact orbits (POrb = 1.97, 3.06, 4.66 days), with the inner two near a 2:3 mean-motion resonance. The minimum masses are comparable to the mass of Earth (M sin I = 0.75 ± 0.13, 0.98 ± 0.14, and 1.14 ± 0.17 M⊕), and they are also the lowest masses measured by radial velocity so far. We note the possibility for a fourth planet with an even lower mass of M sin I = 0.472 ± 0.096 M⊕ at POrb = 1.04 days. An n-body dynamical model is used to place further constraints on the system parameters. At 3.6 parsecs, YZ Cet is the nearest multi-planet system detected to date. Based on observations made with the HARPS instrument on the ESO 3.6 m telescope under the program IDs 180.C-0886(A), 183.C-0437(A), and 191.C-0873(A) at Cerro La Silla (Chile).Radial velocity data (Table B.4) are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/605/L11

Alpha Elements' Effects on Planet Formation and the Hunt for Extragalactic Planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Penny, Matthew; Rodriguez, Joseph E.; Beatty, Thomas; Zhou, George

2018-01-01

A star's likelihood of hosting a giant planet is well known to be strongly dependent on metallicity. However, little is known about what elements cause this correlation (e.g. bulk metals, iron, or alpha elements such as silicon and oxygen). This is likely because most planet searches target stars in the Galactic disk, and due to Galactic chemical evolution, alpha element abundances are themselves correlated with metallicity within a population. We investigate the feasibility of simultaneous transiting planet search towards the alpha-poor Sagittarius dwarf galaxy and alpha-rich Galactic bulge in a single field of view of DECam, that would enable a comparative study of planet frequency over an [alpha/Fe] baseline of ~0.4 dex. We show that a modestly sized survey could detect planet candidates in both populations, but that false positive rejection in Sgr Dwarf may be prohibitively expensive. Conversely, two-filter survey observations alone would be sufficient to rule out a large fraction of bulge false positives, enabling statistical validation of candidates with a modest follow-up investment. Although over a shorter [alpha/Fe] baseline, this survey would provide a test of whether it is alpha or iron that causes the planet metallicity correlation.

The potential of planets orbiting red dwarf stars to support oxygenic photosynthesis and complex life

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gale, Joseph; Wandel, Amri

2017-01-01

We review the latest findings on extra-solar planets and their potential of having environmental conditions that could support Earth-like life. Focusing on planets orbiting red dwarf (RD) stars, the most abundant stellar type in the Milky Way, we show that including RDs as potential life supporting host stars could increase the probability of finding biotic planets by a factor of up to a thousand, and reduce the estimate of the distance to our nearest biotic neighbour by up to 10. We argue that binary and multiple star systems need to be taken into account when discussing habitability and the abundance of biotic exoplanets, in particular RDs in such systems. Early considerations indicated that conditions on RD planets would be inimical to life, as their habitable zones would be so close to the host star as to make planets tidally locked. This was thought to cause an erratic climate and expose life forms to flares of ionizing radiation. Recent calculations show that these negative factors are less severe than originally thought. It has also been argued that the lesser photon energy of the radiation of the relatively cool RDs would not suffice for oxygenic photosynthesis (OP) and other related energy expending reactions. Numerous authors suggest that OP on RD planets may evolve to utilize photons in the infrared. We however argue, by analogy to the evolution of OP and the environmental physiology and distribution of land-based vegetation on Earth, that the evolutionary pressure to utilize infrared radiation would be small. This is because vegetation on RD planets could enjoy continuous illumination of moderate intensity, containing a significant component of photosynthetic 400-700 nm radiation. We conclude that conditions for OP could exist on RD planets and consequently the evolution of complex life might be possible. Furthermore, the huge number and the long lifetime of RDs make it more likely to find planets with photosynthesis and life around RDs than around

Studies of Planet Formation Using a Hybrid N-Body + Planetesimal Code

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kenyon, Scott J.

2004-01-01

The goal of our proposal was to use a hybrid multi-annulus planetesimal/n-body code to examine the planetesimal theory, one of the two main theories of planet formation. We developed this code to follow the evolution of numerous 1 m to 1 km planetesimals as they collide, merge, and grow into full-fledged planets. Our goal was to apply the code to several well-posed, topical problems in planet formation and to derive observational consequences of the models. We planned to construct detailed models to address two fundamental issues: (1) icy planets: models for icy planet formation will demonstrate how the physical properties of debris disks - including the Kuiper Belt in our solar system - depend on initial conditions and input physics; and (2) terrestrial planets: calculations following the evolution of 1-10 km planetesimals into Earth-mass planets and rings of dust will provide a better understanding of how terrestrial planets form and interact with their environment.

The Transit Light Source Effect: False Spectral Features and Incorrect Densities for M-dwarf Transiting Planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rackham, Benjamin V.; Apai, Dániel; Giampapa, Mark S.

2018-02-01

Transmission spectra are differential measurements that utilize stellar illumination to probe transiting exoplanet atmospheres. Any spectral difference between the illuminating light source and the disk-integrated stellar spectrum due to starspots and faculae will be imprinted in the observed transmission spectrum. However, few constraints exist for the extent of photospheric heterogeneities in M dwarfs. Here we model spot and faculae covering fractions consistent with observed photometric variabilities for M dwarfs and the associated 0.3–5.5 μm stellar contamination spectra. We find that large ranges of spot and faculae covering fractions are consistent with observations and corrections assuming a linear relation between variability amplitude, and covering fractions generally underestimate the stellar contamination. Using realistic estimates for spot and faculae covering fractions, we find that stellar contamination can be more than 10× larger than the transit depth changes expected for atmospheric features in rocky exoplanets. We also find that stellar spectral contamination can lead to systematic errors in radius and therefore the derived density of small planets. In the case of the TRAPPIST-1 system, we show that TRAPPIST-1's rotational variability is consistent with spot covering fractions {f}{spot}={8}-7+18 % and faculae covering fractions {f}{fac}={54}-46+16 % . The associated stellar contamination signals alter the transit depths of the TRAPPIST-1 planets at wavelengths of interest for planetary atmospheric species by roughly 1–15× the strength of planetary features, significantly complicating JWST follow-up observations of this system. Similarly, we find that stellar contamination can lead to underestimates of the bulk densities of the TRAPPIST-1 planets of {{Δ }}(ρ )=-{8}-20+7 % , thus leading to overestimates of their volatile contents.

Characterizing K2 Planetary Systems Orbiting Cool Dwarfs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dressing, Courtney D.; Newton, Elisabeth R.; Schlieder, Joshua; Vanderburg, Andrew; Charbonneau, David; Knutson, Heather; K2C2

2017-01-01

The NASA K2 mission is using the repurposed Kepler spacecraft to search for transiting planets in multiple fields along the ecliptic plane. K2 observes 10,000 - 30,000 stars in each field for roughly 80 days, which is too short to observe multiple transits of planets in the habitable zones of Sun-like stars, but long enough to detect potentially habitable planets orbiting low-mass dwarfs. Accordingly, M and K dwarfs are frequently nominated as K2 Guest Observer targets and K2 has already observed significantly more low-mass stars than the original Kepler mission. While the K2 data are therefore an enticing resource for studying the properties and frequency of planetary systems orbiting low-mass stars, many K2 cool dwarfs are not well-characterized. We are refining the properties of K2 planetary systems orbiting cool dwarfs by acquiring medium-resolution NIR spectra with SpeX on the IRTF and TripleSpec on the Palomar 200". In our initial sample of 144 potential cool dwarfs hosting candidate planetary systems detected by K2, we noted a high contamination rate from giants (16%) and reddened hotter dwarfs (31%). After employing empirically-based relations to determine the temperatures, radii, masses, luminosities, and metallicities of K2 planet candidate host stars, we found that our new cool dwarf radius estimates were 10-40% larger than the initial values, indicating that the radii of the associated planet candidates were also underestimated. Refining the stellar parameters allows us to identify astrophysical false positives and better constrain the radii and insolation flux environments of bona fide transiting planets. I will present our resulting catalog of system properties and highlight the most attractive K2 planets for radial velocity mass measurement and atmospheric characterization with Spitzer, HST, JWST, and the next generation of extremely large ground- and space-based telescopes. We gratefully acknowledge funding from the NASA Sagan Fellowship Program

Optimization of Planet Finder Observing Strategy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sinukoff, E.

2014-03-01

We evaluate radial velocity observing strategies to be considered for future planethunting surveys with the Automated Planet Finder, a new 2.4-m telescope at Lick Observatory. Observing strategies can be optimized to mitigate stellar noise, which can mask and imitate the weak Doppler signals of low-mass planets. We estimate and compare sensitivities of 5 different observing strategies to planets around G2-M2 dwarfs, constructing RV noise models for each stellar spectral type, accounting for acoustic, granulation, and magnetic activity modes. The strategies differ in exposure time, nightly and monthly cadence, and number of years. Synthetic RV time-series are produced by injecting a planet signal onto the stellar noise, sampled according to each observing strategy. For each star and each observing strategy, thousands of planet injection recovery trials are conducted to determine the detection efficiency as a function of orbital period, minimum mass, and eccentricity. We find that 4-year observing strategies of 10 nights per month are sensitive to planets ~25-40% lower in mass than the corresponding 1 year strategies of 30 nights per month. Three 5-minute exposures spaced evenly throughout each night provide a 10% gain in sensitivity over the corresponding single 15-minute exposure strategies. All strategies are sensitive to planets of lowest mass around the modeled K7 dwarf. This study indicates that APF surveys adopting the 4-year strategies should detect Earth-mass planets on < 10-day orbits around quiet late-K dwarfs as well as > 1.6 Earth-mass planets in their habitable zones.

Analysis of the dynamics of a spacecraft around the dwarf planet Haumea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanchez, Diogo; Yokoyama, Tadashi; Prado, Antonio

The dwarf planet Haumea have intrigued the scientific community since its discovery in the year 2003, due to the peculiarities of his shape. A Kuiper Belt Object (KBO), Haumea is a tri-axial oblate ellipsoid with approximated dimensions of 500 x 750 x 1000 km with a possible density range of 2.6 g/cm³ to 3.3 g/cm³, which imply in a small ice fraction [1,2]. These characteristics and its high spin (period of 3.9154 h), indicate that Haumea is a parent of a collisional family which includes its two moons, Hi'iaka and Namaka. Several papers with simulations of this collision family were published in the last years (like the work of Volk and Malhotra, 2012 [3]). Therefore, the exploration of the Haumea system can provide important information about the formation of the KBOs and, consequently, about the Solar System itself. Focusing on a future scientific mission to the Haumea system, we will calculate sets of values of the low order harmonic terms of the gravitational potential of the Haumea, taking into account the values of the mass, the density range, and the approximated dimensions. For each set of values, and also considering the perturbation of Hi'iaka and Namaka, and the solar radiation pressure, several numerical simulations of spacecrafts around Haumea will be made, in order to analyze the orbital behavior of these spacecrafts, and to determine stable and unstable regions around Haumea. We also expect that our results will be useful to a real mission in the future. [1]Ragozzine, D., Brown, M. E., “Orbits and masses of the satellites of the dwarf planet Haumea (2003 EL61).” The Astronomical Journal Vol. 137, 2009, pp. 4766-4776. [2]Dumas, C. et al., “High-contrast observations of (136108) Haumea - A crystalline water-ice multiple system.” Astronomy and Astrophysics Vol. 528, A105, 2011. [3]Volk, K., Malhotra, R., “The effect of orbital evolution on the Haumea (2003 EL61) collisional family.” Icarus Vol. 221, 2012, pp. 106-115.

OGLE-2013-BLG-1761Lb: A Massive Planet around an M/K Dwarf

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirao, Y.; Udalski, A.; Sumi, T.; Bennett, D. P.; Koshimoto, N.; Bond, I. A.; Rattenbury, N. J.; Suzuki, D.; and; Abe, F.; Asakura, Y.; Barry, R. K.; Bhattacharya, A.; Donachie, M.; Evans, P.; Fukui, A.; Itow, Y.; Li, M. C. A.; Ling, C. H.; Masuda, K.; Matsubara, Y.; Matsuo, T.; Muraki, Y.; Nagakane, M.; Ohnishi, K.; Ranc, C.; Saito, To.; Sharan, A.; Shibai, H.; Sullivan, D. J.; Tristram, P. J.; Yamada, T.; Yamada, T.; Yonehara, A.; MOA Collaboration; Poleski, R.; Skowron, J.; Mróz, P.; Szymański, M. K.; Kozłowski, S.; Pietrukowicz, P.; Soszyński, I.; Wyrzykowski, Ł.; Ulaczyk, K.; OGLE Collaboration

2017-07-01

We report the discovery and the analysis of the planetary microlensing event, OGLE-2013-BLG-1761. There are some degenerate solutions in this event because the planetary anomaly is only sparsely sampled. However, the detailed light-curve analysis ruled out all stellar binary models and shows the lens to be a planetary system. There is the so-called close/wide degeneracy in the solutions with the planet/host mass ratio of q ˜ (7.0 ± 2.0) × 10-3 and q ˜ (8.1 ± 2.6) × 10-3 with the projected separation in Einstein radius units of s = 0.95 (close) and s = 1.18 (wide), respectively. The microlens parallax effect is not detected, but the finite source effect is detected. Our Bayesian analysis indicates that the lens system is located DL=6.9-1.2+1.0 kpc away from us and the host star is an M/K dwarf with a mass of ML=0.33-0.19+0.32 M⊙ orbited by a super-Jupiter mass planet with a mass of mP=2.7-1.5+2.5 MJup at the projected separation of a\\perp=1.8-0.5+0.5 au. The preference of the large lens distance in the Bayesian analysis is due to the relatively large observed source star radius. The distance and other physical parameters may be constrained by the future high-resolution imaging by large ground telescopes or HST. If the estimated lens distance is correct, then this planet provides another sample for testing the claimed deficit of planets in the Galactic bulge.

Magnetospheric structure and atmospheric Joule heating of habitable planets orbiting M-dwarf stars

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cohen, O.; Drake, J. J.; Garraffo, C.

2014-07-20

We study the magnetospheric structure and the ionospheric Joule Heating of planets orbiting M-dwarf stars in the habitable zone using a set of magnetohydrodynamic models. The stellar wind solution is used to drive a model for the planetary magnetosphere, which is coupled with a model for the planetary ionosphere. Our simulations reveal that the space environment around close-in habitable planets is extreme, and the stellar wind plasma conditions change from sub- to super-Alfvénic along the planetary orbit. As a result, the magnetospheric structure changes dramatically with a bow shock forming in the super-Alfvénic sectors, while no bow shock forms inmore » the sub-Alfvénic sectors. The planets reside most of the time in the sub-Alfvénic sectors with poor atmospheric protection. A significant amount of Joule Heating is provided at the top of the atmosphere as a result of the intense stellar wind. For the steady-state solution, the heating is about 0.1%-3% of the total incoming stellar irradiation, and it is enhanced by 50% for the time-dependent case. The significant Joule Heating obtained here should be considered in models for the atmospheres of habitable planets in terms of the thickness of the atmosphere, the top-side temperature and density, the boundary conditions for the atmospheric pressure, and particle radiation and transport. Here we assume constant ionospheric Pedersen conductance similar to that of the Earth. The conductance could be greater due to the intense EUV radiation leading to smaller heating rates. We plan to quantify the ionospheric conductance in future study.« less

Clouds and hazes in exoplanets and brown dwarfs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morley, Caroline Victoria

The formation of clouds significantly alters the spectra of cool substellar atmospheres from terrestrial planets to brown dwarfs. In cool planets like Earth and Jupiter, volatile species like water and ammonia condense to form ice clouds. In hot planets and brown dwarfs, iron and silicates instead condense, forming dusty clouds. Irradiated methane-rich planets may have substantial hydrocarbon hazes. During my dissertation, I have studied the impact of clouds and hazes in a variety of substellar objects. First, I present results for cool brown dwarfs including clouds previously neglected in model atmospheres. Model spectra that include sulfide and salt clouds can match the spectra of T dwarf atmospheres; water ice clouds will alter the spectra of the newest and coldest brown dwarfs, the Y dwarfs. These sulfide/salt and ice clouds potentially drive spectroscopic variability in these cool objects, and this variability should be distinguishable from variability caused by hot spots. Next, I present results for small, cool exoplanets between the size of Earth and Neptune. They likely have sulfide and salt clouds and also have photochemical hazes caused by stellar irradiation. Vast resources have been dedicated to characterizing the handful of super Earths and Neptunes accessible to current telescopes, yet of the planets smaller than Neptune studied to date, all have radii in the near-infrared consistent with being constant in wavelength, likely showing that these small planets are consistently enshrouded in thick hazes and clouds. For the super Earth GJ 1214b, very thick, lofted clouds of salts or sulfides in high metallicity (1000x solar) atmospheres create featureless transmission spectra in the near-infrared. Photochemical hazes also create featureless transmission spectra at lower metallicities. For the Neptune-sized GJ 436b, its thermal emission and transmission spectra combine indicate a high metallicity atmosphere, potentially heated by tides and affected by

M2K Planet Search: Spectroscopic Screening and Transit Photometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mann, Andrew; Gaidos, E.; Fischer, D.; Lepine, S.

2010-10-01

The M2K project is a search for planets orbiting nearby early M and late K dwarf drawn from the SUPERBLINK catalog. M and K dwarfs are highly attractive targets for finding low-mass and habitable planets because (1) close-in planets are more likely to orbit within their habitable zone, (2) planets orbiting them induce a larger Doppler signal and have deeper transits than similar planets around F, G, and early K type stars, (3) planet formation models predict they hold an abundance of super-Earth sized planets, and (4) they represent the vast majority of the stars close enough for direct imaging techniques. In spite of this, only 10% of late K and early M dwarfs are being monitored by current Doppler surveys. As part of the M2K project we have obtained low-resolution spectra for more than 2000 of our sample of 10,000 M and K dwarfs. We vet our sample by screening these stars for high metallicity and low chromospheric activity. We search for transits on targets showing high RMS Doppler signal and photometry candidates provided by SuperWASP project. By using "snapshot” photometry have been able to achieve sub-millimag photometry on numerous transit targets in the same night. With further follow-up observations we will be able to detect planets smaller than 10 Earth masses.

Wobbly Planet Orbital Schematic Illustration

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-02-04

This illustration shows the unusual orbit of planet Kepler-413b around a close pair of orange and red dwarf stars. The planet 66-day orbit is tilted 2.5 degrees with respect to the plane of the binary stars orbit.

Unstable low-mass planetary systems as drivers of white dwarf pollution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mustill, Alexander J.; Villaver, Eva; Veras, Dimitri; Gänsicke, Boris T.; Bonsor, Amy

2018-05-01

At least 25 {per cent} of white dwarfs show atmospheric pollution by metals, sometimes accompanied by detectable circumstellar dust/gas discs or (in the case of WD 1145+017) transiting disintegrating asteroids. Delivery of planetesimals to the white dwarf by orbiting planets is a leading candidate to explain these phenomena. Here, we study systems of planets and planetesimals undergoing planet-planet scattering triggered by the star's post-main-sequence mass loss, and test whether this can maintain high rates of delivery over the several Gyr that they are observed. We find that low-mass planets (Earth to Neptune mass) are efficient deliverers of material and can maintain the delivery for Gyr. Unstable low-mass planetary systems reproduce the observed delayed onset of significant accretion, as well as the slow decay in accretion rates at late times. Higher-mass planets are less efficient, and the delivery only lasts a relatively brief time before the planetesimal populations are cleared. The orbital inclinations of bodies as they cross the white dwarf's Roche limit are roughly isotropic, implying that significant collisional interactions of asteroids, debris streams and discs can be expected. If planet-planet scattering is indeed responsible for the pollution of white dwarfs, many such objects, and their main-sequence progenitors, can be expected to host (currently undetectable) super-Earth planets on orbits of several au and beyond.

Geomorphological evidence for ground ice on dwarf planet Ceres

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schmidt, Britney E.; Hughson, Kynan H.G.; Chilton, Heather T.; Scully, Jennifer E. C.; Platz, Thomas; Nathues, Andreas; Sizemore, Hanna; Bland, Michael T.; Byrne, Shane; Marchi, Simone; O'Brien, David; Schorghofer, Norbert; Hiesinger, Harald; Jaumann, Ralf; Hendrick Pasckert, Jan; Lawrence, Justin D.; Buzckowski, Debra; Castillo-Rogez, Julie C.; Sykes, Mark V.; Schenk, Paul M.; DeSanctis, Maria-Cristina; Mitri, Giuseppe; Formisano, Michelangelo; Li, Jian-Yang; Reddy, Vishnu; Le Corre, Lucille; Russell, Christopher T.; Raymond, Carol A.

2017-01-01

Five decades of observations of Ceres suggest that the dwarf planet has a composition similar to carbonaceous meteorites and may have an ice-rich outer shell protected by a silicate layer. NASA’s Dawn spacecraft has detected ubiquitous clays, carbonates and other products of aqueous alteration across the surface of Ceres, but surprisingly it has directly observed water ice in only a few areas. Here we use Dawn Framing Camera observations to analyse lobate morphologies on Ceres’ surface and we infer the presence of ice in the upper few kilometres of Ceres. We identify three distinct lobate morphologies that we interpret as surface flows: thick tongue-shaped, furrowed flows on steep slopes; thin, spatulate flows on shallow slopes; and cuspate sheeted flows that appear fluidized. The shapes and aspect ratios of these flows are different from those of dry landslides—including those on ice-poor Vesta—but are morphologically similar to ice-rich flows on other bodies, indicating the involvement of ice. Based on the geomorphology and poleward increase in prevalence of these flows, we suggest that the shallow subsurface of Ceres is comprised of mixtures of silicates and ice, and that ice is most abundant near the poles.

Predictions of Planet Detections with Near-infrared Radial Velocities in the Upcoming SPIRou Legacy Survey-planet Search

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cloutier, Ryan; Artigau, Étienne; Delfosse, Xavier; Malo, Lison; Moutou, Claire; Doyon, René; Donati, Jean-Francois; Cumming, Andrew; Dumusque, Xavier; Hébrard, Élodie; Menou, Kristen

2018-02-01

The SPIRou near-infrared spectropolarimeter is destined to begin science operations at the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope in mid-2018. One of the instrument’s primary science goals is to discover the closest exoplanets to the solar system by conducting a three- to five-year long radial velocity survey of nearby M dwarfs at an expected precision of ∼1 m s‑1, the SPIRou Legacy Survey-Planet Search (SLS-PS). In this study, we conduct a detailed Monte Carlo simulation of the SLS-PS using our current understanding of the occurrence rate of M dwarf planetary systems and physical models of stellar activity. From simultaneous modeling of planetary signals and activity, we predict the population of planets to be detected in the SLS-PS. With our fiducial survey strategy and expected instrument performance over a nominal survey length of ∼3 years, we expect SPIRou to detect {85.3}-12.4+29.3 planets including {20.0}-7.2+16.8 habitable-zone planets and {8.1}-3.2+7.6 Earth-like planets from a sample of 100 M1–M8.5 dwarfs out to 11 pc. By studying mid-to-late M dwarfs previously inaccessible to existing optical velocimeters, SPIRou will put meaningful constraints on the occurrence rate of planets around those stars including the value of {η }\\oplus at an expected level of precision of ≲ 45 % . We also predict that a subset of {46.7}-6.0+16.0 planets may be accessible with dedicated high-contrast imagers on the next generation of extremely large telescopes including {4.9}-2.0+4.7 potentially imagable Earth-like planets. Lastly, we compare the results of our fiducial survey strategy to other foreseeable survey versions to quantify which strategy is optimized to reach the SLS-PS science goals. The results of our simulations are made available to the community on GitHub (https://github.com/r-cloutier/SLSPS_Simulations).

NGTS-1b: a hot Jupiter transiting an M-dwarf

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bayliss, Daniel; Gillen, Edward; Eigmüller, Philipp; McCormac, James; Alexander, Richard D.; Armstrong, David J.; Booth, Rachel S.; Bouchy, François; Burleigh, Matthew R.; Cabrera, Juan; Casewell, Sarah L.; Chaushev, Alexander; Chazelas, Bruno; Csizmadia, Szilard; Erikson, Anders; Faedi, Francesca; Foxell, Emma; Gänsicke, Boris T.; Goad, Michael R.; Grange, Andrew; Günther, Maximilian N.; Hodgkin, Simon T.; Jackman, James; Jenkins, James S.; Lambert, Gregory; Louden, Tom; Metrailler, Lionel; Moyano, Maximiliano; Pollacco, Don; Poppenhaeger, Katja; Queloz, Didier; Raddi, Roberto; Rauer, Heike; Raynard, Liam; Smith, Alexis M. S.; Soto, Maritza; Thompson, Andrew P. G.; Titz-Weider, Ruth; Udry, Stéphane; Walker, Simon R.; Watson, Christopher A.; West, Richard G.; Wheatley, Peter J.

2018-04-01

We present the discovery of NGTS-1b, a hot Jupiter transiting an early M-dwarf host (Teff,* = 3916 ^{+71}_{-63} K) in a P = 2.647 d orbit discovered as part of the Next Generation Transit Survey (NGTS). The planet has a mass of 0.812 ^{+0.066}_{-0.075} MJ, making it the most massive planet ever discovered transiting an M-dwarf. The radius of the planet is 1.33 ^{+0.61}_{-0.33} RJ. Since the transit is grazing, we determine this radius by modelling the data and placing a prior on the density from the population of known gas giant planets. NGTS-1b is the third transiting giant planet found around an M-dwarf, reinforcing the notion that close-in gas giants can form and migrate similar to the known population of hot Jupiters around solar-type stars. The host star shows no signs of activity, and the kinematics hint at the star being from the thick disc population. With a deep (2.5 per cent) transit around a K = 11.9 host, NGTS-1b will be a strong candidate to probe giant planet composition around M-dwarfs via James Webb Space Telescope transmission spectroscopy.

Tracking an Exodus: Lost Children of the Dwarf Planet Haumea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maggard, Steven; Ragozzine, Darin

2017-10-01

The orbital properties of Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) refine our understanding of the formation of the solar system. One object of particular interest is the dwarf planet Haumea which experienced a collision in the early stages of our solar system that ejected shards form its surface and spread them over a localized part of the Kuiper Belt. Detailed orbital integrations are required to determine the dynamical distances between family members, in the form of "Delta v" as measured from conserved proper orbital elements (Ragozzine & Brown 2007). In the past 10 years, the number of known KBOs has tripled; here, we perform dynamical integrations to triple the number of candidate Haumea family members. The resulting improved understanding of Haumea's family will bring us closer to understanding its formation. In order to place more secure estimates on the dynamical classification of Haumea family members (and KBOs generally), we use OpenOrb to perform rigorous Bayesian uncertainty propagation from observational uncertainty into orbital elements and then into dynamical classifications. We will discuss our methodology, the new Haumea family members, and some implications for the Haumea family.

Full-lifetime simulations of multiple planets across all phases of stellar evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Veras, D.; Mustill, A. J.; Gänsicke, B. T.; Redfield, S.; Georgakarakos, N.; Bowler, A. B.; Lloyd, M. J. S.

2017-09-01

We know that planetary systems are just as common around white dwarfs as around main-sequence stars. However, self-consistently linking a planetary system across these two phases of stellar evolution through the violent giant branch poses computational challenges, and previous studies restricted architectures to equal-mass planets. Here, we remove this constraint and perform over 450 numerical integrations over a Hubble time (14 Gyr) of packed planetary systems with unequal-mass planets. We characterize the resulting trends as a function of planet order and mass. We find that intrusive radial incursions in the vicinity of the white dwarf become less likely as the dispersion amongst planet masses increases. The orbital meandering which may sustain a sufficiently dynamic environment around a white dwarf to explain observations is more dependent on the presence of terrestrial-mass planets than any variation in planetary mass. Triggering unpacking or instability during the white dwarf phase is comparably easy for systems of unequal-mass planets and systems of equal-mass planets; instabilities during the giant branch phase remain rare and require fine-tuning of initial conditions. We list the key dynamical features of each simulation individually as a potential guide for upcoming discoveries.

The Potential for Volcanism and Tectonics on Extrasolar Terrestrial Planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quick, Lynnae C.; Roberge, Aki

2018-01-01

JWST and other next-generation space telescopes (e.g., LUVOIR, HabEx, & OST) will usher in a new era of exoplanet characterization that may lead to the identification of habitable, Earth-like worlds. Like the planets and moons in our solar system, the surfaces and interiors of terrestrial exoplanets may be shaped by volcanism and tectonics (Fu et al., 2010; van Summeren et al., 2011; Henning and Hurford, 2014). The magnitude and rate of occurrence of these dynamic processes can either facilitate or preclude the existence of habitable environments. Likewise, it has been suggested that detections of cryovolcanism on icy exoplanets, in the form of geyser-like plumes, could indicate the presence of subsurface oceans (Quick et al., 2017).The presence of volcanic and tectonic activity on solid exoplanets will be intimately linked to planet size and heat output in the form of radiogenic and/or tidal heating. In order to place bounds on the potential for such activity, we estimated the heat output of a variety of exoplanets observed by Kepler. We considered planets whose masses and radii range from 0.067 ME (super-Ganymede) to 8 ME (super-Earth), and 0.5 to 1.8 RE, respectively. These heat output estimates were then compared to those of planets, moons, and dwarf planets in our solar system for which we have direct evidence for the presence/absence of volcanic and tectonic activity. After exoplanet heating rates were estimated, depths to putative molten layers in their interiors were also calculated. For planets such as TRAPPIST-1h, whose densities, orbital parameters, and effective temperatures are consistent with the presence of significant amounts of H2O (Luger et al., 2017), these calculations reveal the depths to internal oceans which may serve as habitable niches beneath surface ice layers.

The Longevity of Water Ice on Ganymedes and Europas around Migrated Giant Planets

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lehmer, Owen R.; Catling, David C.; Zahnle, Kevin J., E-mail: olehmer@gmail.com

The gas giant planets in the Solar System have a retinue of icy moons, and we expect giant exoplanets to have similar satellite systems. If a Jupiter-like planet were to migrate toward its parent star the icy moons orbiting it would evaporate, creating atmospheres and possible habitable surface oceans. Here, we examine how long the surface ice and possible oceans would last before being hydrodynamically lost to space. The hydrodynamic loss rate from the moons is determined, in large part, by the stellar flux available for absorption, which increases as the giant planet and icy moons migrate closer to themore » star. At some planet–star distance the stellar flux incident on the icy moons becomes so great that they enter a runaway greenhouse state. This runaway greenhouse state rapidly transfers all available surface water to the atmosphere as vapor, where it is easily lost from the small moons. However, for icy moons of Ganymede’s size around a Sun-like star we found that surface water (either ice or liquid) can persist indefinitely outside the runaway greenhouse orbital distance. In contrast, the surface water on smaller moons of Europa’s size will only persist on timescales greater than 1 Gyr at distances ranging 1.49–0.74 au around a Sun-like star for Bond albedos of 0.2 and 0.8, where the lower albedo becomes relevant if ice melts. Consequently, small moons can lose their icy shells, which would create a torus of H atoms around their host planet that might be detectable in future observations.« less

Results of two multichord stellar occultations by dwarf planet (1) Ceres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gomes-Júnior, A. R.; Giacchini, B. L.; Braga-Ribas, F.; Assafin, M.; Vieira-Martins, R.; Camargo, J. I. B.; Sicardy, B.; Timerson, B.; George, T.; Broughton, J.; Blank, T.; Benedetti-Rossi, G.; Brooks, J.; Dantowitz, R. F.; Dunham, D. W.; Dunham, J. B.; Ellington, C. K.; Emilio, M.; Herpich, F. R.; Jacques, C.; Maley, P. D.; Mehret, L.; Mello, A. J. T.; Milone, A. C.; Pimentel, E.; Schoenell, W.; Weber, N. S.

2015-08-01

We report the results of two multichord stellar occultations by the dwarf planet (1) Ceres that were observed from Brazil on 2010 August 17, and from the USA on 2013 October 25. Four positive detections were obtained for the 2010 occultation, and nine for the 2013 occultation. Elliptical models were adjusted to the observed chords to obtain Ceres' size and shape. Two limb-fitting solutions were studied for each event. The first one is a nominal solution with an indeterminate polar aspect angle. The second one was constrained by the pole coordinates as given by Drummond et al. Assuming a Maclaurin spheroid, we determine an equatorial diameter of 972 ± 6 km and an apparent oblateness of 0.08 ± 0.03 as our best solution. These results are compared to all available size and shape determinations for Ceres made so far, and shall be confirmed by the NASA's Dawn space mission.

Planetary Analogs in Antarctica: Icy Satellites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Malin, M. C.

1985-01-01

As part of a study to provide semi-quantitative techniques to date past Antarctic glaciations, sponsored by the Antarctic Research Program, field observations pertinent to other planets were also acquired. The extremely diverse surface conditions, marked by extreme cold and large amounts of ice, provide potential terrain and process analogs to the icy satellites of Jupiter and Saturn. Thin ice tectonic features and explosion craters (on sea ice) and deformation features on thicker ice (glaciers) are specifically addressed.

Planets Under a Red Sun Artist Concept

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-04-08

This artist concept illustrates a young, red dwarf star surrounded by three planets. NASA Galaxy Evolution Explorer is helping to identify young, red dwarf stars that are close to us by detecting their ultraviolet light.

VLA Detects Unexplained Radio Emission From Three Brown Dwarfs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2005-01-01

Astronomers have discovered three brown dwarfs -- enigmatic objects that are neither stars nor planets -- emitting radio waves that scientists cannot explain. The three newly-discovered radio-emitting brown dwarfs were found as part of a systematic study of nearby brown dwarfs using the National Science Foundation's Very Large Array (VLA) radio telescope. The VLA The Very Large Array CREDIT: NRAO/AUI/NSF (Click on image for VLA gallery) Until 2001, scientists believed that brown dwarfs, which are intermediate in mass between stars and planets, could not emit detectable amounts of radio waves. That year, summer students at the VLA made the first discovery of radio emission from a brown dwarf. Subsequently, as many as a half- dozen more radio-emitting brown dwarfs were discovered. "It clearly had become time to make a systematic study and try to find out just what percentage of brown dwarfs are emitting radio waves," said Rachel Osten, an astronomer at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) in Charlottesville, Virginia. Osten was assisted in the project in the summer of 2004 by Lynnae Quick, a student at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University; Tim Bastian, also an astronomer at NRAO; and Suzanne Hawley, an astronomer at the University of Washington. The research team presented their results to the American Astronomical Society's meeting in San Diego, CA. The three new detections of radio-emitting brown dwarfs are just the first results from the systematic study, which aims to observe all the known brown dwarfs within about 45 light-years of Earth. "We want to be able to say definitively just how common radio emission is among brown dwarfs," Osten explained. The study involves observing 65 individual brown dwarfs, so these new detections represent just the beginning of the results expected from the study. Brown dwarfs are too big to be planets but too small to be true stars, as they have too little mass to trigger hydrogen fusion reactions

Detection of extrasolar planets by the large deployable reflector

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hollenbach, D. J.; Takahashi, T.

1984-01-01

The best wavelength for observing Jupiter-size planetary companions to stars other than the Sun is one at which a planet's thermal emission is strongest; typically this would occur in the far-infrared region. It is assumed that the orbiting infrared telescope used is diffraction-limited so that the resolution of the planet from the central star is accomplished in the wings of the star's Airy pattern. Proxima Centauri, Barnard's Star, Wolf 359, and Epsilon Eridani are just a few of the many nearest main-sequence stars that could be studied with the large deployable relfector (LDR). The detectability of a planet improves for warmer planets and less luminous stars; therefore, planets around white dwarfs and those young planets which have sufficient internal gravitational energy release so as to cause a significant increase in their temperatures are considered. If white dwarfs are as old as they are usually assumed to be (5-10 billion yr), then only the nearest white dwarf (Sirius B) is within the range of LDR. The Ursa Major cluster and Perseu cluster are within LDR's detection range mainly because of their proximity and young age, respectively.

EVAPORATION OF ICY PLANETESIMALS DUE TO BOW SHOCKS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tanaka, Kyoko K.; Yamamoto, Tetsuo; Tanaka, Hidekazu

2013-02-20

We present the novel concept of evaporation of planetesimals as a result of bow shocks associated with planetesimals orbiting with supersonic velocities relative to the gas in a protoplanetary disk. We evaluate the evaporation rates of the planetesimals based on a simple model describing planetesimal heating and evaporation by the bow shock. We find that icy planetesimals with radius {approx}>100 km evaporate efficiently even outside the snow line in the stage of planetary oligarchic growth, where strong bow shocks are produced by gravitational perturbations from protoplanets. The obtained results suggest that the formation of gas giant planets is suppressed owingmore » to insufficient accretion of icy planetesimals onto the protoplanet within the {approx}<5 AU disk region.« less

Exploring an Earth-sized neighbor: ground-based transmission spectroscopy of GJ1132b, a rocky planet transiting a small nearby M-dwarf

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diamond-Lowe, Hannah; Berta-Thompson, Zachory K.; Charbonneau, David; Irwin, Jonathan; Newton, Elisabeth R.; Dittmann, Jason

2017-01-01

The terrestrial planets of the Solar System are rocky worlds that did not accrete envelopes of hydrogen and helium, but instead possess thin secondary atmospheres, or no atmosphere at all. Until recently, most exoplanet atmospheric studies have centered around hot Jupiters, for which high planet-to-star radius ratios and short orbital periods allowed for observable transmission spectra. Now we have the opportunity to probe the atmosphere of a small, rocky exoplanet. GJ1132b has a radius of 1.2 Earth radii and a mass of 1.6 Earth masses, and orbits an M-dwarf 12 parsecs away. Determining the composition of GJ1132b's atmosphere is essential to understanding the nature of atmospheric evolution on terrestrial planets. We observed five transits of GJ1132b using the Magellan Clay telescope with the LDSS3C multi-object spectrograph. We compare the transit depth of GJ1132b in wavelength bins ranging from 0.65 -- 1.04 microns to infer whether or not GJ1132b has maintained its primordial hydrogen-dominated atmosphere. Should we find evidence of a hydrogen-dominated atmosphere, this would imply that a terrestrial planet is able to accrete and retain a low mean-molecular weight atmosphere from the planetary nebula. Coupled with recent UV spectra of the host star, our results can clarify the process of atmospheric escape on terrestrial worlds, with implications for formation histories of M-dwarf planets and the potential for habitability in these systems. If instead GJ1132b possesses a low mean-molecular weight atmosphere, we look to future observations with JWST and the ground-based extremely large telescopes to characterize its atmosphere.This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program. This work was made possible by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation.

Post Common Envelope Binaries as probes of M dwarf stellar wind and habitable zone radiation environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilson, David

2017-08-01

M dwarf stars are promising targets in the search for extrasolar habitable planets, as their small size and close-in habitable zones make the detection of Earth-analog planets easier than at Solar-type stars. However, the effects of the high stellar activity of M dwarf hosts has uncertain effects on such planets, and may render them uninhabitable. Studying stellar activity at M dwarfs is hindered by a lack of measurements of high-energy radiation, flare activity and, in particular, stellar wind rates. We propose to rectify this by observing a sample of Post Common Envelope Binaries (PCEBs) with HST and XMM-Newton. PCEBs consist of an M dwarf with a white dwarf companion, which experiences the same stellar wind and radiation environment as a close-in planet. The stellar wind of the M dwarf accretes onto the otherwise pure hydrogen atmosphere white dwarf, producing metal lines detectable with ultraviolet spectroscopy. The metal lines can be used to measure accretion rates onto the white dwarf, from with we can accurately infer the stellar wind mass loss rate of the M dwarf, along with abundances of key elements. Simultaneous observations with XMM-Newton will probe X-ray flare occurrence rate and strength, in addition to coronal temperatures. Performing these measurements over twelve PCEBs will provide a sample of M dwarf stellar wind strengths, flare occurrence and X-ray/UV activity that will finally shed light on the true habitability of planets around small stars.

Studies of Planet Formation using a Hybrid N-body + Planetesimal Code

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kenyon, Scott J.; Bromley, Benjamin C.; Salamon, Michael (Technical Monitor)

2005-01-01

The goal of our proposal was to use a hybrid multi-annulus planetesimal/n-body code to examine the planetesimal theory, one of the two main theories of planet formation. We developed this code to follow the evolution of numerous 1 m to 1 km planetesimals as they collide, merge, and grow into full-fledged planets. Our goal was to apply the code to several well-posed, topical problems in planet formation and to derive observational consequences of the models. We planned to construct detailed models to address two fundamental issues: 1) icy planets - models for icy planet formation will demonstrate how the physical properties of debris disks, including the Kuiper Belt in our solar system, depend on initial conditions and input physics; and 2) terrestrial planets - calculations following the evolution of 1-10 km planetesimals into Earth-mass planets and rings of dust will provide a better understanding of how terrestrial planets form and interact with their environment. During the past year, we made progress on each issue. Papers published in 2004 are summarized. Summaries of work to be completed during the first half of 2005 and work planned for the second half of 2005 are included.

Extreme water loss and abiotic O2 buildup on planets throughout the habitable zones of M dwarfs.

PubMed

Luger, R; Barnes, R

2015-02-01

We show that terrestrial planets in the habitable zones of M dwarfs older than ∼1 Gyr could have been in runaway greenhouses for several hundred million years following their formation due to the star's extended pre-main sequence phase, provided they form with abundant surface water. Such prolonged runaway greenhouses can lead to planetary evolution divergent from that of Earth. During this early runaway phase, photolysis of water vapor and hydrogen/oxygen escape to space can lead to the loss of several Earth oceans of water from planets throughout the habitable zone, regardless of whether the escape is energy-limited or diffusion-limited. We find that the amount of water lost scales with the planet mass, since the diffusion-limited hydrogen escape flux is proportional to the planet surface gravity. In addition to undergoing potential desiccation, planets with inefficient oxygen sinks at the surface may build up hundreds to thousands of bar of abiotically produced O2, resulting in potential false positives for life. The amount of O2 that builds up also scales with the planet mass; we find that O2 builds up at a constant rate that is controlled by diffusion: ∼5 bar/Myr on Earth-mass planets and up to ∼25 bar/Myr on super-Earths. As a result, some recently discovered super-Earths in the habitable zone such as GJ 667Cc could have built up as many as 2000 bar of O2 due to the loss of up to 10 Earth oceans of water. The fate of a given planet strongly depends on the extreme ultraviolet flux, the duration of the runaway regime, the initial water content, and the rate at which oxygen is absorbed by the surface. In general, we find that the initial phase of high luminosity may compromise the habitability of many terrestrial planets orbiting low-mass stars.

Extreme Water Loss and Abiotic O2 Buildup on Planets Throughout the Habitable Zones of M Dwarfs

PubMed Central

Barnes, R.

2015-01-01

Abstract We show that terrestrial planets in the habitable zones of M dwarfs older than ∼1 Gyr could have been in runaway greenhouses for several hundred million years following their formation due to the star's extended pre-main sequence phase, provided they form with abundant surface water. Such prolonged runaway greenhouses can lead to planetary evolution divergent from that of Earth. During this early runaway phase, photolysis of water vapor and hydrogen/oxygen escape to space can lead to the loss of several Earth oceans of water from planets throughout the habitable zone, regardless of whether the escape is energy-limited or diffusion-limited. We find that the amount of water lost scales with the planet mass, since the diffusion-limited hydrogen escape flux is proportional to the planet surface gravity. In addition to undergoing potential desiccation, planets with inefficient oxygen sinks at the surface may build up hundreds to thousands of bar of abiotically produced O2, resulting in potential false positives for life. The amount of O2 that builds up also scales with the planet mass; we find that O2 builds up at a constant rate that is controlled by diffusion: ∼5 bar/Myr on Earth-mass planets and up to ∼25 bar/Myr on super-Earths. As a result, some recently discovered super-Earths in the habitable zone such as GJ 667Cc could have built up as many as 2000 bar of O2 due to the loss of up to 10 Earth oceans of water. The fate of a given planet strongly depends on the extreme ultraviolet flux, the duration of the runaway regime, the initial water content, and the rate at which oxygen is absorbed by the surface. In general, we find that the initial phase of high luminosity may compromise the habitability of many terrestrial planets orbiting low-mass stars. Key Words: Astrobiology—Biosignatures—Extrasolar terrestrial planets—Habitability—Planetary atmospheres. Astrobiology 15, 119–143. PMID:25629240

Tenth Planet Discovered

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-08-03

These time-lapse images of a newfound dwarf planet in our solar system, formerly known as 2003 UB313 or Xena, and now called Eris, were taken using the Samuel Oschin Telescope at the Palomar Observatory.

Climate model studies of synchronously rotating planets.

PubMed

Joshi, Manoj

2003-01-01

M stars constitute 75% of main sequence stars though, until recently, their star systems have not been considered suitable places for habitable planets to exist. In this study the climate of a synchronously rotating planet around an M dwarf star is evaluated using a three-dimensional global atmospheric circulation model. The presence of clouds and evaporative cooling at the surface of the planet result in a cooler surface temperature at the subsolar point. Water ice forms at the polar regions and on the dark side, where the minimum temperature lies between -30 degrees C and 0 degrees C. As expected, rainfall is extremely high on the starlit side and extremely low on the dark side. The presence of a dry continent causes higher temperatures on the dayside, and allows accumulation of snow on the nightside. The absence of any oceans leads to higher day-night temperature differences, consistent with previous work. The present study reinforces recent conclusions that synchronously rotating planets within the circumstellar habitable zones of M dwarf stars should be habitable, and therefore M dwarf systems should not be excluded in future searches for exoplanets.

The size, shape, density and ring of the dwarf planet Haumea from a stellar occultation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ortiz, J. L.; Santos-Sanz, P.; Sicardy, B.; Benedetti-Rossi, G.; Bérard, D.; Morales, N.; Duffard, R.; Braga-Ribas, F.; Hopp, U.; Ries, C.; Nascimbeni, V.; Marzari, F.; Granata, V.; Pál, A.; Kiss, C.; Pribulla, T.; Komžík, R.; Hornoch, K.; Pravec, P.; Bacci, P.; Maestripieri, M.; Nerli, L.; Mazzei, L.; Bachini, M.; Martinelli, F.; Succi, G.; Ciabattari, F.; Mikuz, H.; Carbognani, A.; Gaehrken, B.; Mottola, S.; Hellmich, S.; Rommel, F. L.; Fernández-Valenzuela, E.; Campo Bagatin, A.; Cikota, S.; Cikota, A.; Lecacheux, J.; Vieira-Martins, R.; Camargo, J. I. B.; Assafin, M.; Colas, F.; Behrend, R.; Desmars, J.; Meza, E.; Alvarez-Candal, A.; Beisker, W.; Gomes-Junior, A. R.; Morgado, B. E.; Roques, F.; Vachier, F.; Berthier, J.; Mueller, T. G.; Madiedo, J. M.; Unsalan, O.; Sonbas, E.; Karaman, N.; Erece, O.; Koseoglu, D. T.; Ozisik, T.; Kalkan, S.; Guney, Y.; Niaei, M. S.; Satir, O.; Yesilyaprak, C.; Puskullu, C.; Kabas, A.; Demircan, O.; Alikakos, J.; Charmandaris, V.; Leto, G.; Ohlert, J.; Christille, J. M.; Szakáts, R.; Takácsné Farkas, A.; Varga-Verebélyi, E.; Marton, G.; Marciniak, A.; Bartczak, P.; Santana-Ros, T.; Butkiewicz-Bąk, M.; Dudziński, G.; Alí-Lagoa, V.; Gazeas, K.; Tzouganatos, L.; Paschalis, N.; Tsamis, V.; Sánchez-Lavega, A.; Pérez-Hoyos, S.; Hueso, R.; Guirado, J. C.; Peris, V.; Iglesias-Marzoa, R.

2017-10-01

Haumea—one of the four known trans-Neptunian dwarf planets—is a very elongated and rapidly rotating body. In contrast to other dwarf planets, its size, shape, albedo and density are not well constrained. The Centaur Chariklo was the first body other than a giant planet known to have a ring system, and the Centaur Chiron was later found to possess something similar to Chariklo’s rings. Here we report observations from multiple Earth-based observatories of Haumea passing in front of a distant star (a multi-chord stellar occultation). Secondary events observed around the main body of Haumea are consistent with the presence of a ring with an opacity of 0.5, width of 70 kilometres and radius of about 2,287 kilometres. The ring is coplanar with both Haumea’s equator and the orbit of its satellite Hi’iaka. The radius of the ring places it close to the 3:1 mean-motion resonance with Haumea’s spin period—that is, Haumea rotates three times on its axis in the time that a ring particle completes one revolution. The occultation by the main body provides an instantaneous elliptical projected shape with axes of about 1,704 kilometres and 1,138 kilometres. Combined with rotational light curves, the occultation constrains the three-dimensional orientation of Haumea and its triaxial shape, which is inconsistent with a homogeneous body in hydrostatic equilibrium. Haumea’s largest axis is at least 2,322 kilometres, larger than previously thought, implying an upper limit for its density of 1,885 kilograms per cubic metre and a geometric albedo of 0.51, both smaller than previous estimates. In addition, this estimate of the density of Haumea is closer to that of Pluto than are previous estimates, in line with expectations. No global nitrogen- or methane-dominated atmosphere was detected.

Planet Formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klahr, Hubert; Brandner, Wolfgang

2011-02-01

1. Historical notes on planet formation Bodenheimer; 2. The formation and evolution of planetary systems Bouwman et al.; 3. Destruction of protoplanetary disks by photoevaporation Richling, Hollenbach and Yorke; 4. Turbulence in protoplanetary accretion disks Klahr, Rozyczka, Dziourkevitch, Wunsch and Johansen; 5. The origin of solids in the early solar system Trieloff and Palme; 6. Experiments on planetesimal formation Wurm and Blum; 7. Dust coagulation in protoplanetary disks Henning, Dullemond, Wolf and Dominik; 8. The accretion of giant planet cores Thommes and Duncan; 9. Planetary transits: direct vision of extrasolar planets Lecavelier des Etangs and Vidal-Madjar; 10. The core accretion - gas capture model Hubickyj; 11. Properties of exoplanets Marcy, Fischer, Butler and Vogt; 12. Giant planet formation: theories meet observations Boss; 13. From hot Jupiters to hot Neptures … and below Lovis, Mayor and Udry; 14. Disk-planet interaction and migration Masset and Kley; 15. The Brown Dwarf - planet relation Bate; 16. From astronomy to astrobiology Brandner; 17. Overview and prospective Lin.

On the Biohabitability of M-dwarf Planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wandel, A.

2018-04-01

The recent detection of Earth-sized planets in the habitable zone of Proxima Centauri, Trappist-1, and many other nearby M-type stars has led to speculations whether liquid water and life actually exist on these planets. To a large extent, the answer depends on their yet unknown atmospheres, which may, however, be within observational reach in the near future by JWST, ELT, and other planned telescopes. We consider the habitability of planets of M-type stars in the context of their atmospheric properties, heat transport, and irradiation. Instead of the traditional definition of the habitable zone, we define the biohabitable zone, where liquid water and complex organic molecules can survive on at least part of the planetary surface. The atmospheric impact on the temperature is quantified in terms of the heating factor (a combination of greenhouse heating, stellar irradiation, albedo, etc.) and heat redistribution (horizontal energy transport). We investigate the biohabitable domain (where planets can support surface liquid water and organics) in terms of these two factors. Our results suggest that planets orbiting M-type stars may have life-supporting temperatures, at least on part of their surface, for a wide range of atmospheric properties. We apply this analyses to Proxima Cen b and the Trappist-1 system. Finally, we discuss the implications for the search of biosignatures and demonstrate how they may be used to estimate the abundance of photosynthesis and biotic planets.

Exoplanet exploration for brown dwarfs with infrared astrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamaguchi, Masaki

The astrometry is one of the oldest method for the exoplanet exploration. However, only one exoplanet has been found with the method. This is because the planet mass is sufficiently smaller than the mass of the central star, so that it is hard to observe the fluctuation of the central star by the planet. Therefore, we investigate the orbital period and mass of planets which we can discover by the future astrometric satellites for brown dwarfs, with the mass less than a tenth of the solar mass. So far five planetary systems of brown dwarfs have been found, whose mass ratios are larger than a tenth. For example, for the system whose distance, orbital period and mass ratio are 10 pc, 1 year and a tenth, respectively, the apparent semi-major axis reaches 3 milli-arcsecond, which can be well detected with the future astrometric satellites such as Small-JASMINE and Gaia. With these satellite, we can discover even super-Earth for the above system. We further investigate where in the period-mass plane we can explore the planet for individual brown dwarf with Small-JASMINE and Gaia. As a result, we find that we can explore a wide region where period and mass are within 5 years and larger than 3 earth mass. In addition, we can explore the region around 0.1 day and 10 Jovian mass, where planets have never found for any central star, and where we can explore only with Small-JASMINE for most target brown dwarfs.

Seek a Minor Sun: The Distribution of Habitable Planets in the Hertzsprung-Russell-Rosenberg Diagram

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaidos, Eric

2015-07-01

The Sun-Earth systems has long been used as a template to understand habitable planets around other stars and to develop missions to seek them. However, two decades of exoplanet studies have shown that many, if not most planetary systems around G dwarf stars do not resemble the Solar System. Moreover, an objective census of our Galaxy might ignore solar- type stars and focus on M dwarfs, which constitute some 80% of all stars in the neighborhood. Recent work has shown that M dwarfs have more close-in planets than solar-type stars, and perhaps more planets in the "habitable zone" defined by stellar irradiation. M dwarfs also burn hydrogen over a vastly longer time; slow evolution on the main sequence means a planet can remain habitable for much longer, providing a more permissive environment for the evo- lution of life and intelligence. If M dwarfs are such compelling locales to look for life, why are we ourselves not orbiting a red Sun?

Could Ultracool Dwarfs Have Sun-Like Activity?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, Susanna

2016-11-01

Solar-like stars exhibit magnetic cycles; our Sun, for instance, displays an 11-year period in its activity, manifesting as cyclic changes in radiation levels, the number of sunspots and flares, and ejection of solar material. Over the span of two activity cycles, the Suns magnetic field flips polarity and then returns to its original state.An artists illustration comparing the Sun to TRAPPIST-1, an ultracool dwarf star known to host several planets. [ESO]But what about the magnetic behavior of objects near the cooler end of the stellar main sequence do they exhibit similar activity cycles?Effects of a Convecting InteriorDwarf stars have made headlines in recent years due to their potential to harbor exoplanets. Because these cooler stars have lower flux levels compared to the Sun, their habitable zones lie much closer to the stars. The magnetic behavior of these stars is therefore important to understand: could ultracool dwarfs exhibit solar-like activity cycles that would affect planets with close orbits?The differences in internal structure between different mass stars. Ultracool dwarfs have fully convective interiors. [www.sun.org]Theres a major difference between ultracool dwarfs (stars of spectral type higher than M7 and brown dwarfs) and Sun-like stars: their internal structures. Sun-like stars have a convective envelope that surrounds a radiative core. The interiors of cool, low-mass objects, on the other hand, are fully convective.Based on theoretical studies of how magnetism is generated in stars, its thought that the fully convective interiors of ultracool dwarfs cant support large-scale magnetic field formation. This should prevent these stars from exhibiting activity cycles like the Sun. But recent radio observations of dwarf stars have led scientist Matthew Route (ITaP Research Computing, Purdue University) to question these models.A Reversing Field?During observations of the brown dwarf star J1047+21 in 20102011, radio flares were detected with

H2 Fluorescence in M Dwarf Systems: A Stellar Origin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kruczek, Nicholas; France, Kevin; Evonosky, William; Loyd, R. O. Parke; Youngblood, Allison; Roberge, Aki; Wittenmyer, Robert A.; Stocke, John T.; Fleming, Brian; Hoadley, Keri

2017-08-01

Observations of molecular hydrogen (H2) fluorescence are a potentially useful tool for measuring the H2 abundance in exoplanet atmospheres. This emission was previously observed in {{M}} dwarfs with planetary systems. However, low signal-to-noise prevented a conclusive determination of its origin. Possible sources include exoplanetary atmospheres, circumstellar gas disks, and the stellar surface. We use observations from the “Measurements of the Ultraviolet Spectral Characteristics of Low-mass Exoplanet Host Stars” Treasury Survey to study H2 fluorescence in {{M}} dwarfs. We detect fluorescence in Hubble Space Telescope spectra of 8/9 planet-hosting and 5/6 non-planet-hosting {{M}} dwarfs. The detection statistics, velocity centroids, and line widths of the emission suggest a stellar origin. We calculate H2-to-stellar-ion flux ratios to compare flux levels between stars. For stars with planets, we find an average ratio of 1.7+/- 0.9, using the fluxes of the brightest H2 feature and two stellar C IV lines. This is compared to 0.9+/- 0.4 for stars without planets, showing that the planet-hosting {{M}} dwarfs do not have significant excess H2 emission. This claim is supported by the direct FUV imaging of GJ 832, where no fluorescence is observed at the expected star-planet separation. Additionally, the 3σ upper limit of 4.9 × 10-17 erg cm-2 s-1 from these observations is two orders of magnitude below the spectroscopically observed H2 flux. We constrain the location of the fluorescing H2 using 1D radiative transfer models, and find that it could reside in starspots or a ˜2500-3000 {{K}} region in the lower chromosphere. The presence of this emission could complicate efforts to quantify the atmospheric abundance of H2 in exoplanets orbiting {{M}} dwarfs.

Cost-Effective Icy Bodies Exploration using Small Satellite Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jonsson, Jonas; Mauro, David; Stupl, Jan; Nayak, Michael; Aziz, Jonathan; Cohen, Aaron; Colaprete, Anthony; Dono-Perez, Andres; Frost, Chad; Klamm, Benjamin;

Two planetary systems with transiting Earth-size and super-Earth planets orbiting late-type dwarf stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alonso, E. Díez; Hernández, J. I. González; Suárez Gómez, S. L.; Aguado, D. S.; González Gutiérrez, C.; Suárez Mascareño, A.; Cabrera-Lavers, A.; González-Nuevo, J.; Toledo-Padrón, B.; Gracia, J.; de Cos Juez, F. J.; Rebolo, R.

2018-06-01

We present two new planetary systems found around cool dwarf stars with data from the K2 mission. The first system was found in K2-XX1 (EPIC 248545986), characterized in this work as M3.0V and observed in the 14th campaign of K2. It consists of three Earth-size transiting planets with radii of 1.1, 1.0 and 1.1 R⊕, showing a compact configuration with orbital periods of 5.24, 7.78 and 10.1 days, close to 2:3:4 resonance. The second was found in K2-XX2 (EPIC 249801827), characterized in this work as M0.5V and observed in the 15th campaign. It consists of two transiting super-Earths with radii 2.0 and 1.8 R⊕ and orbital periods of 6.03 and 20.5 days. The equilibrium temperatures of the atmospheres of these planets are estimated to be in the range of 380-600 K and the amplitudes of signals in transmission spectroscopy are estimated at ˜ 10 ppm.

Beyond the T Dwarfs: Theoretical Spectra, Colors, and Detectability of the Coolest Brown Dwarfs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burrows, Adam; Sudarsky, David; Lunine, Jonathan I.

2003-10-01

We explore the spectral and atmospheric properties of brown dwarfs cooler than the latest known T dwarfs. Our focus is on the yet-to-be-discovered free-floating brown dwarfs in the Teff range from ~800 to ~130 K and with masses from 25 to 1 MJ. This study is in anticipation of the new characterization capabilities enabled by the launch of the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) and the eventual launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). In addition, it is in support of the continuing ground-based searches for the coolest substellar objects. We provide spectra from ~0.4 to 30 μm, highlight the evolution and mass dependence of the dominant H2O, CH4, and NH3 molecular bands, consider the formation and effects of water ice clouds, and compare our theoretical flux densities with the putative sensitivities of the instruments on board SIRTF and JWST. The latter can be used to determine the detection ranges from space of cool brown dwarfs. In the process, we determine the reversal point of the blueward trend in the near-infrared colors with decreasing Teff (a prominent feature of the hotter T dwarf family), the Teff's at which water and ammonia clouds appear, the strengths of gas-phase ammonia and methane bands, the masses and ages of the objects for which the neutral alkali metal lines (signatures of L and T dwarfs) are muted, and the increasing role as Teff decreases of the mid-infrared fluxes longward of 4 μm. These changes suggest physical reasons to expect the emergence of at least one new stellar class beyond the T dwarfs. Furthermore, studies in the mid-infrared could assume a new, perhaps transformational, importance in the understanding of the coolest brown dwarfs. Our spectral models populate, with cooler brown dwarfs having progressively more planet-like features, the theoretical gap between the known T dwarfs and the known giant planets. Such objects likely inhabit the Galaxy, but their numbers are as yet unknown.

Throwing Icebergs at White Dwarfs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stephan, Alexander P.; Naoz, Smadar; Zuckerman, B., E-mail: alexpstephan@astro.ucla.edu

White dwarfs (WDs) have atmospheres that are expected to consist nearly entirely of hydrogen and helium, since heavier elements will sink out of sight on short timescales. However, observations have revealed atmospheric pollution by heavier elements in about a quarter to a half of all WDs. While most of the pollution can be accounted for with asteroidal or dwarf planetary material, recent observations indicate that larger planetary bodies, as well as icy and volatile material from Kuiper belt analog objects, are also viable sources of pollution. The commonly accepted pollution mechanisms, namely scattering interactions between planetary bodies orbiting the WDs,more » can hardly account for pollution by objects with large masses or long-period orbits. Here we report on a mechanism that naturally leads to the emergence of massive body and icy and volatile material pollution. This mechanism occurs in wide binary stellar systems, where the mass loss of the planets’ host stars during post main sequence stellar evolution can trigger the Eccentric Kozai–Lidov mechanism. This mechanism leads to large eccentricity excitations, which can bring massive and long-period objects close enough to the WDs to be accreted. We find that this mechanism readily explains and is consistent with observations.« less

VVV Survey Search for Habitable Planets around M Dwarfs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Minniti, Dante

2015-08-01

VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea (VVV) is a public ESO near- infrared (near-IR) variability survey aimed at scanning the Milky Way Bulge and an adjacent section of the mid-plane. The survey covers an area of 562 sqdeg in the Galactic bulge and the southern disk, containing a billion point sources. In this work we discuss the selection of nearby M-type dwarf stars using multicolor cuts. The ZYJHKs photometry allows an accurate estimation of the spectral types of the M-dwarf candidates. Our procedure is applied for fields located far from the Galactic center where the photometric quality is best. The results of this search covering 15 sqdeg allow us to estimate the total number of M-dwarfs that can be photometrically monitored in the VVV database. In addition, we analyze the light curves of the ~10000 best candidate M-dwarf stars searching for extrasolar planetary transits. In this poster we present the light curves of a hundred good transit candidates, and select those that lie in the HZ around their parent stars.

Searching for chemical signatures of brown dwarf formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maldonado, J.; Villaver, E.

2017-06-01

Context. Recent studies have shown that close-in brown dwarfs in the mass range 35-55 MJup are almost depleted as companions to stars, suggesting that objects with masses above and below this gap might have different formation mechanisms. Aims: We aim to test whether stars harbouring massive brown dwarfs and stars with low-mass brown dwarfs show any chemical peculiarity that could be related to different formation processes. Methods: Our methodology is based on the analysis of high-resolution échelle spectra (R 57 000) from 2-3 m class telescopes. We determine the fundamental stellar parameters, as well as individual abundances of C, O, Na, Mg, Al, Si, S, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, and Zn for a large sample of stars known to have a substellar companion in the brown dwarf regime. The sample is divided into stars hosting massive and low-mass brown dwarfs. Following previous works, a threshold of 42.5 MJup was considered. The metallicity and abundance trends of the two subsamples are compared and set in the context of current models of planetary and brown dwarf formation. Results: Our results confirm that stars with brown dwarf companions do not follow the well-established gas-giant planet metallicity correlation seen in main-sequence planet hosts. Stars harbouring massive brown dwarfs show similar metallicity and abundance distribution as stars without known planets or with low-mass planets. We find a tendency of stars harbouring less-massive brown dwarfs of having slightly higher metallicity, [XFe/Fe] values, and abundances of Sc II, Mn I, and Ni I than the stars having the massive brown dwarfs. The data suggest, as previously reported, that massive and low-mass brown dwarfs might present differences in period and eccentricity. Conclusions: We find evidence of a non-metallicity dependent mechanism for the formation of massive brown dwarfs. Our results agree with a scenario in which massive brown dwarfs are formed as stars. At high metallicities, the core

Ultra-cool dwarfs viewed equator-on: surveying the best host stars for biosignature detection in transiting exoplanets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miles-Paez, Paulo; Metchev, Stanimir; Burgasser, Adam; Apai, Daniel; Palle, Enric; Zapatero Osorio, Maria Rosa; Artigau, Etienne; Mace, Greg; Tannock, Megan; Triaud, Amaury

2018-05-01

There are about 150 known planets around M dwarfs, but only one system around an ultra-cool (>M7) dwarf: Trappist-1. Ultra-cool dwarfs are arguably the most promising hosts for atmospheric and biosignature detection in transiting planets because of the enhanced feature contrast in transit and eclipse spectroscopy. We propose a Spitzer survey to continuously monitor 15 of the brightest ultra-cool dwarfs over 3 days. To maximize the probability of detecting transiting planets, we have selected only targets seen close to equator-on. Spin-orbit alignment expectations dictate that the planetary systems around these ultra-cool dwarfs should also be oriented nearly edge-on. Any planet detections from this survey will immediately become top priority targets for JWST transit spectroscopy. No other telescope, present or within the foreseeable future, will be able to conduct a similarly sensitive and dedicated survey for characterizeable Earth analogs.

Evidence of an Upper Bound on the Masses of Planets and Its Implications for Giant Planet Formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schlaufman, Kevin C.

2018-01-01

Celestial bodies with a mass of M≈ 10 {M}{Jup} have been found orbiting nearby stars. It is unknown whether these objects formed like gas-giant planets through core accretion or like stars through gravitational instability. I show that objects with M≲ 4 {M}{Jup} orbit metal-rich solar-type dwarf stars, a property associated with core accretion. Objects with M≳ 10 {M}{Jup} do not share this property. This transition is coincident with a minimum in the occurrence rate of such objects, suggesting that the maximum mass of a celestial body formed through core accretion like a planet is less than 10 {M}{Jup}. Consequently, objects with M≳ 10 {M}{Jup} orbiting solar-type dwarf stars likely formed through gravitational instability and should not be thought of as planets. Theoretical models of giant planet formation in scaled minimum-mass solar nebula Shakura–Sunyaev disks with standard parameters tuned to produce giant planets predict a maximum mass nearly an order of magnitude larger. To prevent newly formed giant planets from growing larger than 10 {M}{Jup}, protoplanetary disks must therefore be significantly less viscous or of lower mass than typically assumed during the runaway gas accretion stage of giant planet formation. Either effect would act to slow the Type I/II migration of planetary embryos/giant planets and promote their survival. These inferences are insensitive to the host star mass, planet formation location, or characteristic disk dissipation time.

X-Rays Found From a Lightweight Brown Dwarf

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2003-04-01

Using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, scientists have detected X-rays from a low mass brown dwarf in a multiple star system, which is as young as 12 million years old. This discovery is an important piece in an increasingly complex picture of how brown dwarfs - and perhaps the very massive planets around other stars - evolve. Chandra's observations of the brown dwarf, known as TWA 5B, clearly resolve it from a pair of Sun-like stars known as TWA 5A. The system is about 180 light years from the Sun and a member of a group of about a dozen young stars in the southern constellation Hydra. The brown dwarf orbits the binary stars at a distance about 2.75 times that of Pluto's orbit around the Sun. This is first time that a brown dwarf this close to its parent star(s) has been resolved in X-rays. "Our Chandra data show that the X-rays originate from the brown dwarf's coronal plasma which is some 3 million degrees Celsius," said Yohko Tsuboi of Chuo University in Tokyo and lead author of the April 10th issue of Astrophysical Journal Letters paper describing these results. "The brown dwarf is sufficiently far from the primary stars that the reflection of X-rays is unimportant, so the X-rays must come the brown dwarf itself." TWA 5B is estimated to be only between 15 and 40 times the mass of Jupiter, making it one of the least massive brown dwarfs known. Its mass is rather near the currently accepted boundary (about 12 Jupiter masses) between planets and brown dwarfs. Therefore, these results may also have implications for very massive planets, including those that have been discovered as extrasolar planets in recent years. Brown Dwarf size comparison schematic Brown Dwarf size comparison schematic "This brown dwarf is as bright as the Sun today in X-ray light, while it is fifty times less massive than the Sun," said Tsuboi. "This observation, thus, raises the possibility that even massive planets might emit X-rays by themselves during their youth!" This research on TWA 5

The Icy Mountains of Pluto

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-07-15

New close-up images of a region near Pluto's equator reveal a giant surprise: a range of youthful mountains rising as high as 11,000 feet (3,500 meters) above the surface of the icy body. The mountains likely formed no more than 100 million years ago -- mere youngsters relative to the 4.56-billion-year age of the solar system -- and may still be in the process of building. That suggests the close-up region, which covers less than one percent of Pluto's surface, may still be geologically active today. The youthful age estimate is based on the lack of craters in this scene. Like the rest of Pluto, this region would presumably have been pummeled by space debris for billions of years and would have once been heavily cratered -- unless recent activity had given the region a facelift, erasing those pockmarks. Unlike the icy moons of giant planets, Pluto cannot be heated by gravitational interactions with a much larger planetary body. Some other process must be generating the mountainous landscape. The mountains are probably composed of Pluto's water-ice "bedrock." Although methane and nitrogen ice covers much of the surface of Pluto, these materials are not strong enough to build the mountains. Instead, a stiffer material, most likely water-ice, created the peaks. The close-up image was taken about 1.5 hours before New Horizons closest approach to Pluto, when the craft was 47,800 miles (770,000 kilometers) from the surface of the planet. The image easily resolves structures smaller than a mile across. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19710

[The study of M dwarf spectral classification].

PubMed

Yi, Zhen-Ping; Pan, Jing-Chang; Luo, A-Li

2013-08-01

As the most common stars in the galaxy, M dwarfs can be used to trace the structure and evolution of the Milky Way. Besides, investigating M dwarfs is important for searching for habitability of extrasolar planets orbiting M dwarfs. Spectral classification of M dwarfs is a fundamental work. The authors used DR7 M dwarf sample of SLOAN to extract important features from the range of 600-900 nm by random forest method. Compared to the features used in Hammer Code, the authors added three new indices. Our test showed that the improved Hammer with new indices is more accurate. Our method has been applied to classify M dwarf spectra of LAMOST.

The Gemini NICI Planet-finding Campaign: Discovery of a Substellar L Dwarf Companion to the Nearby Young M Dwarf CD-35 2722

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wahhaj, Zahed; Liu, Michael C.; Biller, Beth A.; Clarke, Fraser; Nielsen, Eric L.; Close, Laird M.; Hayward, Thomas L.; Mamajek, Eric E.; Cushing, Michael; Dupuy, Trent; Tecza, Matthias; Thatte, Niranjan; Chun, Mark; Ftaclas, Christ; Hartung, Markus; Reid, I. Neill; Shkolnik, Evgenya L.; Alencar, Silvia H. P.; Artymowicz, Pawel; Boss, Alan; de Gouveia Dal Pino, Elisabethe; Gregorio-Hetem, Jane; Ida, Shigeru; Kuchner, Marc; Lin, Douglas N. C.; Toomey, Douglas W.

2011-03-01

We present the discovery of a wide (67 AU) substellar companion to the nearby (21 pc) young solar-metallicity M1 dwarf CD-35 2722, a member of the ≈100 Myr AB Doradus association. Two epochs of astrometry from the NICI Planet-Finding Campaign confirm that CD-35 2722 B is physically associated with the primary star. Near-IR spectra indicate a spectral type of L4±1 with a moderately low surface gravity, making it one of the coolest young companions found to date. The absorption lines and near-IR continuum shape of CD-35 2722 B agree especially well the dusty field L4.5 dwarf 2MASS J22244381-0158521, while the near-IR colors and absolute magnitudes match those of the 5 Myr old L4 planetary-mass companion, 1RXS J160929.1-210524 b. Overall, CD-35 2722 B appears to be an intermediate-age benchmark for L dwarfs, with a less peaked H-band continuum than the youngest objects and near-IR absorption lines comparable to field objects. We fit Ames-Dusty model atmospheres to the near-IR spectra and find T eff= 1700-1900 K and log(g)= 4.5 ± 0.5. The spectra also show that the radial velocities of components A and B agree to within ±10 km s-1, further confirming their physical association. Using the age and bolometric luminosity of CD-35 2722 B, we derive a mass of 31 ± 8 M Jup from the Lyon/Dusty evolutionary models. Altogether, young late-M to mid-L type companions appear to be overluminous for their near-IR spectral type compared with field objects, in contrast to the underluminosity of young late-L and early-T dwarfs. Based on observations obtained at the Gemini Observatory, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under a cooperative agreement with the NSF on behalf of the Gemini partnership: the National Science Foundation (United States), the Science and Technology Facilities Council (United Kingdom), the National Research Council (Canada), CONICYT (Chile), the Australian Research Council (Australia), Ministério da Ci

The luminosities of the coldest brown dwarfs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tinney, C. G.; Faherty, Jacqueline K.; Kirkpatrick, J. Davy

2014-11-20

In recent years, brown dwarfs have been extended to a new Y-dwarf class with effective temperatures colder than 500 K and masses in the range of 5-30 Jupiter masses. They fill a crucial gap in observable atmospheric properties between the much colder gas-giant planets of our own solar system (at around 130 K) and both hotter T-type brown dwarfs and the hotter planets that can be imaged orbiting young nearby stars (both with effective temperatures in the range of 1500-1000 K). Distance measurements for these objects deliver absolute magnitudes that make critical tests of our understanding of very cool atmospheres.more » Here we report new distances for nine Y dwarfs and seven very late T dwarfs. These reveal that Y dwarfs do indeed represent a continuation of the T-dwarf sequence to both fainter luminosities and cooler temperatures. They also show that the coolest objects display a large range in absolute magnitude for a given photometric color. The latest atmospheric models show good agreement with the majority of these Y-dwarf absolute magnitudes. This is also the case for WISE0855-0714, the coldest and closest brown dwarf to the Sun, which shows evidence for water ice clouds. However, there are also some outstanding exceptions, which suggest either binarity or the presence of condensate clouds. The former is readily testable with current adaptive optics facilities. The latter would mean that the range of cloudiness in Y dwarfs is substantial with most hosting almost no clouds—while others have dense clouds, making them prime targets for future variability observations to study cloud dynamics.« less

Brown Dwarf Weather (Artist's Concept)

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-08-17

This artist's concept animation shows a brown dwarf with bands of clouds, thought to resemble those seen on Neptune and the other outer planets in the solar system. By using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, astronomers have found that the varying glow of brown dwarfs over time can be explained by bands of patchy clouds rotating at different speeds. Videos are available at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21752

EFFECTS OF DYNAMICAL EVOLUTION OF GIANT PLANETS ON THE DELIVERY OF ATMOPHILE ELEMENTS DURING TERRESTRIAL PLANET FORMATION

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Matsumura, Soko; Brasser, Ramon; Ida, Shigeru, E-mail: s.matsumura@dundee.ac.uk

2016-02-10

Recent observations started revealing the compositions of protostellar disks and planets beyond the solar system. In this paper, we explore how the compositions of terrestrial planets are affected by the dynamical evolution of giant planets. We estimate the initial compositions of the building blocks of these rocky planets by using a simple condensation model, and numerically study the compositions of planets formed in a few different formation models of the solar system. We find that the abundances of refractory and moderately volatile elements are nearly independent of formation models, and that all the models could reproduce the abundances of thesemore » elements of the Earth. The abundances of atmophile elements, on the other hand, depend on the scattering rate of icy planetesimals into the inner disk, as well as the mixing rate of the inner planetesimal disk. For the classical formation model, neither of these mechanisms are efficient and the accretion of atmophile elements during the final assembly of terrestrial planets appears to be difficult. For the Grand Tack model, both of these mechanisms are efficient, which leads to a relatively uniform accretion of atmophile elements in the inner disk. It is also possible to have a “hybrid” scenario where the mixing is not very efficient but the scattering is efficient. The abundances of atmophile elements in this case increase with orbital radii. Such a scenario may occur in some of the extrasolar planetary systems, which are not accompanied by giant planets or those without strong perturbations from giants. We also confirm that the Grand Tack scenario leads to the distribution of asteroid analogues where rocky planetesimals tend to exist interior to icy ones, and show that their overall compositions are consistent with S-type and C-type chondrites, respectively.« less

Synthesizing exoplanet demographics from radial velocity and microlensing surveys. II. The frequency of planets orbiting M dwarfs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Clanton, Christian; Gaudi, B. Scott, E-mail: clanton@astronomy.ohio-state.edu

2014-08-20

In contrast to radial velocity (RV) surveys, results from microlensing surveys indicate that giant planets with masses greater than the critical mass for core accretion (∼0.1 M {sub Jup}) are relatively common around low-mass stars. Using the methodology developed in the first paper, we predict the sensitivity of M-dwarf RV surveys to analogs of the population of planets inferred by microlensing. We find that RV surveys should detect a handful of super-Jovian (>M {sub Jup}) planets at the longest periods being probed. These planets are indeed found by RV surveys, implying that the demographic constraints inferred from these two methodsmore » are consistent. Finally, we combine the results from both methods to estimate planet frequencies spanning wide regions of parameter space. We find that the frequency of Jupiters and super-Jupiters (1 ≲ m{sub p} sin i/M {sub Jup} ≲ 13) with periods 1 ≤ P/days ≤ 10{sup 4} is f{sub J}=0.029{sub −0.015}{sup +0.013}, a median factor of 4.3 (1.5-14 at 95% confidence) smaller than the inferred frequency of such planets around FGK stars of 0.11 ± 0.02. However, we find the frequency of all giant planets with 30 ≲ m{sub p} sin i/M {sub ⊕} ≲ 10{sup 4} and 1 ≤ P/days ≤ 10{sup 4} to be f{sub G}=0.15{sub −0.07}{sup +0.06}, only a median factor of 2.2 (0.73-5.9 at 95% confidence) smaller than the inferred frequency of such planets orbiting FGK stars of 0.31 ± 0.07. For a more conservative definition of giant planets (50 ≲ m{sub p} sin i/M {sub ⊕} ≲ 10{sup 4}), we find f{sub G{sup ′}}=0.11±0.05, a median factor of 2.2 (0.73-6.7 at 95% confidence) smaller than that inferred for FGK stars of 0.25 ± 0.05. Finally, we find the frequency of all planets with 1 ≤ m{sub p} sin i/M {sub ⊕} ≤ 10{sup 4} and 1 ≤ P/days ≤ 10{sup 4} to be f{sub p} = 1.9 ± 0.5.« less

Particle trapping and snow lines in the Trappist-1 disk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

White, Kevin; Desch, Steven; Kalyaan, Anusha

2018-01-01

The Trappist-1 system has 7 transiting planets with constrained masses and radii (Gillon et al. 2017; Wang et al. 2017), and represents a laboratory for understanding planet formation in M dwarf disks. All the planets are about 1 ME, consistent with the pebble isolation masses in M dwarf disks, in the same way ~ 30 ME Jupiter’s core matches the pebble isolation mass in the solar nebula (Ormel et al. 2017). Trappist-1 f, g, and h are apparently ice-rich (> 50%), but planets b and c are <15% ice, suggesting they formed inside the snow line in Trappist-1’s disk (Unterborn et al. 2017). Earth formed inside the snow line in the solar nebula, but is only ~ 0.1wt% water, much drier than Trappist-1 b and c. If the pebbles excluded by Jupiter were icy, this would explain the dryness of the inner solar system (Morbidelli et al. 2016). This raises the question why the Trappist-1 inner disk was not equally dry. We have calculated the efficiency by which pebbles are trapped in the pressure maxima outside of planet-opened disk gaps, comparing the rates of radial diffusion vs. radial drift (as in Desch et al. 2017). We find that while Jupiter can exclude particles mm-sized or larger, only for particles > cm-sized does radial drift act faster than radial diffusion in the Trappist-1 pressure maxima. Pressure maxima in M dwarf disks are relatively leaky particle traps, possibly admitting more icy pebbles and water into the inner disk. We predict lower emission contrast between rings and gaps in M dwarf disks observable by ALMA.

Masses, Radii, and Cloud Properties of the HR 8799 Planets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marley, Mark S.; Saumon, Didier; Cushing, Michael; Ackerman, Andrew S.; Fortney, Jonathan J.; Freedman, Richard

2012-01-01

The near-infrared colors of the planets directly imaged around the A star HR 8799 are much redder than most field brown dwarfs of the same effective temperature. Previous theoretical studies of these objects have compared the photometric and limited spectral data of the planets to the predictions of various atmosphere and evolution models and concluded that the atmospheres of planets b, c, and d are unusually cloudy or have unusual cloud properties. Most studies have also found that the inferred radii of some or all of the planets disagree with expectations of standard giant planet evolution models. Here we compare the available data to the predictions of our own set of atmospheric and evolution models that have been extensively tested against field L and T dwarfs, including the reddest L dwarfs. Unlike almost all previous studies we specify mutually self-consistent choices for effective temperature, gravity, cloud properties, and planetary radius. This procedure yields plausible and self-consistent values for the masses, effective temperatures, and cloud properties of all three planets. We find that the cloud properties of the HR 8799 planets are in fact not unusual but rather follow previously recognized trends including a gravity dependence on the temperature of the L to T spectral transition, some reasons for which we discuss. We find that the inferred mass of planet b is highly sensitive to the H and K band spectrum. Solutions for planets c and particularly d are less certain but are consistent with the generally accepted constraints on the age of the primary star and orbital dynamics. We also confirm that as for L and T dwarfs and solar system giant planets, non-equilibrium chemistry driven by atmospheric mixing is also important for these objects. Given the preponderance of data suggesting that the L to T spectral type transition is gravity dependent, we present a new evolution calculation that predicts cooling tracks on the near-infrared color

Effects of Latent Heating on Atmospheres of Brown Dwarfs and Directly Imaged Planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Xianyu; Showman, Adam P.

2017-02-01

The growing number of observations of brown dwarfs (BDs) has provided evidence for strong atmospheric circulation on these objects. Directly imaged planets share similar observations and can be viewed as low-gravity versions of BDs. Vigorous condensate cycles of chemical species in their atmospheres are inferred by observations and theoretical studies, and latent heating associated with condensation is expected to be important in shaping atmospheric circulation and influencing cloud patchiness. We present a qualitative description of the mechanisms by which condensational latent heating influences circulation, and then illustrate them using an idealized general circulation model that includes a condensation cycle of silicates with latent heating and molecular weight effect due to the rainout of the condensate. Simulations with conditions appropriate for typical T dwarfs exhibit the development of localized storms and east-west jets. The storms are spatially inhomogeneous, evolving on a timescale of hours to days and extending vertically from the condensation level to the tropopause. The fractional area of the BD covered by active storms is small. Based on a simple analytic model, we quantitatively explain the area fraction of moist plumes and show its dependence on the radiative timescale and convective available potential energy (CAPE). We predict that if latent heating dominates cloud formation processes, the fractional coverage area of clouds decreases as the spectral type goes through the L/T transition from high to lower effective temperature. This is a natural consequence of the variation of the radiative timescale and CAPE with the spectral type.

Brown Dwarf Microlensing (Illustration)

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-11-10

This illustration depicts a newly discovered brown dwarf, an object that weighs in somewhere between our solar system's most massive planet (Jupiter) and the least-massive-known star. This brown dwarf, dubbed OGLE-2015-BLG-1319, interests astronomers because it may fall in the "desert" of brown dwarfs. Scientists have found that, for stars roughly the mass of our sun, less than 1 percent have a brown dwarf orbiting within 3 AU (1 AU is the distance between Earth and the sun). This brown dwarf was discovered when it and its star passed between Earth and a much more distant star in our galaxy. This created a microlensing event, where the gravity of the system amplified the light of the background star over the course of several weeks. This microlensing was observed by ground-based telescopes looking for these uncommon events, and was the first to be seen by two space-based telescopes: NASA's Spitzer and Swift missions. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21076

First Light LBT AO Images of HR 8799 bcde at 1.6 and 3.3 μm: New Discrepancies between Young Planets and Old Brown Dwarfs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skemer, Andrew J.; Hinz, Philip M.; Esposito, Simone; Burrows, Adam; Leisenring, Jarron; Skrutskie, Michael; Desidera, Silvano; Mesa, Dino; Arcidiacono, Carmelo; Mannucci, Filippo; Rodigas, Timothy J.; Close, Laird; McCarthy, Don; Kulesa, Craig; Agapito, Guido; Apai, Daniel; Argomedo, Javier; Bailey, Vanessa; Boutsia, Konstantina; Briguglio, Runa; Brusa, Guido; Busoni, Lorenzo; Claudi, Riccardo; Eisner, Joshua; Fini, Luca; Follette, Katherine B.; Garnavich, Peter; Gratton, Raffaele; Guerra, Juan Carlos; Hill, John M.; Hoffmann, William F.; Jones, Terry; Krejny, Megan; Males, Jared; Masciadri, Elena; Meyer, Michael R.; Miller, Douglas L.; Morzinski, Katie; Nelson, Matthew; Pinna, Enrico; Puglisi, Alfio; Quanz, Sascha P.; Quiros-Pacheco, Fernando; Riccardi, Armando; Stefanini, Paolo; Vaitheeswaran, Vidhya; Wilson, John C.; Xompero, Marco

2012-07-01

As the only directly imaged multiple planet system, HR 8799 provides a unique opportunity to study the physical properties of several planets in parallel. In this paper, we image all four of the HR 8799 planets at H band and 3.3 μm with the new Large Binocular Telescope adaptive optics system, PISCES, and LBTI/LMIRCam. Our images offer an unprecedented view of the system, allowing us to obtain H and 3.3 μm photometry of the innermost planet (for the first time) and put strong upper limits on the presence of a hypothetical fifth companion. We find that all four planets are unexpectedly bright at 3.3 μm compared to the equilibrium chemistry models used for field brown dwarfs, which predict that planets should be faint at 3.3 μm due to CH4 opacity. We attempt to model the planets with thick-cloudy, non-equilibrium chemistry atmospheres but find that removing CH4 to fit the 3.3 μm photometry increases the predicted L' (3.8 μm) flux enough that it is inconsistent with observations. In an effort to fit the spectral energy distribution of the HR 8799 planets, we construct mixtures of cloudy atmospheres, which are intended to represent planets covered by clouds of varying opacity. In this scenario, regions with low opacity look hot and bright, while regions with high opacity look faint, similar to the patchy cloud structures on Jupiter and L/T transition brown dwarfs. Our mixed-cloud models reproduce all of the available data, but self-consistent models are still necessary to demonstrate their viability. The LBT is an international collaboration among institutions in the United States, Italy, and Germany. LBT Corporation partners are as follows: The University of Arizona on behalf of the Arizona university system; Istituto Nazionale di AstroÞsica, Italy; LBT Beteiligungsgesellschaft, Germany, representing the Max-Planck Society, the Astrophysical Institute Potsdam, and Heidelberg University; The Ohio State University, and The Research Corporation, on behalf of The

About the Linguistic Impossibility of Claiming that Small Planets are not Planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nedeljkovic, A. B.

2012-12-01

Philology, which is, the science of language and literature, must now offer assistance to the science of astronomy, about one question of terminology and logic. Namely, if something belongs to one category, then it is, regardless of its size (large, or medium, or small) a member of that category. Therefore, it was linguistically wrong to claim that Pluto is one of the dwarf planets and therefore not a planet. This mistake, much noticed by the world's public opinion, ought to be corrected immediately.

Merger of a white dwarf-neutron star binary to 1029 carat diamonds: origin of the pulsar planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Margalit, Ben; Metzger, Brian D.

2017-03-01

We show that the merger and tidal disruption of a carbon/oxygen (C/O) white dwarf (WD) by a neutron star (NS) binary companion provides a natural formation scenario for the PSR B1257+12 planetary system. Starting with initial conditions for the debris disc produced of the disrupted WD, we model its long-term viscous evolution, including for the first time the effects of mass and angular momentum loss during the early radiatively inefficient accretion flow (RIAF) phase and accounting for the unusual C/O composition on the disc opacity. For plausible values of the disc viscosity α ∼ 10-3-10-2 and the RIAF mass-loss efficiency, we find that the disc mass remaining near the planet formation radius at the time of solid condensation is sufficient to explain the pulsar planets. Rapid rocky planet formation via gravitational instability of the solid carbon dominated disc is facilitated by the suppression of vertical shear instabilities due to the high solid-to-gas ratio. Additional evidence supporting a WD-NS merger scenario includes (1) the low observed occurrence rate of pulsar planets (≲1 per cent of NS birth), comparable to the expected WD-NS merger rate; (2) accretion by the NS during the RIAF phase is sufficient to spin PSR B1257+12 up to its observed 6 ms period; (3) similar models of 'low angular momentum' discs, such as those produced from supernova fallback, find insufficient mass reaching the planet formation radius. The unusually high space velocity of PSR B1257+12 of ≳326 km s-1 suggests a possible connection to the calcium-rich transients, dim supernovae which occur in the outskirts of their host galaxies and were proposed to result from mergers of WD-NS binaries receiving supernova kicks. The C/O disc composition implied by our model likely results in carbon-rich planets with diamond interiors.

Brown Dwarfs: A New Class of Stellar Lighthouse

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2007-04-01

Brown dwarfs, thought just a few years ago to be incapable of emitting any significant amounts of radio waves, have been discovered putting out extremely bright "lighthouse beams" of radio waves, much like pulsars. A team of astronomers made the discovery using the National Science Foundation's Very Large Array (VLA) radio telescope. Artist's Conception of Brown Dwarf Artist's conception of "mini-aurorae" at poles of brown dwarf, producing beams of strong radio emission. CREDIT: Hallinan et al., NRAO/AUI/NSF Click on image for page of graphics and full information "These beams rotate with the brown dwarf, and we see them when the beam passes over the Earth. This is the same way we see pulses from pulsars," said Gregg Hallinan of the National University of Ireland Galway. "We now think brown dwarfs may be a missing link between pulsars and planets in our own Solar System, which also emit, but more weakly," he added. Brown dwarfs are enigmatic objects that are too small to be stars but too large to be planets. They are sometimes called "failed stars" because they have too little mass to trigger hydrogen fusion reactions at their cores, the source of the energy output in larger stars. With roughly 15 to 80 times the mass of Jupiter, the largest planet in our Solar System, brown dwarfs were long thought to exist. However, it was not until 1995 that astronomers were able to actually find one. A few dozen now are known. In 2001, a group of summer students at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory used the VLA to observe a brown dwarf, even though they had been told by seasoned astronomers that brown dwarfs are not observable at radio wavelengths. Their discovery of a strong flare of radio emission from the object surprised astronomers and the students' scientific paper on the discovery was published in the prestigous scientific journal Nature. Hallinan and his team observed a set of brown dwarfs with the VLA last year, and found that three of the objects emit extremely

Habitable moons around extrasolar giant planets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, D. M.; Kasting, J. F.; Wade, R. A.

1997-01-01

Possible planetary objects have now been discovered orbiting nine different main-sequence stars. These companion objects (some of which might actually be brown dwarfs) all have a mass at least half that of Jupiter, and are therefore unlikely to be hospitable to Earth-like life: jovian planets and brown dwarfs support neither a solid nor a liquid surface near which organisms might dwell. Here we argue that rocky moons orbiting these companions could be habitable if the planet-moon system orbits the parent star within the so-called 'habitable zone', where life-supporting liquid water could be present. The companions to the stars 16 Cygni B and 47 Ursae Majoris might satisfy this criterion. Such a moon would, however, need to be large enough (>0.12 Earth masses) to retain a substantial and long-lived atmosphere, and would also need to possess a strong magnetic field in order to prevent its atmosphere from being sputtered away by the constant bombardment of energetic ions from the planet's magnetosphere.

Habitable moons around extrasolar giant planets.

PubMed

Williams, D M; Kasting, J F; Wade, R A

1997-01-16

Possible planetary objects have now been discovered orbiting nine different main-sequence stars. These companion objects (some of which might actually be brown dwarfs) all have a mass at least half that of Jupiter, and are therefore unlikely to be hospitable to Earth-like life: jovian planets and brown dwarfs support neither a solid nor a liquid surface near which organisms might dwell. Here we argue that rocky moons orbiting these companions could be habitable if the planet-moon system orbits the parent star within the so-called 'habitable zone', where life-supporting liquid water could be present. The companions to the stars 16 Cygni B and 47 Ursae Majoris might satisfy this criterion. Such a moon would, however, need to be large enough (>0.12 Earth masses) to retain a substantial and long-lived atmosphere, and would also need to possess a strong magnetic field in order to prevent its atmosphere from being sputtered away by the constant bombardment of energetic ions from the planet's magnetosphere.

Identifying wide, cold planets within 8pc

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deacon, Niall; Kraus, Adam; Crossfield, Ian

2014-12-01

Direct imaging exoplanet studies have recently unveiled a previously-unexpected population of massive planets (up to 15 M_Jup) in wide orbits (>100AU). Although most of these discoveries have been around younger stars and have been of similar temperatures to field brown dwarfs, one object (WD 0806-661B), is the coldest planet known outside our solar system. We propose a survey of all stars and brown dwarfs within 8pc to identify massive planetary companions in the 150-1500AU separation range. We will 1) Measure the fraction of wide planetary mass companions to stars in the Solar neighbourhood. 2) Identify all planets within 8 parsecs with masses above 8 Jupiter masses in our chosen projected separation range with lower mass limits for closer and younger stars. 3) Identify approximately 8 planets, four of which will have temperatures below 300K making them ideal targets to study water clouds in cold atmospheres with both JWST and the next generation of ground-based extremely large telescopes. Our survey will be the most complete survey for wide planets to-date and will provide both a measurement of the wide planet population and a legacy of cold, well constrained targets for future observatories.

TRAPPIST-1 Planet Lineup - Updated Feb. 2018

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-02-05

This artist's concept shows what the TRAPPIST-1 planetary system may look like, based on available data about the planets' diameters, masses and distances from the host star, as of February 2018. This image represents an updated version of PIA21422, which was created in 2017. The planets' appearances were re-imagined based on a 2018 study using additional observations from NASA's Spitzer and Kepler space telescopes, in addition to previous data from Spitzer, the ground-based TRAPPIST (TRAnsiting Planets and PlanetesImals Small Telescope) telescope and other ground-based observatories. The system was named for the TRAPPIST telescope. The new analysis concludes that the seven planets of TRAPPIST-1 are all rocky, and some could contain significant amounts of water. TRAPPIST-1 is an ultra-cool dwarf star in the constellation Aquarius, and its planets orbit very close to it. The form that water would take on TRAPPIST-1 planets would depend on the amount of heat they receive from their star, which is a mere 9 percent as massive as our Sun. Planets closest to the star are more likely to host water in the form of atmospheric vapor, while those farther away may have water frozen on their surfaces as ice. TRAPPIST-1e is the rockiest planet of them all, but still is believed to have the potential to host some liquid water. In this illustration, the relative sizes of the planets and their host star, an ultracool dwarf, are all shown to scale. An annotated image is available at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22093

The Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 Citizen Science Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faherty, Jacqueline K.; Kuchner, Marc; Schneider, Adam; Meisner, Aaron; Gagné, Jonathan; Filippazzo, Joeseph; Trouille, Laura; Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 Collaboration; Jacqueline Faherty

2018-01-01

In February of 2017 our team launched a new citizen science project entitled Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 to scan the cosmos for fast moving stars, brown dwarfs, and even planets. This Zooniverse website, BackyardWorlds.org, invites anyone with a computer or smartphone to flip through WISE images taken over a several year baseline and mark any point source that appears to move. This “blinking technique” is the same that Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto with over 80 years ago. In the first few days of our program we recruited over 30,000 volunteers. After 3/4 of a year with the program we have completed 30% of the sky and our participants have identified several hundred candidate movers. These include (1) over 20 candidate Y-type brown dwarfs, (2) a handful of new co-moving systems containing a previously unidentified low mass object and a known nearby star, (3) over 100 previously missed M dwarfs, (4) and more than 200 candidate L and T brown dwarfs, many of which occupy outlier positions on reduced proper motion diagrams. Our first publication credited four citizen scientists as co-authors. The Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 project is both scientifically fruitful and empowering for any mind across the globe that has ever wanted to participate in a discovery-driven astronomy research project.

Atmospheric circulation of brown dwarfs and directly imaged extrasolar giant planets with active clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Xianyu; Showman, Adam

2016-10-01

Observational evidence have suggested active meteorology in the atmospheres of brown dwarfs (BDs) and directly imaged extrasolar giant planets (EGPs). In particular, a number of surveys for brown dwarfs showed that near-IR brightness variability is common for L and T dwarfs. Directly imaged EGPs share similar observations, and can be viewed as low-gravity versions of BDs. Clouds are believed to play the major role in shaping the thermal structure, dynamics and near-IR flux of these atmospheres. So far, only a few studies have been devoted to atmospheric circulation and the implications for observations of BDs and directly EGPs, and yet no global model includes a self-consistent active cloud formation. Here we present preliminary results from the first global circulation model applied to BDs and directly imaged EGPs that can properly treat absorption and scattering of radiation by cloud particles. Our results suggest that horizontal temperature differences on isobars can reach up to a few hundred Kelvins, with typical horizontal length scale of the temperature and cloud patterns much smaller than the radius of the object. The combination of temperature anomaly and cloud pattern can result in moderate disk-integrated near-IR flux variability. Wind speeds can reach several hundred meters per second in cloud forming layers. Unlike Jupiter and Saturn, we do not observe stable zonal jet/banded patterns in our simulations. Instead, our simulated atmospheres are typically turbulent and dominated by transient vortices. The circulation is sensitive to the parameterized cloud microphysics. Under some parameter combinations, global-scale atmospheric waves can be triggered and maintained. These waves induce global-scale temperature anomalies and cloud patterns, causing large (up to several percent) disk-integrated near-IR flux variability. Our results demonstrate that the commonly observed near-IR brightness variability for BDs and directly imaged EGPs can be explained by the

The WFCAM Transit Survey: A Search for Rocky Planets Around Cool Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Birkby, J.; Hodgkin, S.; Pinfield, D.; WTS Consortium

2011-12-01

We report on the WFCAM Transit Survey which is a near-infrared photometric monitoring campaign designed primarily to test the predictions of planet formation theory. We monitor a statisically significant sample of ˜6,000 M-dwarfs (M<0.6M⊙) across 6 sq. deg of the sky, by taking advantage of the highly-efficient queue-scheduled operational mode of the 3.8m United Kingdom Infrared Telescope. Our light curves have RMS < 1% between 13 < J < 16 magnitudes and preliminary simulations indicate the survey is sensitive to at least Jupiter-like transits of M-dwarfs. The survey is approximately 25% complete and within this dataset we find i) no planet-like transit events, despite thorough and extensive follow-up this summer and ii) 32 new M-dwarf eclipsing binaries. We do not speculate on the planet fraction of M-dwarfs at this incomplete stage of our survey, but once we achieve 1,000 epochs of observation on our entire M-dwarf sample, we will have a significant observational constraint to place on occurrence of planets around M-dwarfs. We report masses and radii for three of our newly discovered eclipsing binary, with errors of 3-7%, which all show inflated radii when compared to stellar evolution models (e.g. Baraffe et al. (1998)). Our results support the growing body of observations with inflated M-dwarf radii, which may be caused by increased magnetic activity inhibiting the convection efficiency or increased star spot coverage (e.g. Chabrier et al. (2007); Jackson et al. (2009)). Finally, we present preliminary mass and radius estimates of a fourth new eclipsing binary, which is one of the lowest mass binary systems ever discovered and will provide a calibrating point in the desert of observations between 0.1-0.2M⊙.

Modeled 3-D Biosignatures from the Stratospheres of Proxima Centauri b and M-dwarf Planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Howard; Horton, Daniel

2018-01-01

Proxima Centauri b is one of the most promising extrasolar terrestrial planets to search for potential biomarkers due to its proximity to Earth and relatively high planet to stellar luminosity ratio. These factors create a prime target for follow-up characterization efforts by e.g., James Webb Space Telescope and/or directing imaging. High-resolution, 3-D model predictions of atmospheric biosignatures however, are not currently available in the community. Here we use the CESM1 WACCM, a high-top coupled climate-chemistry general circulation model, to simulate the circulation, photochemistry, and stratospheric chemistry of Proxima b. From our equilibrium simulations with boundary conditions consistent with Proxima b observations (i.e., mass, radius, heliocentric distance, etc.) and a stellar spectrum consistent with its host star, we find increased mixing ratios and lifetimes for biogenic compounds (e.g., CH4, N2O, and CH3Cl) in the stratosphere. Whereas these biogenic gases are typically concentrated at the equator on Earth, they are dispersed across the mid-latitudes and even to the poles of Proxima b. Our initial analysis suggests that these characteristics are the result of a markedly energized stratospheric circulation regime and altered photochemistry, both of which are the consequence of enhanced UV and IR radiative forcing relative to Earth. Model simulated global distribution and longer lifetimes of biomarkers suggest that Proxima b’s molecular absorption and observational windows are potentially greater than anticipated. These results indicate that the prospects for detecting signals of life on Proxima b and/or other M-dwarf planets are enhanced – a conclusion consistent with several prior studies using 1-D models.

The Fate of Exoplanetary Systems and the Implications for White Dwarf Pollution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Veras, D.; Mustill, A. J.; Bonsor, A.; Wyatt, M. C.

2013-09-01

Mounting discoveries of extrasolar planets orbiting post-main-sequence stars motivate studies to understand the fate of these planets. Also, polluted white dwarfs (WDs) likely represent dynamically active systems at late times. Here, we perform full-lifetime simulations of one-, two- and three-planet systems from the endpoint of formation to several Gyr into the WD phase of the host star. We outline the physical and computational processes which must be considered for post-main-sequence planetary studies, and characterize the challenges in explaining the robust observational signatures of infrared excess in white dwarfs by appealing to late-stage planetary systems.

The very homogeneous surface of the dwarf planet Makemake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perna, D.; Hromakina, T.; Merlin, F.; Ieva, S.; Fornasier, S.; Belskaya, I.; Mazzotta Epifani, E.

2017-04-01

The dwarf planet (136472) Makemake is one of the largest trans-Neptunian objects discovered to date. Noteworthy, the size and surface temperature of this celestial body put it in a transition region where nitrogen is preferentially lost, while the less volatile methane is retained. Indeed, literature spectra clearly show that the surface of Makemake is dominated by methane ice, though the presence of nitrogen and of irradiation products of methane has been inferred by several authors and a debate is still open about the eventual rotational variability of the surface composition. In this work, we present new visible and near-infrared spectra of Makemake obtained with the TNG telescope (La Palma, Spain) in the time span 2006-2013. Our data sample different rotational phases, covering about 80 per cent of the surface. All of the obtained spectra look very similar, suggesting an overall homogeneous composition. No secular variations appear when comparing our data to literature results (as expected, considering the quite short orbital arc travelled by Makemake since its discovery in 2005). The presence of methane diluted in nitrogen is evidenced by the shift of the observed absorption bands with respect to those of pure methane, with a dilution state looking homogeneous over the surface. We modelled a complete visible and near-infrared spectrum of Makemake using the Shkuratov formalism, and found that adding irradiation products of methane like ethane and ethylene seems indeed improving the fit of the synthetic spectrum to our data. We found no hints of a localized/temporary atmosphere.

The Survival of Water Within Extrasolar Minor Planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jura, M.; Xu, S.

2010-11-01

We compute that extrasolar minor planets can retain much of their internal H2O during their host star's red giant evolution. The eventual accretion of a water-rich body or bodies onto a helium white dwarf might supply an observable amount of atmospheric hydrogen, as seems likely for GD 362. More generally, if hydrogen pollution in helium white dwarfs typically results from accretion of large parent bodies rather than interstellar gas as previously supposed, then H2O probably constitutes at least 10% of the aggregate mass of extrasolar minor planets. One observational test of this possibility is to examine the atmospheres of externally polluted white dwarfs for oxygen in excess of that likely contributed by oxides such as SiO2. The relatively high oxygen abundance previously reported in GD 378 can be explained plausibly but not uniquely by accretion of an H2O-rich parent body or bodies. Future ultraviolet observations of white dwarf pollutions can serve to investigate the hypothesis that environments with liquid water that are suitable habitats for extremophiles are widespread in the Milky Way.

HABEBEE: habitability of eyeball-exo-Earths.

PubMed

Angerhausen, Daniel; Sapers, Haley; Citron, Robert; Bergantini, Alexandre; Lutz, Stefanie; Queiroz, Luciano Lopes; da Rosa Alexandre, Marcelo; Araujo, Ana Carolina Vieira

2013-03-01

Extrasolar Earth and super-Earth planets orbiting within the habitable zone of M dwarf host stars may play a significant role in the discovery of habitable environments beyond Earth. Spectroscopic characterization of these exoplanets with respect to habitability requires the determination of habitability parameters with respect to remote sensing. The habitable zone of dwarf stars is located in close proximity to the host star, such that exoplanets orbiting within this zone will likely be tidally locked. On terrestrial planets with an icy shell, this may produce a liquid water ocean at the substellar point, one particular "Eyeball Earth" state. In this research proposal, HABEBEE: exploring the HABitability of Eyeball-Exo-Earths, we define the parameters necessary to achieve a stable icy Eyeball Earth capable of supporting life. Astronomical and geochemical research will define parameters needed to simulate potentially habitable environments on an icy Eyeball Earth planet. Biological requirements will be based on detailed studies of microbial communities within Earth analog environments. Using the interdisciplinary results of both the physical and biological teams, we will set up a simulation chamber to expose a cold- and UV-tolerant microbial community to the theoretically derived Eyeball Earth climate states, simulating the composition, atmosphere, physical parameters, and stellar irradiation. Combining the results of both studies will enable us to derive observable parameters as well as target decision guidance and feasibility analysis for upcoming astronomical platforms.

Constraining Substellar Magnetic Dynamos using Brown Dwarf Radio Aurorae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kao, Melodie Minyu

Brown dwarfs share characteristics with both low-mass stars and gas giant planets, making them useful laboratories for studying physics occurring in objects throughout this low mass and temperature range. Of particular interest in this dissertation is the nature of the engine driving their magnetic fields. Fully convective magnetic dynamos can operate in low mass stars, brown dwarfs, gas giant planets, and even fluid metal cores in small rocky planets. Objects in this wide mass range are capable of hosting strong magnetic fields, which shape much of the evolution of planets and stars: strong fields can protect planetary atmospheres from evaporating, generate optical and infrared emission that masquerade as clouds in the atmospheres of other worlds, and affect planet formation mechanisms. Thus, implications from understanding convective dynamo mechanisms also extend to exoplanet habitability. How the convective dynamos driving these fields operate remains an important open problem. While we have extensive data to inform models of magnetic dynamo mechanisms in higher mass stars like our Sun, the coolest and lowest-mass objects that probe the substellar-planetary boundary do not possess the internal structures necessary to drive solar-type dynamos. A number of models examining fully convective dynamo mechanisms have been proposed but they remain unconstrained by magnetic field measurements in the lowest end of the substellar mass and temperature space. Detections of highly circularly polarized pulsed radio emission provide our only window into magnetic field measurements for objects in the ultracool brown dwarf regime, but these detections are very rare; until this dissertation, only one attempt out of 60 had been successful. The work presented in this dissertation seeks to address this problem and examines radio emission from late L, T, and Y spectral type brown dwarfs spanning 1-6 times the surface temperature of Earth and explores implications for fully convective

Backyard Worlds: Finding Nearby Brown Dwarfs Through Citizen Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuchner, Marc

Recent discoveries of cool brown dwarfs in the solar neighborhood and microlensing surveys both point to an undiscovered population of brown dwarfs and rogue planets in the solar neighborhood. We propose to develop and sustain a novel website that enables a unique and powerful citizen-science based search for these and other high-proper-motion objects at 3.5 and 4.6 microns. Through this search, we have an opportunity to discover new ultracool Y dwarfs, crucial links between star formation and planet formation, and also the Sun's nearest neighbors-potentially a system closer than Proxima Centauri. NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer mission (WISE) is nominally sensitive enough to detect a 250 K brown dwarf to > 6 pc and even a Jupiter analog to > 0.6 pc. However, high proper motion objects like these can easily be confused with variable stars, electronic noise, latent images, optical ghosts, cosmic ray hits, and so on in the WISE archive. Computer-based searches for high-proper motion objects falter in dense star fields, necessitating visual inspection all candidates. Our citizen science project, called "Backyard Worlds: Planet 9", remedies this problem by engaging volunteers to visually inspect WISE and NEOWISE images. Roughly 104,000 participants have already begun using a preliminary version of the site to examine time-resolved co-adds of unWISE-processed images, four epochs spanning 2010 to 2014. They have already performed more than 3.6 million classifications of these images since the site's launch on February 15, 2017. Besides seeking new brown dwarfs and nearby stars, this site is also the most sensitive all-sky WISE-based search for a planet orbiting the Sun beyond Pluto (sometimes called Planet Nine). Preliminary analysis data from the site has resulted in the discovery of 13 brown dwarf candidates including 6 T dwarfs. We obtained a spectrum of one of these candidates and published it in Astrophysical Journal Letters, with four citizen scientists

Brown Dwarf Weather (Artist's Concept)

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-06-06

This artist's concept shows what the weather might look like on cool star-like bodies known as brown dwarfs. These giant balls of gas start out life like stars, but lack the mass to sustain nuclear fusion at their cores, and instead, fade and cool with time. Observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope suggest that most brown dwarfs are roiling with one or more planet-size storms akin to Jupiter's "Great Red Spot." https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21475

Model Atmospheres and Spectra for Extrasolar Giant Planets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Freedman, Richard S.; Beebe, Reta (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

In the past few years much new observational data has become available for brown dwarfs and extra solar planets. Not only are new objects being discovered but the availability of higher resolution spectra is improving. This allows a better comparison between the models and the available data, and places new constraints on the models which now have to be made more physically realistic in order to better interpret the observations. Under this grant, an array of new opacities were calculated and successfully applied to a variety of physical situations that were used as input to model available observations of brown dwarfs and extra solar giant planets.

Sublimation of icy planetesimals and the delivery of water to the habitable zone around solar type stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brunini, Adrián; López, María Cristina

2018-06-01

We present a semi analytic model to evaluate the delivery of water to the habitable zone around a solar type star carried by icy planetesimals born beyond the snow line. The model includes sublimation of ice, gas drag and scattering by an outer giant planet located near the snow line. The sublimation model is general and could be applicable to planetary synthesis models or N-Body simulations of the formation of planetary systems. We perform a short series of simulations to asses the potential relevance of sublimation of volatiles in the process of delivery of water to the inner regions of a planetary system during early stages of its formation. We could anticipate that erosion by sublimation would prevent the arrival of much water to the habitable zone of protoplanetary disks in the form of icy planetesimals. Close encounters with a massive planet orbiting near the outer edge of the snow line could make possible for planetesimals to reach the habitable zone somewhat less eroded. However, only large planetesimals could provide appreciable amounts of water. Massive disks and sharp gas surface density profiles favor icy planetesimals to reach inner regions of a protoplanetary disk.

Suppression of the water ice and snow albedo feedback on planets orbiting red dwarf stars and the subsequent widening of the habitable zone.

PubMed

Joshi, Manoj M; Haberle, Robert M

2012-01-01

M stars comprise 80% of main sequence stars, so their planetary systems provide the best chance for finding habitable planets, that is, those with surface liquid water. We have modeled the broadband albedo or reflectivity of water ice and snow for simulated planetary surfaces orbiting two observed red dwarf stars (or M stars), using spectrally resolved data of Earth's cryosphere. The gradual reduction of the albedos of snow and ice at wavelengths greater than 1 μm, combined with M stars emitting a significant fraction of their radiation at these same longer wavelengths, means that the albedos of ice and snow on planets orbiting M stars are much lower than their values on Earth. Our results imply that the ice/snow albedo climate feedback is significantly weaker for planets orbiting M stars than for planets orbiting G-type stars such as the Sun. In addition, planets with significant ice and snow cover will have significantly higher surface temperatures for a given stellar flux if the spectral variation of cryospheric albedo is considered, which in turn implies that the outer edge of the habitable zone around M stars may be 10-30% farther away from the parent star than previously thought.

A rocky planet transiting a nearby low-mass star.

PubMed

Berta-Thompson, Zachory K; Irwin, Jonathan; Charbonneau, David; Newton, Elisabeth R; Dittmann, Jason A; Astudillo-Defru, Nicola; Bonfils, Xavier; Gillon, Michaël; Jehin, Emmanuël; Stark, Antony A; Stalder, Brian; Bouchy, Francois; Delfosse, Xavier; Forveille, Thierry; Lovis, Christophe; Mayor, Michel; Neves, Vasco; Pepe, Francesco; Santos, Nuno C; Udry, Stéphane; Wünsche, Anaël

2015-11-12

M-dwarf stars--hydrogen-burning stars that are smaller than 60 per cent of the size of the Sun--are the most common class of star in our Galaxy and outnumber Sun-like stars by a ratio of 12:1. Recent results have shown that M dwarfs host Earth-sized planets in great numbers: the average number of M-dwarf planets that are between 0.5 to 1.5 times the size of Earth is at least 1.4 per star. The nearest such planets known to transit their star are 39 parsecs away, too distant for detailed follow-up observations to measure the planetary masses or to study their atmospheres. Here we report observations of GJ 1132b, a planet with a size of 1.2 Earth radii that is transiting a small star 12 parsecs away. Our Doppler mass measurement of GJ 1132b yields a density consistent with an Earth-like bulk composition, similar to the compositions of the six known exoplanets with masses less than six times that of the Earth and precisely measured densities. Receiving 19 times more stellar radiation than the Earth, the planet is too hot to be habitable but is cool enough to support a substantial atmosphere, one that has probably been considerably depleted of hydrogen. Because the host star is nearby and only 21 per cent the radius of the Sun, existing and upcoming telescopes will be able to observe the composition and dynamics of the planetary atmosphere.

NTT Observations Indicate that Brown Dwarfs Form Like Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2001-06-01

Dusty Disks Detected around Very Young Substellar Objects in the Orion Nebula Summary An international team of astronomers [2] is announcing today the discovery of dusty disks surrounding numerous very faint objects that are believed to be recently formed Brown Dwarfs in the Orion Nebula [3]. This finding is based on detailed observations with SOFI, a specialised infrared-sensitive instrument at the ESO 3.5-m New Technology Telescope at the La Silla Observatory. It is of special interest because it sheds light on the origin and nature of substellar objects, known as "Brown Dwarfs" . In particular, these results suggest that Brown Dwarfs share a common origin with stars and that Brown Dwarfs are more similar in nature to stars than to planets and, like stars, have the potential to form with accompanying systems of planets. Moreover, the presence of dusty protoplanetary disks around the faintest objects in the Orion Nebula cluster confirms both the membership of these faint stars in the cluster and their nature as bona-fide substellar objects, making this the largest population of Brown Dwarf objects yet known . These important results are being reported today to the American Astronomical Society Meeting in Pasadena (California, USA). PR Photo 22a/01 : Infrared picture of the Orion Nebula (NTT + SOFI). PR Photo 22b/01 : "Finding Chart" for Very Young Brown Dwarfs in the Orion Nebula. PR Photo 22c/01 : Animated GIF presentation of PR Photos 22a+b/01. Faint substellar objects in the Milky Way Over the past 5 years, several groups of astronomers have identified a type of very faint, substellar objects within our Milky Way galaxy. These gaseous objects have very low masses and will never shine like normal stars because they cannot achieve central temperatures high enough for sustained thermal nuclear reactions to occur in their cores. Such objects weigh less than about 7% of our Sun and have been variously called "Brown Dwarfs" , "Failed Stars" or "Super Planets

Water Loss from Young Planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tian, Feng; Güdel, Manuel; Johnstone, Colin P.; Lammer, Helmut; Luger, Rodrigo; Odert, Petra

2018-04-01

Good progress has been made in the past few years to better understand the XUV evolution trend of Sun-like stars, the capture and dissipation of hydrogen dominant envelopes of planetary embryos and protoplanets, and water loss from young planets around M dwarfs. This chapter reviews these recent developments. Observations of exoplanets and theoretical works in the near future will significantly advance our understanding of one of the fundamental physical processes shaping the evolution of solar system terrestrial planets.

Planetary Engulfment as a Trigger for White Dwarf Pollution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrovich, Cristobal; Muñoz, Diego J.

2017-01-01

The presence of a planetary system can shield a planetesimal disk from the secular gravitational perturbations due to distant outer massive objects (planets or stellar companions). As the host star evolves off the main sequence to become a white dwarf, these planets can be engulfed during the giant phase, triggering secular instabilities and leading to the tidal disruptions of small rocky bodies. These disrupted bodies can feed the white dwarfs with rocky material and possibly explain the high-metallicity material in their atmospheres. We illustrate how this mechanism can operate when the gravitational perturbations are due to the KL mechanism from a stellar binary companion, a process that is activated only after the planet has been removed/engulfed. We show that this mechanism can explain the observed accretion rates if: (1) the planetary engulfment happens rapidly compared to the secular timescale, which is generally the case for wide binaries (> 100 au) and planetary engulfment during the asymptotic giant branch; (2) the planetesimal disk has a total mass of ˜ {10}-4-{10}-2{M}\\oplus . We show that this new mechanism can provide a steady supply of material throughout the entire life of the white dwarfs for all cooling ages and can account for a large fraction (up to nearly half) of the observed polluted white dwarfs.

Models of very-low-mass stars, brown dwarfs and exoplanets.

PubMed

Allard, F; Homeier, D; Freytag, B

2012-06-13

Within the next few years, GAIA and several instruments aiming to image extrasolar planets will be ready. In parallel, low-mass planets are being sought around red dwarfs, which offer more favourable conditions, for both radial velocity detection and transit studies, than solar-type stars. In this paper, the authors of a model atmosphere code that has allowed the detection of water vapour in the atmosphere of hot Jupiters review recent advances in modelling the stellar to substellar transition. The revised solar oxygen abundances and cloud model allow the photometric and spectroscopic properties of this transition to be reproduced for the first time. Also presented are highlight results of a model atmosphere grid for stars, brown dwarfs and extrasolar planets.

A resolved outflow of matter from a brown dwarf.

PubMed

Whelan, Emma T; Ray, Thomas P; Bacciotti, Francesca; Natta, Antonella; Testi, Leonardo; Randich, Sofia

2005-06-02

The birth of stars involves not only accretion but also, counter-intuitively, the expulsion of matter in the form of highly supersonic outflows. Although this phenomenon has been seen in young stars, a fundamental question is whether it also occurs among newborn brown dwarfs: these are the so-called 'failed stars', with masses between stars and planets, that never manage to reach temperatures high enough for normal hydrogen fusion to occur. Recently, evidence for accretion in young brown dwarfs has mounted, and their spectra show lines that are suggestive of outflows. Here we report spectro-astrometric data that spatially resolve an outflow from a brown dwarf. The outflow's characteristics appear similar to, but on a smaller scale than, outflows from normal young stars. This result suggests that the outflow mechanism is universal, and perhaps relevant even to the formation of planets.

Selections from 2017: Atmosphere Around an Earth-Like Planet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, Susanna

2017-12-01

Editors note:In these last two weeks of 2017, well be looking at a few selections that we havent yet discussed on AAS Nova from among the most-downloaded paperspublished in AAS journals this year. The usual posting schedule will resume in January.Detection of the Atmosphere of the 1.6 M Exoplanet GJ 1132 bPublished March2017Main takeaway:An atmosphere was detected around the roughly Earth-size exoplanet GJ 1132 b using a telescope at the European Southern Observatory in Chile. A team of scientists led byJohn Southworth (Keele University) found features indicating the presence of an atmosphere in theobservationsof this 1.6-Earth-mass planet as it transits an M-dwarf host star. This is the lowest-mass planet with a detected atmosphere thus far.Why its interesting:M dwarfs are among the most common stars in our galaxy, and weve found manyEarth-sizeexoplanets in or near the habitable zones around M-dwarf hosts. But M dwarfs are also more magnetically active than stars like our Sun, suggesting that the planets in M-dwarfhabitable zones may not be able to support life due to stellar activity eroding their atmospheres. The detection of an atmosphere around GJ 1132 b suggests that some planets orbiting M dwarfsare able to retain their atmospheres which meansthat these planetsmay be an interesting place to search for life after all.How the atmosphere was detected:The measured planetary radius for GJ 1132 b as a function of the wavelength used to observe it. [Southworth et al. 2017]When measuring the radius of GJ 1132 b based on its transits, the authors noticed that the planet appeared to be largerwhen observed in some wavelengths than in others. This can beexplained if the planet has asurface radius of 1.4 Earth radii, overlaid by an atmosphere that extends out another few tenths of an Earth radius. The atmosphere, which may consist of water vapor or methane, is transparent to some wavelengths and absorbs others which is why the apparent size of the planet changes

Multi-layer hydrostatic equilibrium of planets and synchronous moons: theory and application to Ceres and to solar system moons

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tricarico, Pasquale

2014-02-20

The hydrostatic equilibrium of multi-layer bodies lacks a satisfactory theoretical treatment despite its wide range of applicability. Here we show that by using the exact analytical potential of homogeneous ellipsoids we can obtain recursive analytical solutions and an exact numerical method for the hydrostatic equilibrium shape problem of multi-layer planets and synchronous moons. The recursive solutions rely on the series expansion of the potential in terms of the polar and equatorial shape eccentricities, while the numerical method uses the exact potential expression. These solutions can be used to infer the interior structure of planets and synchronous moons from their observedmore » shape, rotation, and gravity. When applied to the dwarf planet Ceres, we show that it is most likely a differentiated body with an icy crust of equatorial thickness 30-90 km and a rocky core of density 2.4-3.1 g cm{sup –3}. For synchronous moons, we show that the J {sub 2}/C {sub 22} ≅ 10/3 and the (b – c)/(a – c) ≅ 1/4 ratios have significant corrections of order Ω{sup 2}/(πGρ), with important implications for how their gravitational coefficients are determined from fly-by radio science data and for how we assess their hydrostatic equilibrium state.« less

The Far Ultraviolet M-dwarf Evolution Survey (FUMES): Overview and Initial Results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pineda, J. Sebastian; France, Kevin; Youngblood, Allison

2018-01-01

M-dwarf stars are prime targets for exoplanet searches because of their close proximity and favorable properties for both planet detection and characterization, with current searches around these targets having already discovered several Earth-sized planets within their star’s habitable zones. However, the atmospheric characterization and potential habitability of these exoplanetary systems depends critically on the high-energy stellar radiation environment from X-rays to NUV. Strong radiation at these energies can lead to atmospheric mass loss and is a strong driver of photochemistry in planetary atmospheres. Recently, the MUSCLES Treasury Survey provided the first comprehensive assessment of the high-energy radiation field around old, planet hosting M-dwarfs. However, the habitability and potential for such exoplanetary atmospheres to develop life also depends on the evolution of the atmosphere and hence the evolution of the incident radiation field. The strong high-energy spectrum of young M-dwarfs can have devastating consequences for the potential habitability of a given system. We, thus, introduce the Far Ultraviolet M-dwarf Evolution Survey (FUMES), a new HST-STIS observing campaign targeting 10 early-mid M dwarfs with known rotation periods, including 6 targets with known ages, to assess the evolution of the FUV radiation, including Lyα, of M-dwarf stars with stellar rotation period. We present the initial results of our survey characterizing the FUV emission features of our targets and the implications of our measurements for the evolution of the entire high-energy radiation environment around M-dwarfs from youth to old age.

The Planets Around Low-Mass Stars (PALMS) Direct Imaging Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bowler, Brendan P.; Liu, M. C.; Shkolnik, E.; Mann, A.; Tamura, M.

2013-01-01

Direct imaging is the only method to study the outer architecture (>10 AU) of extrasolar planetary systems in a targeted fashion. Previous imaging surveys have primarily focused on intermediate- and high-mass stars because of the relative dearth of known nearby young M dwarfs. As a result, even though M dwarfs make up 70% of stars in our galaxy, there are few constraints on the population of giant planets at moderate separations (10-100 AU) in this stellar mass regime. We present results from an ongoing high-contrast adaptive optics imaging survey targeting newly identified nearby (<35 pc) young (<300 Myr) M dwarfs with Keck-2/NIRC2 and Subaru/HiCIAO. We have already discovered four young brown dwarf companions with masses between 30-70 Mjup; two of these are members of the ~120 Myr AB Dor moving group, and another one will yield a dynamical mass in the near future. Follow-up optical and near-infrared spectroscopy of these companions reveal spectral types of late-M to early-L and spectroscopic indicators of youth such as angular H-band morphologies, weak J-band alkali lines, and Li absorption and Halpha emission in one target. Altogether our survey is sensitive to planet masses a few times that of Jupiter at separations down to ~10 AU. With a sample size of roughly 80 single M dwarfs, this program represents the deepest and most extensive imaging search for planets around young low-mass stars to date.

The Gemini Planet Imager Exoplanet Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nielsen, Eric L.; Macintosh, Bruce; Graham, James R.; Barman, Travis S.; Doyon, Rene; Fabrycky, Daniel; Fitzgerald, Michael P.; Kalas, Paul; Konopacky, Quinn M.; Marchis, Franck; Marley, Mark S.; Marois, Christian; Patience, Jenny; Perrin, Marshall D.; Oppenheimer, Rebecca; Song, Inseok; GPIES Team

2017-01-01

The Gemini Planet Imager Exoplanet Survey (GPIES) is one of the largest most sensitive direct imaging searches for exoplanets conducted to date, and having observed more than 300 stars the survey is halfway complete. We present highlights from the first half of the survey, including the discovery and characterization of the young exoplanet 51 Eri b and the brown dwarf HR 2562 B, new imaging of multiple disks, and resolving the young stellar binary V343 Nor for the first time. GPI has also provided new spectra and orbits of previous known planets and brown dwarfs and polarization measurements of a wide range of disks. Finally, we discuss the constraints placed by the first half of the GPIES campaign on the population of giant planets at orbital separations beyond that of Jupiter. Supported by NSF grants AST-0909188 and AST-1313718, AST-1411868, AST 141378, NNX11AF74G, and DGE-1232825, and by NASA grants NNX15AD95G/NEXSS and NNX11AD21G.

Stellar and Planetary Parameters for K2 's Late-type Dwarf Systems from C1 to C5

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Martinez, Arturo O.; Crossfield, Ian J. M.; Peacock, Sarah

The NASA K2 mission uses photometry to find planets transiting stars of various types. M dwarfs are of high interest since they host more short-period planets than any other type of main-sequence star and transiting planets around M dwarfs have deeper transits compared to other main-sequence stars. In this paper, we present stellar parameters from K and M dwarfs hosting transiting planet candidates discovered by our team. Using the SOFI spectrograph on the European Southern Observatory’s New Technology Telescope, we obtained R ≈ 1000 J -, H -, and K -band (0.95–2.52 μ m) spectra of 34 late-type K2 planetmore » and candidate planet host systems and 12 bright K4–M5 dwarfs with interferometrically measured radii and effective temperatures. Out of our 34 late-type K2 targets, we identify 27 of these stars as M dwarfs. We measure equivalent widths of spectral features, derive calibration relations using stars with interferometric measurements, and estimate stellar radii, effective temperatures, masses, and luminosities for the K2 planet hosts. Our calibrations provide radii and temperatures with median uncertainties of 0.059 R {sub ⊙} (16.09%) and 160 K (4.33%), respectively. We then reassess the radii and equilibrium temperatures of known and candidate planets based on our spectroscopically derived stellar parameters. Since a planet’s radius and equilibrium temperature depend on the parameters of its host star, our study provides more precise planetary parameters for planets and candidates orbiting late-type stars observed with K2 . We find a median planet radius and an equilibrium temperature of approximately 3 R {sub ⊕} and 500 K, respectively, with several systems (K2-18b and K2-72e) receiving near-Earth-like levels of incident irradiation.« less

Physical Studies of Brown Dwarfs and Extrasolar Planets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Noll, Keith

2004-01-01

The main purpose of this grant proposal was to fund the ongoing work on brown dwarfs by Denise Stephens during her tenure at STScI as a postdoctoral researcher. We have completed approximately half of the three-year grant period. Dr. Stephens has now assumed to role of senior research associate at Johns Hopkins University and in this position is eligible to be PI of grants. Because the bulk of the work and funds under this grant have been and will continue to be for the purposes of supporting Dr. Stephens, we are transferring control of the grant to her at JHU. This closeout is a formality to allow that transfer. The largest project was the completion of a major work on the infrared photometry of L and T dwarfs. The paper was published in January 2004.

The Icy Cold Heart of Pluto

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamilton, Douglas P.

2015-11-01

The locations of large deposits of frozen volatiles on planetary surfaces are largely coincident with areas receiving the minimum annual influx of solar energy; familiar examples include the polar caps of Earth and Mars. For planets tilted by more than 45 degrees, however, the poles actually receive more energy than some other latitudes. Pluto, with its current obliquity of 119 degrees, has minima in its average annual insolation at +/- 27 degrees latitude, with ~1.5% more energy flux going to the equator and ~15% more to the poles. Remarkably, the fraction of annual solar energy incident on different latitudes depends only on the obliquity of the planet and not on any of its orbital parameters.Over millions of years, Pluto's obliquity varies sinusoidally from 102-126 degrees, significantly affecting the latitudinal profile of solar energy deposition. Roughly 1Myr ago, the poles received 15% more energy that today while the equator received 13% less. The energy flux to latitudes between 25-35 degrees is far more stable, remaining low over the presumably billions of years since Pluto acquired its current spin properties. Like the poles at Earth, these mid latitudes on Pluto should be favored for the long-term deposition of volatile ices. This is, indeed, the location of the bright icy heart of Pluto, Sputnik Planum.Reflected light and emitted thermal radiation from Charon increases annual insolation to one side of Pluto by of order 0.02%. Although small, the bulk of the energy is delivered at night to Pluto's cold equatorial regions. Furthermore, Charon's thermal infrared radiation is easily absorbed by icy deposits on Pluto, slowing deposition and facilitating sublimation of volatiles. We argue that the slight but persistent preference for ices to form and survive in the anti-Charon Pluto's heart.

Modeling of light scattering by icy bodies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kolokolova, L.; Mackowski, D.; Pitman, K.; Verbiscer, A.; Buratti, B.; Momary, T.

2014-07-01

As a result of ground-based, space-based, and in-situ spacecraft mission observations, a great amount of photometric, polarimetric, and spectroscopic data of icy bodies (satellites of giant planets, Kuiper Belt objects, comet nuclei, and icy particles in cometary comae and rings) has been accumulated. These data have revealed fascinating light-scattering phenomena, such as the opposition surge resulting from coherent backscattering and shadow hiding and the negative polarization associated with them. Near-infrared (NIR) spectra of these bodies are especially informative as the depth, width, and shape of the absorption bands of ice are sensitive not only to the ice abundance but also to the size of icy grains. Numerous NIR spectra obtained by Cassini's Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) have been used to map the microcharacteristics of the icy satellites [1] and rings of Saturn [2]. VIMS data have also permitted a study of the opposition surge for icy satellites of Saturn [3], showing that coherent backscattering affects not only brightness and polarization of icy bodies but also their spectra [4]. To study all of the light-scattering phenomena that affect the photopolarimetric and spectroscopic characteristics of icy bodies, including coherent backscattering, requires computer modeling that rigorously considers light scattering by a large number of densely packed small particles that form either layers (in the case of regolith) or big clusters (ring and comet particles) . Such opportunity has appeared recently with a development of a new version MSTM4 of the Multi-Sphere T-Matrix code [5]. Simulations of reflectance and absorbance spectra of a ''target'' (particle layer or cluster) require that the dimensions of the target be significantly larger than the wavelength, sphere radius, and layer thickness. For wavelength-sized spheres and packing fractions typical of regolith, targets can contain dozens of thousands of spheres that, with the original MSTM

The critical binary star separation for a planetary system origin of white dwarf pollution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Veras, Dimitri; Xu, Siyi; Rebassa-Mansergas, Alberto

2018-01-01

The atmospheres of between one quarter and one half of observed single white dwarfs in the Milky Way contain heavy element pollution from planetary debris. The pollution observed in white dwarfs in binary star systems is, however, less clear, because companion star winds can generate a stream of matter which is accreted by the white dwarf. Here, we (i) discuss the necessity or lack thereof of a major planet in order to pollute a white dwarf with orbiting minor planets in both single and binary systems, and (ii) determine the critical binary separation beyond which the accretion source is from a planetary system. We hence obtain user-friendly functions relating this distance to the masses and radii of both stars, the companion wind, and the accretion rate on to the white dwarf, for a wide variety of published accretion prescriptions. We find that for the majority of white dwarfs in known binaries, if pollution is detected, then that pollution should originate from planetary material.

Exoplanet recycling in massive white-dwarf debris discs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Lieshout, R.; Kral, Q.; Charnoz, S.; Wyatt, M. C.; Shannon, A.

2018-05-01

Several tens of white dwarfs are known to host circumstellar discs of dusty debris, thought to arise from the tidal disruption of rocky bodies originating in the star's remnant planetary system. This paper investigates the evolution of such discs if they are very massive, as may be the case if their progenitor was a terrestrial planet, moon, or dwarf planet. Assuming the discs are physically thin and flat, like Saturn's rings, their evolution is governed by Poynting-Robertson drag or viscous spreading, where the disc's effective viscosity is due to self-gravity wakes. For discs with masses ≳ 1026 g, located in the outer parts of the tidal disruption zone, viscous spreading dominates the evolution, and mass is transported both in- and outwards. When outwards-spreading material flows beyond the Roche limit, it coagulates into new (minor) planets in a process analogous to the ongoing formation of moonlets at the outer edge of Saturn's rings. The newly formed bodies migrate outwards by exchanging angular momentum with the disc and coalesce into larger objects through mutual collisions. Eventually, the disc's Roche-limit overflow recycles tens of percent of the original disc mass; most ends up in a single large body near 2:1 mean-motion resonance with the disc's outer edge. Hence, the recycling of a tidally disrupted super-Earth, for example, could yield an Earth-mass planet on a ˜10-h orbit, located in the habitable zone for 2-to-10-Gyr-old white dwarfs. The recycling process also creates a population of smaller bodies just outside the Roche limit, which may explain the minor planets recently postulated to orbit WD 1145+017.

Habitability Imposters: Extreme Terrestrial Climates in the Habitable Zone of M Dwarf Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lincowski, A. P.; Meadows, V. S.; Crisp, D.; Robinson, T. D.; Luger, R.; Arney, G. N.

2017-11-01

We use coupled climate-photochemical modeling of TRAPPIST-1 planets to present a variety of evolved environmental states and their spectral discriminants, for use by upcoming M dwarf planet characterization observations.

TRAPPIST-1 Planet Animations

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-02-05

This still from a video shows illustrations of the seven Earth-size planets of TRAPPIST-1, an exoplanet system about 40 light-years away, based on data current as of February 2018. Each planet is shown in sequence, starting with the innermost TRAPPIST-1b and ending with the outermost TRAPPIST-1h. The video presents the planets' relative sizes as well as the relative scale of the central star as seen from each planet. The art highlights possibilities for how the surfaces of these intriguing worlds might look based on their newly calculated properties. The seven planets of TRAPPIST-1 are all Earth-sized and terrestrial. TRAPPIST-1 is an ultra-cool dwarf star in the constellation Aquarius, and its planets orbit very close to it. In the background, slightly distorted versions our familiar constellations, including Orion and Taurus, are shown as they would appear from the location of TRAPPIST-1 (backdrop image courtesy California Academy of Sciences/Dan Tell). An animation is available at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22098

Characterizing K2 Planet Discoveries: A Super-Earth Transiting the Bright K Dwarf HIP 116454

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vanderburg, Andrew; Montet, Benjamin T.; Johnson, John Asher; Buchhave, Lars A.; Zeng, Li; Pepe, Francesco; Collier Cameron, Andrew; Latham, David W.; Molinari, Emilio; Udry, Stéphane; Lovis, Christophe; Matthews, Jaymie M.; Cameron, Chris; Law, Nicholas; Bowler, Brendan P.; Angus, Ruth; Baranec, Christoph; Bieryla, Allyson; Boschin, Walter; Charbonneau, David; Cosentino, Rosario; Dumusque, Xavier; Figueira, Pedro; Guenther, David B.; Harutyunyan, Avet; Hellier, Coel; Kuschnig, Rainer; Lopez-Morales, Mercedes; Mayor, Michel; Micela, Giusi; Moffat, Anthony F. J.; Pedani, Marco; Phillips, David F.; Piotto, Giampaolo; Pollacco, Don; Queloz, Didier; Rice, Ken; Riddle, Reed; Rowe, Jason F.; Rucinski, Slavek M.; Sasselov, Dimitar; Ségransan, Damien; Sozzetti, Alessandro; Szentgyorgyi, Andrew; Watson, Chris; Weiss, Werner W.

2015-02-01

We report the first planet discovery from the two-wheeled Kepler (K2) mission: HIP 116454 b. The host star HIP 116454 is a bright (V = 10.1, K = 8.0) K1 dwarf with high proper motion and a parallax-based distance of 55.2 ± 5.4 pc. Based on high-resolution optical spectroscopy, we find that the host star is metal-poor with [Fe/H] =-0.16 ± 0.08 and has a radius R sstarf = 0.716 ± 0.024 R ⊙ and mass M sstarf = 0.775 ± 0.027 M ⊙. The star was observed by the Kepler spacecraft during its Two-Wheeled Concept Engineering Test in 2014 February. During the 9 days of observations, K2 observed a single transit event. Using a new K2 photometric analysis technique, we are able to correct small telescope drifts and recover the observed transit at high confidence, corresponding to a planetary radius of Rp = 2.53 ± 0.18 R ⊕. Radial velocity observations with the HARPS-N spectrograph reveal a 11.82 ± 1.33 M ⊕ planet in a 9.1 day orbit, consistent with the transit depth, duration, and ephemeris. Follow-up photometric measurements from the MOST satellite confirm the transit observed in the K2 photometry and provide a refined ephemeris, making HIP 116454 b amenable for future follow-up observations of this latest addition to the growing population of transiting super-Earths around nearby, bright stars.

Hubble Finds Planet Orbiting Pair of Stars

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

Two's company, but three might not always be a crowd — at least in space. Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, and a trick of nature, have confirmed the existence of a planet orbiting two stars in the system OGLE-2007-BLG-349, located 8,000 light-years away towards the center of our galaxy. The planet orbits roughly 300 million miles from the stellar duo, about the distance from the asteroid belt to our sun. It completes an orbit around both stars roughly every seven years. The two red dwarf stars are a mere 7 million miles apart, or 14 times the diameter of the moon's orbit around Earth. The Hubble observations represent the first time such a three-body system has been confirmed using the gravitational microlensing technique. Gravitational microlensing occurs when the gravity of a foreground star bends and amplifies the light of a background star that momentarily aligns with it. The particular character of the light magnification can reveal clues to the nature of the foreground star and any associated planets. The three objects were discovered in 2007 by an international collaboration of five different groups: Microlensing Observations in Astrophysics (MOA), the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE), the Microlensing Follow-up Network (MicroFUN), the Probing Lensing Anomalies Network (PLANET), and the Robonet Collaboration. These ground-based observations uncovered a star and a planet, but a detailed analysis also revealed a third body that astronomers could not definitively identify. Image caption: This artist's illustration shows a gas giant planet circling a pair of red dwarf stars in the system OGLE-2007-BLG-349, located 8,000 light-years away. The Saturn-mass planet orbits roughly 300 million miles from the stellar duo. The two red dwarf stars are 7 million miles apart. Credit: NASA, ESA, and G. Bacon (STScI) Read more: go.nasa.gov/2dcfMns NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four

Seismic Wave Propagation in Icy Ocean Worlds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stähler, Simon C.; Panning, Mark P.; Vance, Steven D.; Lorenz, Ralph D.; van Driel, Martin; Nissen-Meyer, Tarje; Kedar, Sharon

2018-01-01

Seismology was developed on Earth and shaped our model of the Earth's interior over the twentieth century. With the exception of the Philae lander, all in situ extraterrestrial seismological effort to date was limited to other terrestrial planets. All have in common a rigid crust above a solid mantle. The coming years may see the installation of seismometers on Europa, Titan, and Enceladus, so it is necessary to adapt seismological concepts to the setting of worlds with global oceans covered in ice. Here we use waveform analyses to identify and classify wave types, developing a lexicon for icy ocean world seismology intended to be useful to both seismologists and planetary scientists. We use results from spectral-element simulations of broadband seismic wavefields to adapt seismological concepts to icy ocean worlds. We present a concise naming scheme for seismic waves and an overview of the features of the seismic wavefield on Europa, Titan, Ganymede, and Enceladus. In close connection with geophysical interior models, we analyze simulated seismic measurements of Europa and Titan that might be used to constrain geochemical parameters governing the habitability of a sub-ice ocean.

Characterization of Low-mass K2 planet hosts using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodríguez-Martínez, Romy; Ballard, Sarah

2017-01-01

The raw number of discovered exoplanets now exceeds several thousand, but we must understand the stars if we aim to understand their planets in detail. Of particular interest are M dwarf stars, which are often favored for exoplanet study because (1) they host small planets in greatest abundance, (2) they make up about 70% of stars in our galaxy, and (3) the planets that orbit them that are comparatively easier to find and study than planets around larger stars. Our work aims to characterize the infrared spectra of 50 M dwarfs with new and unstudied transiting planets discovered by NASA’s K2 Mission. We employ empirical relations from the literature with magnesium, aluminum and sodium absorption lines in H and K band to determine the temperatures, radii and luminosities. In addition, we measure the deformation of the spectra in K band by water (another empirical metric for M dwarfs) which, in tandem with absorption features, is linked to [Fe/H] metallicity. We have found from a preliminary sample of 36 stars, that the temperatures range from 2,900 to 4,100 K, with radii between 0.2 R⊙ to 0.6R⊙ and log(L/L⊙) values from -3.4 to -0.5. The determination of all these properties improves our understanding of the planet’s properties, such as its size, mass, and surface temperature, and provides clues about the formation of the star and its planets.

Chromospheric and Transition Region Emission Properties of G, K, and M dwarf Exoplanet Host Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

France, Kevin; Arulanantham, Nicole; Fossati, Luca; Lanza, A. F.; Linsky, Jeffrey L.; Redfield, Seth; Loyd, Robert; Schneider, Christian

2018-01-01

Exoplanet magnetic fields have proven notoriously hard to detect, despite theoretical predictions of substantial magnetic field strengths on close-in extrasolar giant planets. It has been suggested that stellar and planetary magnetic field interactions can manifest as enhanced stellar activity relative to nominal age-rotation-activity relationships for main sequence stars or enhanced activity on stars hosting short-period massive planets. In a recent study of M and K dwarf exoplanet host stars, we demonstrated a significant correlation between the relative luminosity in high-temperature stellar emission lines (L(ion)/L_Bol) and the “star-planet interaction strength”, M_plan/a_plan. Here, we expand on that work with a survey of G, K, and M dwarf exoplanet host stars obtained in two recent far-ultraviolet spectroscopic programs with the Hubble Space Telescope. We have measured the relative luminosities of stellar lines C II, Si III, Si IV, and N V (formation temperatures from 30,000 – 150,000 K) in a sample of ~60 exoplanet host stars and an additional ~40 dwarf stars without known planets. We present results on star-planet interaction signals as a function of spectral type and line formation temperature, as well as a statistical comparison of stars with and without planets.

Characterization of the Mysteriously Cool Brown Dwarf HD 4113

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ednie, Michaela; Follette, Katherine; Ward-Duong, Kimberly

2018-01-01

Characterizing the physical properties of brown dwarfs is necessary to expand and improve our understanding of low mass companions, including exoplanets. Systems with both close radial velocity companions and distant directly imaged companions are particularly powerful in understanding planet formation mechanisms. Early in 2017, members of the SPHERE team discovered a companion brown dwarf in the HD 4113 system, which also contains a known RV planet. Atmospheric model fits to the Y and J-band spectra and H2/H3 photometry of the brown dwarf suggested it is unusually cool. We obtained new Magellan data in the Z and K’ bands in mid-2017. This data will help us to complete a more detailed atmospheric and astrometric characterization of this unusually cool companion. Broader wavelength coverage will help in accurate spectral typing and estimations of luminosity, temperature, surface gravity, radius, and composition. Additionally, a second astrometric epoch will help constrain the architecture of the system.

Compositional Remote Sensing of Icy Planets and Satellites Beyond Jupiter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roush, T. L.

2002-01-01

The peak of the solar energy distribution occurs at visual wavelengths and falls off rapidly in the infrared. This fact, improvements in infrared detector technology, and the low surface temperatures for most icy objects in the outer solar system have resulted in the bulk of telescopic and spacecraft observations being performed at visual and near-infrared wavelengths. Such observations, begun in the early 1970's and continuing to present, have provided compositional information regarding the surfaces of the satellites of Saturn and Uranus, Neptune's moon Triton, Pluto, Pluto's moon Charon, Centaur objects, and Kuiper belt objects. Because the incident sunlight penetrates the surface and interacts with the materials present there, the measured reflected sunlight contains information regarding the surface materials, and the ratio of the reflected to incident sunlight provides a mechanism of identifying the materials that are present.

Studies of Pressure-Broadening of Alkali Atom Resonance Lines for Modeling Atmospheres of Extrasolar Giant Planets and Brown Dwarfs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kirby, Kate; Babb, J.; Yoshino, K.

2004-01-01

In L-dwarfs and T-dwarfs the resonance lines of sodium and potassium are so profoundly pressure-broadened that their wings extend several hundred nanometers from line center. With accurate knowledge of the line profiles as a function of temperature and pressure: such lines can prove to be valuable diagnostics of the atmospheres of such objects. We have initiated a joint program of theoretical and experimental research to study the line-broadening of alkali atom resonance lines due to collisions with species such as helium and molecular hydrogen. Although potassium and sodium are the alkali species of most interest in the atmospheres of cool brown dwarfs and extrasolar giant planets, some of our theoretical focus this year has involved the calculation of pressure-broadening of lithium resonance lines by He, as a test of a newly developed suite of computer codes. In addition, theoretical calculations have been carried out to determine the leading long range van der Waals coefficients for the interactions of ground and excited alkali metal atoms with helium atoms, to within a probable error of 2%. Such data is important in determining the behavior of the resonance line profiles in the far wings. Important progress has been made on the experimental aspects of the program since the arrival of a postdoctoral fellow in September. A new absorption cell has been designed, which incorporates a number of technical improvements over the previous cell, including a larger cell diameter to enhance the signal, and fittings which allow for easier cleaning, thereby significantly reducing the instrument down-time.

Brown dwarfs: at last filling the gap between stars and planets.

PubMed

Zuckerman, B

2000-02-01

Until the mid-1990s a person could not point to any celestial object and say with assurance that "here is a brown dwarf." Now dozens are known, and the study of brown dwarfs has come of age, touching upon major issues in astrophysics, including the nature of dark matter, the properties of substellar objects, and the origin of binary stars and planetary systems.

Identifying Likely Disk-hosting M dwarfs with Disk Detective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silverberg, Steven; Wisniewski, John; Kuchner, Marc J.; Disk Detective Collaboration

2018-01-01

M dwarfs are critical targets for exoplanet searches. Debris disks often provide key information as to the formation and evolution of planetary systems around higher-mass stars, alongside the planet themselves. However, less than 300 M dwarf debris disks are known, despite M dwarfs making up 70% of the local neighborhood. The Disk Detective citizen science project has identified over 6000 new potential disk host stars from the AllWISE catalog over the past three years. Here, we present preliminary results of our search for new disk-hosting M dwarfs in the survey. Based on near-infrared color cuts and fitting stellar models to photometry, we have identified over 500 potential new M dwarf disk hosts, nearly doubling the known number of such systems. In this talk, we present our methodology, and outline our ongoing work to confirm systems as M dwarf disks.

Brown dwarfs: At last filling the gap between stars and planets

PubMed Central

Zuckerman, Ben

2000-01-01

Until the mid-1990s a person could not point to any celestial object and say with assurance that “here is a brown dwarf.” Now dozens are known, and the study of brown dwarfs has come of age, touching upon major issues in astrophysics, including the nature of dark matter, the properties of substellar objects, and the origin of binary stars and planetary systems. PMID:10655468

The long-period librations of large synchronous icy moons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yseboodt, Marie; Van Hoolst, Tim

2014-11-01

A moon in synchronous rotation has longitudinal librations because of its non-spherical mass distribution and its elliptical orbit around the planet. We study the long-period librations of the Galilean satellites and Titan and include deformation effects and the existence of a subsurface ocean. We take into account the fact that the orbit is not keplerian and has other periodicities than the main period of orbital motion around Jupiter or Saturn due to perturbations by the Sun, other planets and moons. An orbital theory is used to compute the orbital perturbations due to these other bodies. For Titan we also take into account the large atmospheric torque at the semi-annual period of Saturn around the Sun.We numerically evaluate the amplitude and phase of the long-period librations for many interior structure models of the icy moons constrained by the mass, radius and gravity field.

An Improved Transit Measurement for a 2.4 R ⊕ Planet Orbiting A Bright Mid-M Dwarf K2–28

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Ge; Knutson, Heather A.; Dressing, Courtney D.; Morley, Caroline V.; Werner, Michael; Gorjian, Varoujan; Beichman, Charles; Benneke, Björn; Christiansen, Jessie L.; Ciardi, David; Crossfield, Ian; Howell, Steve B.; Krick, Jessica E.; Livingston, John; Morales, Farisa Y.; Schlieder, Joshua E.

2018-05-01

We present a new Spitzer transit observation of K2–28b, a sub-Neptune (R p = 2.45 ± 0.28 R ⊕) orbiting a relatively bright (V mag = 16.06, K mag = 10.75) metal-rich M4 dwarf (EPIC 206318379). This star is one of only seven with masses less than 0.2 {M}ȯ known to host transiting planets, and the planet appears to be a slightly smaller analogue of GJ 1214b (2.85+/- 0.20 {R}\\oplus ). Our new Spitzer observations were taken two years after the original K2 discovery data and have a significantly higher cadence, allowing us to derive improved estimates for this planet’s radius, semimajor axis, and orbital period, which greatly reduce the uncertainty in the prediction of near future transit times for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) observations. We also evaluate the system’s suitability for atmospheric characterization with JWST and find that it is currently the only small (< 3 {R}\\oplus ) and cool (<600 K) planet aside from GJ 1214b with a potentially detectable secondary eclipse. We also note that this system is a favorable target for near-infrared radial velocity instruments on larger telescopes (e.g., the Habitable Planet Finder on the Hobby–Eberly Telescope), making it one of only a handful of small, cool planets accessible with this technique. Finally, we compare our results with the simulated catalog of the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and find K2–28b to be representative of the kind of mid-M systems that should be detectable in the TESS sample.

An extrasolar planetary system with three Neptune-mass planets.

PubMed

Lovis, Christophe; Mayor, Michel; Pepe, Francesco; Alibert, Yann; Benz, Willy; Bouchy, François; Correia, Alexandre C M; Laskar, Jacques; Mordasini, Christoph; Queloz, Didier; Santos, Nuno C; Udry, Stéphane; Bertaux, Jean-Loup; Sivan, Jean-Pierre

2006-05-18

Over the past two years, the search for low-mass extrasolar planets has led to the detection of seven so-called 'hot Neptunes' or 'super-Earths' around Sun-like stars. These planets have masses 5-20 times larger than the Earth and are mainly found on close-in orbits with periods of 2-15 days. Here we report a system of three Neptune-mass planets with periods of 8.67, 31.6 and 197 days, orbiting the nearby star HD 69830. This star was already known to show an infrared excess possibly caused by an asteroid belt within 1 au (the Sun-Earth distance). Simulations show that the system is in a dynamically stable configuration. Theoretical calculations favour a mainly rocky composition for both inner planets, while the outer planet probably has a significant gaseous envelope surrounding its rocky/icy core; the outer planet orbits within the habitable zone of this star.

Sowing the Seeds of Planets? Artist Concept

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-10-20

This artist concept shows microscopic crystals in the dusty disk surrounding a brown dwarf, or failed star. The crystals, made up of a green mineral found on Earth called olivine, are thought to help seed the formation of planets.

Irradiation Products On Dwarf Planet Makemake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, M. E.; Schaller, E. L.; Blake, G. A.

2015-03-01

The dark, reddish tinged surfaces of icy bodies in the outer solar system are usually attributed to the long term irradiation of simple hydrocarbons leading to the breaking of C-H bonds, loss of hydrogen, and the production of long carbon chains. While the simple hydrocarbon methane is stable and detected on the most massive bodies in the Kuiper Belt, evidence of active irradiation chemistry is scant except for the presence of ethane on methane-rich Makemake and the possible detections of ethane on more methane-poor Pluto and Quaoar. We have obtained deep high signal-to-noise spectra of Makemake from 1.4 to 2.5 μm in an attempt to trace the radiation chemistry in the outer solar system beyond the initial ethane formation. We present the first astrophysical detection of solid ethylene and evidence for acetylene and high-mass alkanes—all expected products of the continued irradiation of methane, and use these species to map the chemical pathway from methane to long-chain hydrocarbons.

Constraints on planet X/Nemesis from Solar System's inner dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iorio, L.

2009-11-01

We use the corrections to the standard Newtonian/Einsteinian perihelion precessions of the inner planets of the Solar system, recently estimated by E.V. Pitjeva by fitting a huge planetary data set with the dynamical models of the EPM ephemerides, to put constraints on the position of a putative, yet undiscovered large body X of mass MX, not modelled in the EPM software. The direct action of X on the inner planets can be approximated by a elastic Hooke-type radial acceleration plus a term of comparable magnitude having a fixed direction in space pointing towards X. The perihelion precessions induced by them can be analytically worked out only for some particular positions of X in the sky; in general, numerical calculations are used. We show that the indirect effects of X on the inner planets through its action on the outer ones can be neglected, given the present-day level of accuracy in knowing . As a result, we find that Mars yields the tightest constraints, with the tidal parameter . To constrain rX we consider the case of a rock-ice planet with the mass of Mars and the Earth, a giant planet with the mass of Jupiter, a brown dwarf with MX = 80mJupiter, a red dwarf with M = 0.5Msolar and a Sun-mass body. For each of them we plot rminX as a function of the heliocentric latitude β and longitude λ. We also determine the forbidden spatial region for X by plotting its boundary surface in the three-dimensional space; it shows significant departures from spherical symmetry. A Mars-sized body can be found at not less than 70-85 au: such bounds are 147-175 au, 1006-1200 au, 4334-5170 au, 8113-9524 au and 10222-12000 au for a body with a mass equal to that of the Earth, Jupiter, a brown dwarf, red dwarf and the Sun, respectively.

THE CALIFORNIA PLANET SURVEY IV: A PLANET ORBITING THE GIANT STAR HD 145934 AND UPDATES TO SEVEN SYSTEMS WITH LONG-PERIOD PLANETS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Katherina Feng, Y.; Wright, Jason T.; Nelson, Benjamin

2015-02-10

We present an update to seven stars with long-period planets or planetary candidates using new and archival radial velocities from Keck-HIRES and literature velocities from other telescopes. Our updated analysis better constrains orbital parameters for these planets, four of which are known multi-planet systems. HD 24040 b and HD 183263 c are super-Jupiters with circular orbits and periods longer than 8 yr. We present a previously unseen linear trend in the residuals of HD 66428 indicative of an additional planetary companion. We confirm that GJ 849 is a multi-planet system and find a good orbital solution for the c component: it is a 1more » M {sub Jup} planet in a 15 yr orbit (the longest known for a planet orbiting an M dwarf). We update the HD 74156 double-planet system. We also announce the detection of HD 145934 b, a 2 M {sub Jup} planet in a 7.5 yr orbit around a giant star. Two of our stars, HD 187123 and HD 217107, at present host the only known examples of systems comprising a hot Jupiter and a planet with a well constrained period greater than 5 yr, and with no evidence of giant planets in between. Our enlargement and improvement of long-period planet parameters will aid future analysis of origins, diversity, and evolution of planetary systems.« less

The Ultraviolet Radiation Environment around M Dwarf Exoplanet Host Stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

France, Kevin; Froning, Cynthia S.; Linsky, Jeffrey L.; Roberge, Aki; Stocke, John T.; Tian, Feng; Bushinsky, Rachel; Desert, Jean-Michel; Mauas, Pablo; Mauas, Pablo;

Effect of UV Radiation on the Spectral Fingerprints of Earth-like Planets Orbiting M Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rugheimer, S.; Kaltenegger, L.; Segura, A.; Linsky, J.; Mohanty, S.

2015-08-01

We model the atmospheres and spectra of Earth-like planets orbiting the entire grid of M dwarfs for active and inactive stellar models with Teff = 2300 K to Teff = 3800 K and for six observed MUSCLES M dwarfs with UV radiation data. We set the Earth-like planets at the 1 AU equivalent distance and show spectra from the visible to IR (0.4-20 μm) to compare detectability of features in different wavelength ranges with the James Webb Space Telescope and other future ground- and spaced-based missions to characterize exo-Earths. We focus on the effect of UV activity levels on detectable atmospheric features that indicate habitability on Earth, namely, H2O, O3, CH4, N2O, and CH3Cl. To observe signatures of life—O2/O3 in combination with reducing species like CH4—we find that early and active M dwarfs are the best targets of the M star grid for future telescopes. The O2 spectral feature at 0.76 μm is increasingly difficult to detect in reflected light of later M dwarfs owing to low stellar flux in that wavelength region. N2O, another biosignature detectable in the IR, builds up to observable concentrations in our planetary models around M dwarfs with low UV flux. CH3Cl could become detectable, depending on the depth of the overlapping N2O feature. We present a spectral database of Earth-like planets around cool stars for directly imaged planets as a framework for interpreting future light curves, direct imaging, and secondary eclipse measurements of the atmospheres of terrestrial planets in the habitable zone to design and assess future telescope capabilities.

Exoplanet recycling in massive white-dwarf debris discs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van Lieshout, Rik

2017-06-01

When a star evolves into a white dwarf, the planetary system it hosts can become unstable. Planets in such systems may then be scattered onto star-grazing orbits, leading to their tidal disruption as they pass within the white dwarf’s Roche limit. We study the massive, compact debris discs that may arrise from this process using a combination of analytical estimates and numerical modelling. The discs are gravitationally unstable, resulting in an enhanced effective viscosity due to angular momentum transport associated with self-gravity wakes. For disc masses greater than ~1026 g (corresponding to progenitor objects comparable to the Galilean moons), viscous spreading dominates over Poynting-Robertson drag in the outer parts of the disc. In such massive discs, mass is transported both in- and outwards. When the outward-flowing material spreads beyond the Roche limit, it coagulates into new (minor) planets in a process analogous to the ongoing formation of Saturn’s innermost moonlets. This process recycles a substantial fraction of the original disc mass (tens of percents), with the bulk of the mass locked in a single large body orbitting in a 2:1 mean-motion resonance with the Roche limit. As such, the recycling of a tidally disrupted super-Earth could yield an Earth-mass planet on a 10--20 hr orbit. For white dwarfs with a temperature below 6000-7000 K (corresponding to a cooling age of >1--2 Gyr), this orbit is located in the white dwarf’s habitable zone. The recycling process also creates a string of smaller bodies just outside the Roche limit. These may account for the collection of minor planets postulated to orbit white dwarf WD 1145+017.

A statistical analysis of seeds and other high-contrast exoplanet surveys: massive planets or low-mass brown dwarfs?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brandt, Timothy D.; Spiegel, David S.; McElwain, Michael W.

2014-10-20

We conduct a statistical analysis of a combined sample of direct imaging data, totalling nearly 250 stars. The stars cover a wide range of ages and spectral types, and include five detections (κ And b, two ∼60 M {sub J} brown dwarf companions in the Pleiades, PZ Tel B, and CD–35 2722B). For some analyses we add a currently unpublished set of SEEDS observations, including the detections GJ 504b and GJ 758B. We conduct a uniform, Bayesian analysis of all stellar ages using both membership in a kinematic moving group and activity/rotation age indicators. We then present a new statisticalmore » method for computing the likelihood of a substellar distribution function. By performing most of the integrals analytically, we achieve an enormous speedup over brute-force Monte Carlo. We use this method to place upper limits on the maximum semimajor axis of the distribution function derived from radial-velocity planets, finding model-dependent values of ∼30-100 AU. Finally, we model the entire substellar sample, from massive brown dwarfs to a theoretically motivated cutoff at ∼5 M {sub J}, with a single power-law distribution. We find that p(M, a)∝M {sup –0.65} {sup ±} {sup 0.60} a {sup –0.85} {sup ±} {sup 0.39} (1σ errors) provides an adequate fit to our data, with 1.0%-3.1% (68% confidence) of stars hosting 5-70 M {sub J} companions between 10 and 100 AU. This suggests that many of the directly imaged exoplanets known, including most (if not all) of the low-mass companions in our sample, formed by fragmentation in a cloud or disk, and represent the low-mass tail of the brown dwarfs.« less

Birth of an Earth-like Planet (Artist concept)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2007-01-01

This artist's conception shows a binary-star, or two-star, system, called HD 113766, where astronomers suspect a rocky Earth-like planet is forming around one of the stars. At approximately 10 to 16 million years old, astronomers suspect this star is at just the right age for forming rocky planets. The system is located approximately 424 light-years away from Earth.

The two yellow spots in the image represent the system's two stars. The brown ring of material circling closest to the central star depicts a huge belt of dusty material, more than 100 times as much as in our asteroid belt, or enough to build a Mars-size planet or larger. The rocky material in the belt represents the early stages of planet formation, when dust grains clump together to form rocks, and rocks collide to form even more massive rocky bodies called planetesimals. The belt is located in the middle of the system's terrestrial habitable zone, or the region around a star where liquid water could exist on any rocky planets that might form. Earth is located in the middle of our sun's terrestrial habitable zone.

Using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, astronomers learned that the belt material in HD 113866 is more processed than the snowball-like stuff that makes up infant solar systems and comets, which contain pristine ingredients from the early solar system. However, it is not as processed as the stuff found in mature planets and asteroids. This means that the dust belt is made out of just the right mix of materials to be forming an Earth-like planet. It is composed mainly of rocky silicates and metal sulfides (like fool's gold), similar to the material found in lava flows.

The white outer ring shows a concentration of icy dust also detected in the system. This material is at the equivalent position of the asteroid belt in our solar system, but only contains about one-sixth as much material as the inner ring. Astronomers say it is not clear from the Spitzer observations if

Powerful Auroras Found at Brown Dwarf

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

This artist's concept shows an auroral display on a brown dwarf. If you could see an aurora on a brown dwarf, it would be a million times brighter than an aurora on Earth. Credits: Chuck Carter and Gregg Hallinan/Caltech --- Mysterious objects called brown dwarfs are sometimes called "failed stars." They are too small to fuse hydrogen in their cores, the way most stars do, but also too large to be classified as planets. But a new study in the journal Nature suggests they succeed in creating powerful auroral displays, similar to the kind seen around the magnetic poles on Earth. "This is a whole new manifestation of magnetic activity for that kind of object," said Leon Harding, a technologist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, and co-author on the study. On Earth, auroras are created when charged particles from the solar wind enter our planet's magnetosphere, a region where Earth's magnetic field accelerates and sends them toward the poles. There, they collide with atoms of gas in the atmosphere, resulting in a brilliant display of colors in the sky. Read more: www.nasa.gov/jpl/powerful-auroras-found-at-brown-dwarf NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Convection and plate tectonics on extrasolar planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sotin, C.; Grasset, O.; Schubert, G.

2012-04-01

The number of potential Earth-like exoplanets is still very limited compared to the overall number of detected exoplanets. But the different methods keep improving, giving hope for this number to increase significantly in the coming years. Based on the relationship between mass and radius, two of the easiest parameters that can be known for exoplanets, four categories of planets have been identified: (i) the gas giants including hot Jupiters, (ii) the icy giants that can be like their solar system cousins Uranus and Neptune or that can have lost their H2-He atmosphere and have become the so-called ocean planets, (iii) the Earth-like planets with a fraction of silicates and iron similar to that of the Earth, and (iv) the Mercury like planet that have a much larger fraction of iron. The hunt for exoplanets is very much focused on Earth-like planets because of the desire to find alien forms of life and the science goal to understand how life started and developed on Earth. One science question is whether heat transfer by subsolidus convection can lead to plate tectonics, a process that allows material to be recycled in the interior on timescales of hundreds of millions of years. Earth-like exoplanets may have conditions quite different from Earth. For example, COROT-7b is so close to its star that it is likely locked in synchronous orbit with one very hot hemisphere and one very cold hemisphere. It is also worth noting that among the three Earth-like planets of the solar system (Earth, Venus and Mars), only Earth is subject to plate tectonics at present time. Venus may have experienced plate tectonics before the resurfacing event that erased any clue that such a process existed. This study investigates some of the parameters that can influence the transition from stagnant-lid convection to mobile-lid convection. Numerical simulations of convective heat transfer have been performed in 3D spherical geometry in order to determine the stress field generated by convection

Giant Planets around FGK Stars Probably Form through Core Accretion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Wei; Wang, Liang; Li, Xiang; Chen, Yuqin; Zhao, Gang

2018-06-01

We present a statistical study of the planet–metallicity (P–M) correlation by comparing the 744 stars with candidate planets (SWPs) in the Kepler field that have been observed with LAMOST, and a sample of distance-independent, fake “twin” stars in the Kepler field with no planet reported (CKSNPs) yet. With well-defined and carefully selected large samples, we find for the first time a turnoff P–M correlation of Δ[Fe/H]SWPs–SNPs, which on average increases from ∼0.00 ± 0.03 dex to 0.06 ± 0.03 dex, and to 0.12 ± 0.03 for stars with Earth-, Neptune-, and Jupiter-sized planets successively, and then declines to ∼‑0.01 ± 0.03 dex for more massive planets or brown dwarfs. Moreover, the percentage of those systems with positive Δ[Fe/H] has the same turnoff pattern. We also find that FG-type stars follow this general trend, but K-type stars are different. Moderate metal enhancement (∼0.1–0.2 dex) for K-type stars with planets of radii between 2 and 4 R ⊕, compared to CKSNPs is observed, which indicates much higher metallicities are required for Super-Earths and Neptune-sized planets to form around K-type stars. We point out that the P–M correlation is actually metallicity-dependent, i.e., the correlation is positive at solar and supersolar metallicities, and negative at subsolar metallicities. No steady increase of Δ[Fe/H] against planet sizes is observed for rocky planets, excluding the pollution scenario as a major mechanism for the P–M correlation. All these clues suggest that giant planets probably form differently from rocky planets or more massive planets/brown dwarfs, and the core accretion scenario is highly favored, and high metallicity is a prerequisite for massive planets to form.

The Dharma Planet Survey (DPS), a Robotic, High Cadence and High Doppler Precision Survey of Habitable Rocky Planets around Nearby Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ge, Jian; Ma, Bo; Muterspaugh, Matthew W.; Singer, Michael; Varosi, Frank; Powell, Scott; Williamson, Michael W.; Sithajan, Sirinrat; Grieves, Nolan; Zhao, Bo; Schofield, Sidney; Liu, Jian; Cassette, Anthony; Carlson, Kevin; Klanot, Khaya; Jeram, Sarik; Barnes, Rory

2016-01-01

The Dharma Planet Survey (DPS) is to monitor ~100 nearby very bright FGKM dwarfs (most of them brighter than V=8) during 2014-2018 using the TOU optical very high resolution spectrograph (R~100,000, 380-900nm) at the 2m Automatic Spectroscopy Telescope at Fairborn Observatory initially (2014-2015) and at the dedicated 50-inch Robotic Telescope (2016-2018) on Mt. Lemmon after the telescope is installed in the fall of 2015. Operated in high vacuum (<0.01mTorr) with precisely controlled temperature (~1-2 mK), TOU has delivered ~ 1 m/s (RMS) instrument stability after the hardware upgrade in September 2015. DPS aims at reaching better than 0.5 m/s Doppler measurement precision for bright survey targets after the instrument tiny drift is carefully calibrated with Thorium-Argon and Sine reference sources. With very high RV precision and high cadence (~100 observations per target randomly spread over 450 days), a large number of rocky planets, including possible habitable ones, are expected to be detected. The survey also provides the largest single homogenous high precision RV sample of nearby stars for studying low mass planet populations and constraining various planet formation models. Early scientific results from the DPS pilot survey of 25 FGKM dwarfs will be presented.

The fates of Solar system analogues with one additional distant planet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Veras, Dimitri

2016-12-01

The potential existence of a distant planet (`Planet Nine') in the Solar system has prompted a re-think about the evolution of planetary systems. As the Sun transitions from a main-sequence star into a white dwarf, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are currently assumed to survive in expanded but otherwise unchanged orbits. However, a sufficiently distant and sufficiently massive extra planet would alter this quiescent end scenario through the combined effects of Solar giant branch mass-loss and Galactic tides. Here, I estimate bounds for the mass and orbit of a distant extra planet that would incite future instability in systems with a Sun-like star and giant planets with masses and orbits equivalent to those of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. I find that this boundary is diffuse and strongly dependent on each of the distant planet's orbital parameters. Nevertheless, I claim that instability occurs more often than not when the planet is as massive as Jupiter and harbours a semimajor axis exceeding about 300 au, or has a mass of a super-Earth and a semimajor axis exceeding about 3000 au. These results hold for orbital pericentres ranging from 100 to at least 400 au. This instability scenario might represent a common occurrence, as potentially evidenced by the ubiquity of metal pollution in white dwarf atmospheres throughout the Galaxy.

How Planet Nine could change the fate of the Solar system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Veras, D.

2017-09-01

The potential existence of a distant planet ('Planet Nine') in the Solar system has prompted a re-think about the evolution of planetary systems. As the Sun transitions from a main-sequence star into a white dwarf, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are currently assumed to survive in expanded but otherwise unchanged orbits. However, a sufficiently distant and sufficiently massive extra planet would alter this quiescent end scenario through the combined effects of Solar giant branch mass-loss and Galactic tides. Here I estimate bounds for the mass and orbit of a distant extra planet that would incite future instability in systems with a Sun-like star and giant planets with masses and orbits equivalent to those of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. I find that this boundary is diffuse and strongly dependent on each of the distant planet's orbital parameters. Nevertheless, I claim that instability occurs more often than not when the planet is as massive as Jupiter and harbours a semimajor axis exceeding about 300 au, or has a mass of a super-Earth and a semimajor axis exceeding about 3000 au. These results hold for orbital pericentres ranging from 100 to at least 400 au. This instability scenario might represent a common occurrence, as potentially evidenced by the ubiquity of metal pollution in white dwarf atmospheres throughout the Galaxy.

Calibrating Detailed Chemical Analysis of M dwarfs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Veyette, Mark; Muirhead, Philip Steven; Mann, Andrew; Brewer, John; Allard, France; Homeier, Derek

2018-01-01

The ability to perform detailed chemical analysis of Sun-like F-, G-, and K-type stars is a powerful tool with many applications including studying the chemical evolution of the Galaxy, assessing membership in stellar kinematic groups, and constraining planet formation theories. Unfortunately, complications in modeling cooler stellar atmospheres has hindered similar analysis of M-dwarf stars. Large surveys of FGK abundances play an important role in developing methods to measure the compositions of M dwarfs by providing benchmark FGK stars that have widely-separated M dwarf companions. These systems allow us to empirically calibrate metallicity-sensitive features in M dwarf spectra. However, current methods to measure metallicity in M dwarfs from moderate-resolution spectra are limited to measuring overall metallicity and largely rely on astrophysical abundance correlations in stellar populations. In this talk, I will discuss how large, homogeneous catalogs of precise FGK abundances are crucial to advancing chemical analysis of M dwarfs beyond overall metallicity to direct measurements of individual elemental abundances. I will present a new method to analyze high-resolution, NIR spectra of M dwarfs that employs an empirical calibration of synthetic M dwarf spectra to infer effective temperature, Fe abundance, and Ti abundance. This work is a step toward detailed chemical analysis of M dwarfs at a similar precision achieved for FGK stars.

Ultracool Dwarfs and their companions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blake, Cullen H.

This thesis explores new techniques for making precise measurements of low-mass stars and brown dwarfs, collectively known as Ultracool Dwarfs (UCDs). These new techniques are directly applicable to the search for extrasolar planets and efforts to test theoretical models of stellar structure and evolution at the bottom of the main sequence. The first three chapters of this thesis describe the development and application of a new technique for making radial velocity measurements of UCDs at near infrared (NIR) wavelengths. The first chapter describes a pilot study that demonstrates a significant improvement over previous work on Doppler measurements in the NIR. Using this technique we have carried out a Doppler survey of 65 L dwarfs. The second chapter describes the discovery of a new spectroscopic binary that may be one of the most important for constraining theoretical models of UCDs. The third chapter describes the Doppler survey in detail and presents measurements of a new spectroscopic binary system that is an excellent candidate for a giant planetary companion to a mid-L dwarf. This chapter also includes a discussion of the of the rotation, space motions, and binarity of the L dwarfs in the survey sample. The fourth chapter describes efforts to obtain precise photometric measurements of UCDs with the Peters Automated Infrared Imaging Telescope (PAIRITEL). Using software scheduling and data reduction systems designed in part by the author, PAIRITEL gathered more than 10 6 seconds of observations of a sample of 20 UCDs. We investigate the limitations to ground-based infrared photometry and characterize the ability of a system like PAIRITEL to detect transits of UCDs by Earth-like planets. The fifth chapter explores the potential impact of future synoptic surveys on studies of UCDs. Surveys like Pan-STARRS and LSST will obtain a small number of high-quality observations of a large number of UCDs. Using data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, we demonstrate that

Detecting cold, wide orbit planets in the solar neighbourhood

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deacon, Niall; Kraus, Adam

2018-05-01

Direct imaging exoplanet studies have recently unveiled a previously unexpected population of massive planets in wide orbits (>100AU). Although most of these discoveries have been around younger stars and have been of similar temperatures to field brown dwarfs, one object (WD 0806-661B), is the coldest planet known outside our solar system. In Spitzer Cycle 11 we surveyed stars and brown dwarfs within 8pc to identify massive planetary companions in the 150-1500AU separation range. Only 56 of our 196 stars were observed with two epochs of observation. We propose second epoch observations for 80 targets with first, but little or no second epoch observations. We will 1) Measure the fraction of wide planetary mass companions to stars in the Solar neighbourhood. 2) Identify approximately 5 planets, three of which will have temperatures below 300K making them ideal targets to study water clouds in cold atmospheres with both JWST and the next generation of ground-based extremely large telescopes. 3) Identify all planets around our target stars with masses above 8 Jupiter masses in our chosen projected separation range with lower mass limits for closer and younger stars. Our survey will be the most complete survey for wide planets to-date and will provide both a measurement of the wide planet population and a legacy of cold, well-constrained targets for future observations with JWST and Extremely Large Telescopes.

Did A Planet Survive A Post-Main Sequence Evolutionary Event?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sorber, Rebecca; Jang-Condell, Hannah; Zimmerman, Mara

2018-06-01

The GL86 is star system approximately 10 pc away with a main sequence K- type ~ 0.77 M⊙ star (GL 86A) with a white dwarf ~0.49 M⊙ companion (GL86 B). The system has a ~ 18.4 AU semi-major axis, an orbital period of ~353 yrs, and an eccentricity of ~ 0.39. A 4.5 MJ planet orbits the main sequence star with a semi-major axis of 0.113 AU, an orbital period of 15.76 days, in a near circular orbit with an eccentricity of 0.046. If we assume that this planet was formed during the time when the white dwarf was a main sequence star, it would be difficult for the planet to have remained in a stable orbit during the post-main sequence evolution of GL86 B. The post-main sequence evolution with planet survival will be examined by modeling using the program Mercury (Chambers 1999). Using the model, we examine the origins of the planet: whether it formed before or after the post-main sequence evolution of GL86B. The modeling will give us insight into the dynamical evolution of, not only, the binary star system, but also the planet’s life cycle.

Peculiar architectures for the WASP-53 and WASP-81 planet-hosting systems★

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Triaud, Amaury H. M. J.; Neveu-VanMalle, Marion; Lendl, Monika; Anderson, David R.; Collier Cameron, Andrew; Delrez, Laetitia; Doyle, Amanda; Gillon, Michaël; Hellier, Coel; Jehin, Emmanuël; Maxted, Pierre F. L.; Ségransan, Damien; Smalley, Barry; Queloz, Didier; Pollacco, Don; Southworth, John; Tregloan-Reed, Jeremy; Udry, Stéphane; West, Richard

2017-05-01

We report the detection of two new systems containing transiting planets. Both were identified by WASP as worthy transiting planet candidates. Radial velocity observations quickly verified that the photometric signals were indeed produced by two transiting hot Jupiters. Our observations also show the presence of additional Doppler signals. In addition to short-period hot Jupiters, we find that the WASP-53 and WASP-81 systems also host brown dwarfs, on fairly eccentric orbits with semimajor axes of a few astronomical units. WASP-53c is over 16 MJupsin Ic and WASP-81c is 57 MJupsin Ic. The presence of these tight, massive companions restricts theories of how the inner planets were assembled. We propose two alternative interpretations: the formation of the hot Jupiters within the snow line or the late dynamical arrival of the brown dwarfs after disc dispersal. We also attempted to measure the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect for both hot Jupiters. In the case of WASP-81b, we fail to detect a signal. For WASP-53b, we find that the planet is aligned with respect to the stellar spin axis. In addition we explore the prospect of transit-timing variations, and of using Gaia's astrometry to measure the true masses of both brown dwarfs and also their relative inclination with respect to the inner transiting hot Jupiters.

STABILITY OF CO{sub 2} ATMOSPHERES ON DESICCATED M DWARF EXOPLANETS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gao, Peter; Hu, Renyu; Li, Cheng

2015-06-20

We investigate the chemical stability of CO{sub 2}-dominated atmospheres of desiccated M dwarf terrestrial exoplanets using a one-dimensional photochemical model. Around Sun-like stars, CO{sub 2} photolysis by Far-UV (FUV) radiation is balanced by recombination reactions that depend on water abundance. Planets orbiting M dwarf stars experience more FUV radiation, and could be depleted in water due to M dwarfs’ prolonged, high-luminosity pre-main sequences. We show that, for water-depleted M dwarf terrestrial planets, a catalytic cycle relying on H{sub 2}O{sub 2} photolysis can maintain a CO{sub 2} atmosphere. However, this cycle breaks down for atmospheric hydrogen mixing ratios <1 ppm, resultingmore » in ∼40% of the atmospheric CO{sub 2} being converted to CO and O{sub 2} on a timescale of 1 Myr. The increased O{sub 2} abundance leads to high O{sub 3} concentrations, the photolysis of which forms another CO{sub 2}-regenerating catalytic cycle. For atmospheres with <0.1 ppm hydrogen, CO{sub 2} is produced directly from the recombination of CO and O. These catalytic cycles place an upper limit of ∼50% on the amount of CO{sub 2} that can be destroyed via photolysis, which is enough to generate Earth-like abundances of (abiotic) O{sub 2} and O{sub 3}. The conditions that lead to such high oxygen levels could be widespread on planets in the habitable zones of M dwarfs. Discrimination between biological and abiotic O{sub 2} and O{sub 3} in this case can perhaps be accomplished by noting the lack of water features in the reflectance and emission spectra of these planets, which necessitates observations at wavelengths longer than 0.95 μm.« less

Steamworlds: Atmospheric Structure and Critical Mass of Planets Accreting Icy Pebbles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chambers, John

2017-11-01

In the core accretion model, gas-giant planets first form a solid core, which then accretes gas from a protoplanetary disk when the core exceeds a critical mass. Here, we model the atmosphere of a core that grows by accreting ice-rich pebbles. The ice fraction of pebbles evaporates in warm regions of the atmosphere, saturating it with water vapor. Excess water precipitates to lower altitudes. Beneath an outer radiative region, the atmosphere is convective, following a moist adiabat in saturated regions due to water condensation and precipitation. Atmospheric mass, density, and temperature increase with core mass. For nominal model parameters, planets with core masses (ice + rock) between 0.08 and 0.16 Earth masses have surface temperatures between 273 and 647 K and form an ocean. In more massive planets, water exists as a supercritical convecting fluid mixed with gas from the disk. Typically, the core mass reaches a maximum (the critical mass) as a function of the total mass when the core is 2-5 Earth masses. The critical mass depends in a complicated way on pebble size, mass flux, and dust opacity due to the occasional appearance of multiple core-mass maxima. The core mass for an atmosphere of 50% hydrogen and helium may be a more robust indicator of the onset of gas accretion. This mass is typically 1-3 Earth masses for pebbles that are 50% ice by mass, increasing with opacity and pebble flux and decreasing with pebble ice/rock ratio.

A preliminary ab-initio calculation of the spectrum of CH4 and its applications to the spectra of giant planets and brown dwarfs.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freedman, R. S.; Schwenke, D. W.

2000-12-01

Methane is not only an important opacity source in brown dwarfs and giant planets, but its appearance in the spectrum is often used as an indicator of a low temperature object. Unfortunately, the analysis of the spectrum of this important molecule is far from complete due to its great complexity. In this presentation we will show progress that has been made by David Schwenke and Harry Partridge in developing an ab initio potential surface for CH4. Examples will be given to illustrate the current state of the calculations, and the applications to the interpretation of astronomical spectra. Computational Chemistry Branch - NASA Ames.

CHARACTERIZING K2 PLANET DISCOVERIES: A SUPER-EARTH TRANSITING THE BRIGHT K DWARF HIP 116454

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vanderburg, Andrew; Montet, Benjamin T.; Johnson, John Asher

We report the first planet discovery from the two-wheeled Kepler (K2) mission: HIP 116454 b. The host star HIP 116454 is a bright (V = 10.1, K = 8.0) K1 dwarf with high proper motion and a parallax-based distance of 55.2 ± 5.4 pc. Based on high-resolution optical spectroscopy, we find that the host star is metal-poor with [Fe/H] =–0.16 ± 0.08 and has a radius R {sub *} = 0.716 ± 0.024 R {sub ☉} and mass M {sub *} = 0.775 ± 0.027 M {sub ☉}. The star was observed by the Kepler spacecraft during its Two-Wheeled Concept Engineering Test in 2014more » February. During the 9 days of observations, K2 observed a single transit event. Using a new K2 photometric analysis technique, we are able to correct small telescope drifts and recover the observed transit at high confidence, corresponding to a planetary radius of R{sub p} = 2.53 ± 0.18 R {sub ⊕}. Radial velocity observations with the HARPS-N spectrograph reveal a 11.82 ± 1.33 M {sub ⊕} planet in a 9.1 day orbit, consistent with the transit depth, duration, and ephemeris. Follow-up photometric measurements from the MOST satellite confirm the transit observed in the K2 photometry and provide a refined ephemeris, making HIP 116454 b amenable for future follow-up observations of this latest addition to the growing population of transiting super-Earths around nearby, bright stars.« less

The unstable fate of the planet orbiting the A star in the HD 131399 triple stellar system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Veras, Dimitri; Mustill, Alexander J.; Gänsicke, Boris T.

2017-02-01

Validated planet candidates need not lie on long-term stable orbits, and instability triggered by post-main-sequence stellar evolution can generate architectures which transport rocky material to white dwarfs, hence polluting them. The giant planet HD 131399Ab orbits its parent A star at a projected separation of about 50-100 au. The host star, HD 131399A, is part of a hierarchical triple with HD 131399BC being a close binary separated by a few hundred au from the A star. Here, we determine the fate of this system, and find the following: (I) Stability along the main sequence is achieved only for a favourable choice of parameters within the errors. (II) Even for this choice, in almost every instance, the planet is ejected during the transition between the giant branch and white dwarf phases of HD 131399A. This result provides an example of both how the free-floating planet population may be enhanced by similar systems and how instability can manifest in the polluted white dwarf progenitor population.

Fixed Delay Interferometry for Doppler Extrasolar Planet Detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ge, Jian

2002-06-01

We present a new technique based on fixed delay interferometry for high-throughput, high-precision, and multiobject Doppler radial velocity (RV) surveys for extrasolar planets. The Doppler measurements are conducted by monitoring the stellar fringe phase shifts of the interferometer instead of absorption-line centroid shifts as in state-of-the-art echelle spectroscopy. High Doppler sensitivity is achieved through optimizing the optical delay in the interferometer and reducing photon noise by measuring multiple fringes over a broad band. This broadband operation is performed by coupling the interferometer with a low- to medium-resolution postdisperser. The resulting fringing spectra over the bandpass are recorded on a two-dimensional detector, with fringes sampled in the slit spatial direction and the spectrum sampled in the dispersion direction. The resulting total Doppler sensitivity is, in theory, independent of the dispersing power of the postdisperser, which allows for the development of new-generation RV machines with much reduced size, high stability, and low cost compared to echelles. This technique has the potential to improve RV survey efficiency by 2-3 orders of magnitude over the cross-dispersed echelle spectroscopy approach, which would allow a full-sky RV survey of hundreds of thousands of stars for planets, brown dwarfs, and stellar companions once the instrument is operated as a multiobject instrument and is optimized for high throughput. The simple interferometer response potentially allows this technique to be operated at other wavelengths independent of popular iodine reference sources, being actively used in most of the current echelles for Doppler planet searches, to search for planets around early-type stars, white dwarfs, and M, L, and T dwarfs for the first time. The high throughput of this instrument could also allow investigation of extragalactic objects for RV variations at high precision.

NASA Space Telescopes See Weather Patterns in Brown Dwarf

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

JANUARY 8, 2013: Astronomers using NASA's Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes have probed the stormy atmosphere of a brown dwarf named 2MASSJ22282889-431026, creating the most detailed "weather map" yet for this class of cool, star-like orbs. The forecast shows wind-driven, planet-sized clouds enshrouding these strange worlds. Brown dwarfs form out of condensing gas, as stars do, but lack the mass to fuse atoms and produce energy. Instead, these objects, which some call failed stars, are more similar to gas planets with their complex, varied atmospheres. The new research is a stepping stone toward a better understanding not only brown dwarfs, but also of the atmospheres of planets beyond our solar system. Hubble and Spitzer simultaneously watched the brown dwarf as its light varied in time, brightening and dimming about every 90 minutes as the body rotated. Astronomers found the timing of this change in brightness depended on whether they looked using different wavelengths of infrared light. The variations are the result of different layers or patches of material swirling around in the brown dwarf in windy storms as large as Earth itself. Spitzer and Hubble see different atmospheric layers because certain infrared wavelengths are blocked by vapors of water and methane high up, while other infrared wavelengths emerge from much deeper layers. Daniel Apai, the principal investigator of the research from the University of Arizona, Tucson, presented the results at the American Astronomical Society meeting on January 8 in Long Beach, Calif. A study describing the results, led by Esther Buenzli, also of the University of Arizona, is published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. For more information about this study, visit www.nasa.gov/spitzer . NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA�

COAGULATION CALCULATIONS OF ICY PLANET FORMATION AT 15-150 AU: A CORRELATION BETWEEN THE MAXIMUM RADIUS AND THE SLOPE OF THE SIZE DISTRIBUTION FOR TRANS-NEPTUNIAN OBJECTS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kenyon, Scott J.; Bromley, Benjamin C., E-mail: skenyon@cfa.harvard.edu, E-mail: bromley@physics.utah.edu

2012-03-15

We investigate whether coagulation models of planet formation can explain the observed size distributions of trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs). Analyzing published and new calculations, we demonstrate robust relations between the size of the largest object and the slope of the size distribution for sizes 0.1 km and larger. These relations yield clear, testable predictions for TNOs and other icy objects throughout the solar system. Applying our results to existing observations, we show that a broad range of initial disk masses, planetesimal sizes, and fragmentation parameters can explain the data. Adding dynamical constraints on the initial semimajor axis of 'hot' Kuiper Beltmore » objects along with probable TNO formation times of 10-700 Myr restricts the viable models to those with a massive disk composed of relatively small (1-10 km) planetesimals.« less

THREE PLANETS ORBITING WOLF 1061

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wright, D. J.; Wittenmyer, R. A.; Tinney, C. G.

We use archival HARPS spectra to detect three planets orbiting the M3 dwarf Wolf 1061 (GJ 628). We detect a 1.36 M{sub ⊕} minimum-mass planet with an orbital period P = 4.888 days (Wolf 1061b), a 4.25 M{sub ⊕} minimum-mass planet with orbital period P = 17.867 days (Wolf 1061c), and a likely 5.21 M{sub ⊕} minimum-mass planet with orbital period P = 67.274 days (Wolf 1061d). All of the planets are of sufficiently low mass that they may be rocky in nature. The 17.867 day planet falls within the habitable zone for Wolf 1061 and the 67.274 day planetmore » falls just outside the outer boundary of the habitable zone. There are no signs of activity observed in the bisector spans, cross-correlation FWHMs, calcium H and K indices, NaD indices, or Hα indices near the planetary periods. We use custom methods to generate a cross-correlation template tailored to the star. The resulting velocities do not suffer the strong annual variation observed in the HARPS DRS velocities. This differential technique should deliver better exploitation of the archival HARPS data for the detection of planets at extremely low amplitudes.« less

Glaciers and Ice Sheets As Analog Environments of Potentially Habitable Icy Worlds

PubMed Central

Garcia-Lopez, Eva; Cid, Cristina

2017-01-01

Icy worlds in the solar system and beyond have attracted a remarkable attention as possible habitats for life. The current consideration about whether life exists beyond Earth is based on our knowledge of life in terrestrial cold environments. On Earth, glaciers and ice sheets have been considered uninhabited for a long time as they seemed too hostile to harbor life. However, these environments are unique biomes dominated by microbial communities which maintain active biochemical routes. Thanks to techniques such as microscopy and more recently DNA sequencing methods, a great biodiversity of prokaryote and eukaryote microorganisms have been discovered. These microorganisms are adapted to a harsh environment, in which the most extreme features are the lack of liquid water, extremely cold temperatures, high solar radiation and nutrient shortage. Here we compare the environmental characteristics of icy worlds, and the environmental characteristics of terrestrial glaciers and ice sheets in order to address some interesting questions: (i) which are the characteristics of habitability known for the frozen worlds, and which could be compatible with life, (ii) what are the environmental characteristics of terrestrial glaciers and ice sheets that can be life-limiting, (iii) What are the microbial communities of prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms that can live in them, and (iv) taking into account these observations, could any of these planets or satellites meet the conditions of habitability? In this review, the icy worlds are considered from the point of view of astrobiological exploration. With the aim of determining whether icy worlds could be potentially habitable, they have been compared with the environmental features of glaciers and ice sheets on Earth. We also reviewed some field and laboratory investigations about microorganisms that live in analog environments of icy worlds, where they are not only viable but also metabolically active. PMID:28804477

Glaciers and Ice Sheets As Analog Environments of Potentially Habitable Icy Worlds.

PubMed

Garcia-Lopez, Eva; Cid, Cristina

2017-01-01

Icy worlds in the solar system and beyond have attracted a remarkable attention as possible habitats for life. The current consideration about whether life exists beyond Earth is based on our knowledge of life in terrestrial cold environments. On Earth, glaciers and ice sheets have been considered uninhabited for a long time as they seemed too hostile to harbor life. However, these environments are unique biomes dominated by microbial communities which maintain active biochemical routes. Thanks to techniques such as microscopy and more recently DNA sequencing methods, a great biodiversity of prokaryote and eukaryote microorganisms have been discovered. These microorganisms are adapted to a harsh environment, in which the most extreme features are the lack of liquid water, extremely cold temperatures, high solar radiation and nutrient shortage. Here we compare the environmental characteristics of icy worlds, and the environmental characteristics of terrestrial glaciers and ice sheets in order to address some interesting questions: (i) which are the characteristics of habitability known for the frozen worlds, and which could be compatible with life, (ii) what are the environmental characteristics of terrestrial glaciers and ice sheets that can be life-limiting, (iii) What are the microbial communities of prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms that can live in them, and (iv) taking into account these observations, could any of these planets or satellites meet the conditions of habitability? In this review, the icy worlds are considered from the point of view of astrobiological exploration. With the aim of determining whether icy worlds could be potentially habitable, they have been compared with the environmental features of glaciers and ice sheets on Earth. We also reviewed some field and laboratory investigations about microorganisms that live in analog environments of icy worlds, where they are not only viable but also metabolically active.

Building Magnetic Fields in White Dwarfs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, Susanna

2017-03-01

white dwarf forms a solid, oxygen-rich core with a liquid, carbon-rich mantle thats Rayleigh-Taylor unstable: as crystallization continues, the solids continue to sink out of the mantle.By analytically modeling this process, Isern and collaborators demonstrate that the Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities in the convective mantle can drive a dynamo large enough to generate the magnetic field strengths weve observed in white dwarfs.Magnetic field density as a function of the dynamo energy density. The plots show Earth and Jupiter (black dots), T Tauri stars (cyan), M dwarf stars (magenta), and two types of white dwarfs (blue and red). Do these lie on the same scaling relation? [Isern et al. 2017]A Universal Process?This setup the solid core with an unstable liquid mantle on top is exactly the structure expected to occur in planets such as Earth and Jupiter. These planets magnetic fields are similarly thought to be generated by convective dynamos powered by the cooling and chemical separation of their interiors and the process can also be scaled up to account for the magnetic fields of fully convective objects like T Tauri stars, as well.If white-dwarf magnetic fields are generated by the same type of dynamo, this may be a universal process for creating magnetic fields in astrophysical objects though other processes may well be at work too.CitationJordi Isern et al 2017 ApJL 836 L28. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/aa5eae

A companion on the planet/brown dwarf mass boundary on a wide orbit discovered by gravitational microlensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poleski, R.; Udalski, A.; Bond, I. A.; Beaulieu, J. P.; Clanton, C.; Gaudi, S.; Szymański, M. K.; Soszyński, I.; Pietrukowicz, P.; Kozłowski, Szymon; Skowron, J.; Wyrzykowski, Ł.; Ulaczyk, K.; Bennett, D. P.; Sumi, T.; Suzuki, D.; Rattenbury, N. J.; Koshimoto, N.; Abe, F.; Asakura, Y.; Barry, R. K.; Bhattacharya, A.; Donachie, M.; Evans, P.; Fukui, A.; Hirao, Y.; Itow, Y.; Li, M. C. A.; Ling, C. H.; Masuda, K.; Matsubara, Y.; Muraki, Y.; Nagakane, M.; Ohnishi, K.; Ranc, C.; Saito, To.; Sharan, A.; Sullivan, D. J.; Tristram, P. J.; Yamada, T.; Yamada, T.; Yonehara, A.; Batista, V.; Marquette, J. B.

2017-08-01

We present the discovery of a substellar companion to the primary host lens in the microlensing event MOA-2012-BLG-006. The companion-to-host mass ratio is 0.016, corresponding to a companion mass of ≈8 MJup(M∗/ 0.5 M⊙). Thus, the companion is either a high-mass giant planet or a low-mass brown dwarf, depending on the mass of the primary M∗. The companion signal was separated from the peak of the primary event by a time that was as much as four times longer than the event timescale. We therefore infer a relatively large projected separation of the companion from its host of ≈10 au(M∗/ 0.5 M⊙)1 / 2 for a wide range (3-7 kpc) of host star distances from the Earth. We also challenge a previous claim of a planetary companion to the lens star in microlensing event OGLE-2002-BLG-045.

Molecular Gas Clumps from the Destruction of Icy Bodies in the beta Pictoris Debris Disk

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dent, W. R. F.; Wyatt, M. C.; Roberge, A.; Augereau, J. -C.; Casassus, S.; Corder, S.; Greaves, J. S.; DeGregorio-Monsalvo, I.; Hales, A.; Jackson, A. P.;

Terrestrial Planets across Space and Time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zackrisson, Erik; Calissendorff, Per; González, Juan; Benson, Andrew; Johansen, Anders; Janson, Markus

2016-12-01

The study of cosmology, galaxy formation, and exoplanets has now advanced to a stage where a cosmic inventory of terrestrial planets (TPs) may be attempted. By coupling semianalytic models of galaxy formation to a recipe that relates the occurrence of planets to the mass and metallicity of their host stars, we trace the population of TPs around both solar-mass (FGK type) and lower-mass (M dwarf) stars throughout all of cosmic history. We find that the mean age of TPs in the local universe is 7+/- 1 {Gyr} for FGK hosts and 8+/- 1 {Gyr} for M dwarfs. We estimate that hot Jupiters have depleted the population of TPs around FGK stars by no more than ≈ 10 % , and that only ≈ 10 % of the TPs at the current epoch are orbiting stars in a metallicity range for which such planets have yet to be confirmed. The typical TP in the local universe is located in a spheroid-dominated galaxy with a total stellar mass comparable to that of the Milky Way. When looking at the inventory of planets throughout the whole observable universe, we argue for a total of ≈ 1× {10}19 and ≈ 5× {10}20 TPs around FGK and M stars, respectively. Due to light travel time effects, the TPs on our past light cone exhibit a mean age of just 1.7 ± 0.2 Gyr. These results are discussed in the context of cosmic habitability, the Copernican principle, and searches for extraterrestrial intelligence at cosmological distances.

A DARK SPOT ON A MASSIVE WHITE DWARF

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kilic, Mukremin; Gianninas, Alexandros; Curd, Brandon

We present the serendipitous discovery of eclipse-like events around the massive white dwarf SDSS J152934.98+292801.9 (hereafter J1529+2928). We selected J1529+2928 for time-series photometry based on its spectroscopic temperature and surface gravity, which place it near the ZZ Ceti instability strip. Instead of pulsations, we detect photometric dips from this white dwarf every 38 minutes. Follow-up optical spectroscopy observations with Gemini reveal no significant radial velocity variations, ruling out stellar and brown dwarf companions. A disintegrating planet around this white dwarf cannot explain the observed light curves in different filters. Given the short period, the source of the photometric dips mustmore » be a dark spot that comes into view every 38 minutes due to the rotation of the white dwarf. Our optical spectroscopy does not show any evidence of Zeeman splitting of the Balmer lines, limiting the magnetic field strength to B < 70 kG. Since up to 15% of white dwarfs display kG magnetic fields, such eclipse-like events should be common around white dwarfs. We discuss the potential implications of this discovery on transient surveys targeting white dwarfs, like the K2 mission and the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope.« less

The brown dwarf kinematics project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faherty, Jackie K.

2010-10-01

Brown dwarfs are a recent addition to the plethora of objects studied in Astronomy. With theoretical masses between 13 and 75 MJupiter , they lack sustained stable Hydrogen burning so they never join the stellar main sequence. They have physical properties similar to both planets and low-mass stars so studies of their population inform on both. The distances and kinematics of brown dwarfs provide key statistical constraints on their ages, moving group membership, absolute brightnesses, evolutionary trends, and multiplicity. Yet, until my thesis, fundamental measurements of parallax and proper motion were made for only a relatively small fraction of the known population. To address this deficiency, I initiated the Brown Dwarf Kinematics (BDKP). Over the past four years I have re-imaged the majority of spectroscopically confirmed field brown dwarfs (or ultracool dwarfs---UCDs) and created the largest proper motion catalog for ultracool dwarfs to date. Using new astrometric information I examined population characteristics such as ages calculated from velocity dispersions and correlations between kinematics and colors. Using proper motions, I identified several new wide co-moving companions and investigated binding energy (and hence formation) limitations as well as the frequency of hierarchical companions. Concurrently over the past four years I have been conducting a parallax survey of 84 UCDs including those showing spectral signatures of youth, metal-poor brown dwarfs, and those within 20 pc of the Sun. Using absolute magnitude relations in J,H, and K, I identified overluminous binary candidates and investigated known flux-reversal binaries. Using current evolutionary models, I compared the MK vs J-K color magnitude diagram to model predictions and found that the low-surface gravity dwarfs are significantly red-ward and underluminous of predictions and a handful of late-type T dwarfs may require thicker clouds to account for their scatter.

Anelastic tidal dissipation in multi-layer planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Remus, F.; Mathis, S.; Zahn, J.-P.; Lainey, V.

2012-09-01

Earth-like planets have anelastic mantles, whereas giant planets may have anelastic cores. As for the fluid parts of a body, the tidal dissipation of such solid regions, gravitationally perturbed by a companion body, highly depends on its internal friction, and thus on its internal structure. Therefore, modelling this kind of interaction presents a high interest to provide constraints on planets interiors, whose properties are still quite uncertain. Here, we examine the equilibrium tide in the solid part of a planet, taking into account the presence of a fluid envelope. We derive the different Love numbers that describe its deformation and discuss the dependence of the quality factor Q on the chosen anelastic model and the size of the core. Taking plausible values for the anelastic parameters, and discussing the frequency-dependence of the solid dissipation, we show how this mechanism may compete with the dissipation in fluid layers, when applied to Jupiter- and Saturn-like planets. We also discuss the case of the icy giants Uranus and Neptune. Finally, we present the way to implement the results in the equations that describe the dynamical evolution of planetary systems.

Unraveling the Reaction Chemistry of Icy Ocean World Surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hudson, R.; Loeffler, M. J.; Gerakines, P.

2017-12-01

The diverse endogenic chemistry of ocean worlds can be divided among interior, surface, and above-surface process, with contributions from exogenic agents such as solar, cosmic, and magnetospheric radiation. Bombardment from micrometeorites to comets also can influence chemistry by both delivering new materials and altering pre-existing ones, and providing energy to drive reactions. Geological processes further complicate the chemistry by transporting materials from one environment to another. In this presentation the focus will be on some of the thermally driven and radiation-induced changes expected from icy materials, primarily covalent and ionic compounds. Low-temperature conversions of a few relatively simple molecules into ions possessing distinct infrared (IR) features will be covered, with an emphasis on such features as might be identified through either orbiting spacecraft or landers. The low-temperature degradation of a few bioorganic molecules, such as DNA nucleobases and some common amino acids, will be used as examples of the more complex, and potentially misleading, chemistry expected for icy moons of the outer solar system. This work was supported by NASA's Emerging Worlds and Outer Planets Research programs, as well as the NASA Astrobiology Institute's Goddard Center for Astrobiology.

The Threatening Magnetic and Plasma Environment of the TRAPPIST-1 Planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garraffo, Cecilia; Drake, Jeremy J.; Cohen, Ofer; Alvarado-Gómez, Julian D.; Moschou, Sofia P.

2017-07-01

Recently, four additional Earth-mass planets were discovered orbiting the nearby ultracool M8 dwarf, TRAPPIST-1, making a remarkable total of seven planets with equilibrium temperatures compatible with the presence of liquid water on their surface. Temperate terrestrial planets around an M-dwarf orbit close to their parent star, rendering their atmospheres vulnerable to erosion by the stellar wind and energetic electromagnetic and particle radiation. Here, we use state-of-the-art 3D magnetohydrodynamic models to simulate the wind around TRAPPIST-1 and study the conditions at each planetary orbit. All planets experience a stellar wind pressure between 103 and 105 times the solar wind pressure on Earth. All orbits pass through wind pressure changes of an order of magnitude and most planets spend a large fraction of their orbital period in the sub-Alfvénic regime. For plausible planetary magnetic field strengths, all magnetospheres are greatly compressed and undergo much more dynamic change than that of the Earth. The planetary magnetic fields connect with the stellar radial field over much of the planetary surface, allowing the direct flow of stellar wind particles onto the planetary atmosphere. These conditions could result in strong atmospheric stripping and evaporation and should be taken into account for any realistic assessment of the evolution and habitability of the TRAPPIST-1 planets.

The Threatening Magnetic and Plasma Environment of the TRAPPIST-1 Planets

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Garraffo, Cecilia; Drake, Jeremy J.; Cohen, Ofer

2017-07-10

Recently, four additional Earth-mass planets were discovered orbiting the nearby ultracool M8 dwarf, TRAPPIST-1, making a remarkable total of seven planets with equilibrium temperatures compatible with the presence of liquid water on their surface. Temperate terrestrial planets around an M-dwarf orbit close to their parent star, rendering their atmospheres vulnerable to erosion by the stellar wind and energetic electromagnetic and particle radiation. Here, we use state-of-the-art 3D magnetohydrodynamic models to simulate the wind around TRAPPIST-1 and study the conditions at each planetary orbit. All planets experience a stellar wind pressure between 10{sup 3} and 10{sup 5} times the solar windmore » pressure on Earth. All orbits pass through wind pressure changes of an order of magnitude and most planets spend a large fraction of their orbital period in the sub-Alfvénic regime. For plausible planetary magnetic field strengths, all magnetospheres are greatly compressed and undergo much more dynamic change than that of the Earth. The planetary magnetic fields connect with the stellar radial field over much of the planetary surface, allowing the direct flow of stellar wind particles onto the planetary atmosphere. These conditions could result in strong atmospheric stripping and evaporation and should be taken into account for any realistic assessment of the evolution and habitability of the TRAPPIST-1 planets.« less

Parent Stars of Extrasolar Planets. VII. New Abundance Analyses of 30 Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laws, Chris; Gonzalez, Guillermo; Walker, Kyle M.; Tyagi, Sudhi; Dodsworth, Jeremey; Snider, Keely; Suntzeff, Nicholas B.

2003-05-01

The results of new spectroscopic analyses of 30 stars with giant planet and/or brown dwarf companions are presented. Values for Teff and [Fe/H] are used in conjunction with Hipparcos data and Padua isochrones to derive masses, ages, and theoretical surface gravities. These new data are combined with spectroscopic and photometric metallicity estimates of other stars harboring planets and published samples of F, G, and K dwarfs to compare several subsets of planet bearing stars with similarly well-constrained control groups. The distribution of [Fe/H] values continues the trend uncovered in previous studies in that stars hosting planetary companions have a higher mean value than otherwise similar nearby stars. We also investigate the relationship between stellar mass and the presence of giant planets, and we find statistically marginal but suggestive evidence of a decrease in the incidence of radial velocity companions orbiting relatively less massive stars. If confirmed with larger samples, this would represent a critical constraint to both planetary formation models, as well as to estimates of the distribution of planetary systems in our Galaxy.

Brown Dwarfs: Discovery and Detailed Studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kulkarni, Shrinivas R.

2001-01-01

We obtained the optical and IR spectra of Gliese 229B and identified Cs, I, and CO features - as expected in theoretical models. Our optical IR spectrum showed that most of the refractory metals have condensed out of the atmosphere and the presence of Cs, I and CO shows evidence for disequilibrium chemistry. We reported orbital evidence for Gliese 229B. The HST measured optical magnitudes provide additional evidence for the absence of dust in the atmosphere of this cool object. The luminosity of brown dwarfs depend on their masses and ages and in order to interpret the results of the survey we have carried out an extensive Monte Carlo analysis. Our conclusion is that warm brown dwarfs are rare, as companions in the orbital period range beyond approximately 30 - 50 AU. The Palomer survey poses no constraint for brown dwarfs in planetary orbits similar to those of the outer planets. We have just started a program of imaging nearby stars with the newly commissioned AO system at Palomar and Keck and have already found a brown dwarf candidate.

TYC 1240-945-1b: First Brown Dwarf Candidate from the SDSS-III-MARVELS Planet Search

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Brian L.; Ge, J.; Fleming, S. W.; Mahadevan, S.; Sivarani, T.; De Lee, N.; Dou, L.; Jiang, P.; Xie, J.; Gaudi, B. S.; Eastman, J.; Pepper, J.; Stassun, K.; Gary, B.; Wisniewski, J. P.; Barnes, R.; Kane, S. R.; van Eyken, J. C.; Wang, J.; Chang, L.; Costello, E.; Fletcher, A.; Groot, J.; Guo, P.; Hanna, K.; Malik, M.; Rohan, P.; Varosi, F.; Wan, X.; Zhao, B.; Hearty, F.; Shelden, A.; Leger, F.; Long, D.; Agol, E.; Ford, E. B.; Ford, H. C.; Holtzman, J. A.; Schneider, D.; Weinberg, D. H.; Eisenstein, D.; Hawley, S.; Snedden, S.; Bizyaev, D.; Brewington, H.; Malanushenko, V.; Malanushenko, E.; Oravetz, D.; Pan, K.; Simmons, A.

2010-01-01

We present a new brown dwarf candidate, TYC 1240-945-1b, discovered in the first year of MARVELS, a multi-object radial velocity (RV) planet search which is part of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-III). From our RV discovery data taken at 15 epochs spread over a 100d time baseline at the SDSS 2.5-m telescope, we derive a preliminary characterization of the orbit with semi-amplitude K=2.5 km/s, period P=5.9d, and no detectable eccentricity. Adopting a mass of 1.2 solar masses for the F9V host star TYC 1240-945-1, we infer that the candidate has Msini 26MJup and semimajor axis 0.068AU. In addition to exhibiting the discovery data, we show the pre-survey and follow-up spectroscopic observations that have been taken to further refine the stellar parameters for the host star. This work was supported by the W.M. Keck Foundation, NSF, SDSS-III consortium, NASA, and UF.

A study of the shortest-period planets found with Kepler

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sanchis-Ojeda, Roberto; Rappaport, Saul; Winn, Joshua N.

2014-05-20

We present the results of a survey aimed at discovering and studying transiting planets with orbital periods shorter than one day (ultra-short-period, or USP, planets), using data from the Kepler spacecraft. We computed Fourier transforms of the photometric time series for all 200,000 target stars, and detected transit signals based on the presence of regularly spaced sharp peaks in the Fourier spectrum. We present a list of 106 USP candidates, of which 18 have not previously been described in the literature. This list of candidates increases the number of planet candidates with orbital periods shorter than about six hours frommore » two to seven. In addition, among the objects we studied, there are 26 USP candidates that had been previously reported in the literature which do not pass our various tests. All 106 of our candidates have passed several standard tests to rule out false positives due to eclipsing stellar systems. A low false positive rate is also implied by the relatively high fraction of candidates for which more than one transiting planet signal was detected. By assuming these multi-transit candidates represent coplanar multi-planet systems, we are able to infer that the USP planets are typically accompanied by other planets with periods in the range 1-50 days, in contrast with hot Jupiters which very rarely have companions in that same period range. Another clear pattern is that almost all USP planets are smaller than 2 R {sub ⊕}, possibly because gas giants in very tight orbits would lose their atmospheres by photoevaporation when subject to extremely strong stellar irradiation. Based on our survey statistics, USP planets exist around approximately (0.51 ± 0.07)% of G-dwarf stars, and (0.83 ± 0.18)% of K-dwarf stars.« less

A Catalog of Cool Dwarf Targets for the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muirhead, Philip S.; Dressing, Courtney D.; Mann, Andrew W.; Rojas-Ayala, Bárbara; Lépine, Sébastien; Paegert, Martin; De Lee, Nathan; Oelkers, Ryan

2018-04-01

We present a catalog of cool dwarf targets (V-J> 2.7, T eff ≲ 4000 K) and their stellar properties for the upcoming Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), for the purpose of determining which cool dwarfs should be observed using two minute observations. TESS has the opportunity to search tens of thousands of nearby, cool, late K- and M-type dwarfs for transiting exoplanets, an order of magnitude more than current or previous transiting exoplanet surveys, such as Kepler, K2, and ground-based programs. This necessitates a new approach to choosing cool dwarf targets. Cool dwarfs are chosen by collating parallax and proper motion catalogs from the literature and subjecting them to a variety of selection criteria. We calculate stellar parameters and TESS magnitudes using the best possible relations from the literature while maintaining uniformity of methods for the sake of reproducibility. We estimate the expected planet yield from TESS observations using statistical results from the Kepler mission, and use these results to choose the best targets for two minute observations, optimizing for small planets for which masses can conceivably be measured using follow-up Doppler spectroscopy by current and future Doppler spectrometers. The catalog is available in machine readable format and is incorporated into the TESS Input Catalog and TESS Candidate Target List until a more complete and accurate cool dwarf catalog identified by ESA’s Gaia mission can be incorporated.

Planets around Low-mass Stars (PALMS). I. A Substellar Companion to the Young M Dwarf 1RXS J235133.3+312720

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bowler, Brendan P.; Liu, Michael C.; Shkolnik, Evgenya L.; Dupuy, Trent J.; Cieza, Lucas A.; Kraus, Adam L.; Tamura, Motohide

2012-07-01

We report the discovery of a brown dwarf companion to the young M dwarf 1RXS J235133.3+312720 as part of a high contrast imaging search for planets around nearby young low-mass stars with Keck-II/NIRC2 and Subaru/HiCIAO. The 2farcs4 (~120 AU) pair is confirmed to be comoving from two epochs of high-resolution imaging. Follow-up low- and moderate-resolution near-infrared spectroscopy of 1RXS J2351+3127 B with IRTF/SpeX and Keck-II/OSIRIS reveals a spectral type of L0+2 -1. The M2 primary star 1RXS J2351+3127 A exhibits X-ray and UV activity levels comparable to young moving group members with ages of ~10-100 Myr. UVW kinematics based the measured radial velocity of the primary and the system's photometric distance (50 ± 10 pc) indicate it is likely a member of the ~50-150 Myr AB Dor moving group. The near-infrared spectrum of 1RXS J2351+3127 B does not exhibit obvious signs of youth, but its H-band morphology shows subtle hints of intermediate surface gravity. The spectrum is also an excellent match to the ~200 Myr M9 brown dwarf LP 944-20. Assuming an age of 50-150 Myr, evolutionary models imply a mass of 32 ± 6 M Jup for the companion, making 1RXS J2351+3127 B the second lowest-mass member of the AB Dor moving group after the L4 companion CD-35 2722 B and one of the few benchmark brown dwarfs known at young ages. Some of the data presented herein were obtained at the W. M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Observatory was made possible by the generous financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation.

PROBABILITY OF CME IMPACT ON EXOPLANETS ORBITING M DWARFS AND SOLAR-LIKE STARS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kay, C.; Opher, M.; Kornbleuth, M., E-mail: ckay@bu.edu

2016-08-01

Solar coronal mass ejections (CMEs) produce adverse space weather effects at Earth. Planets in the close habitable zone of magnetically active M dwarfs may experience more extreme space weather than at Earth, including frequent CME impacts leading to atmospheric erosion and leaving the surface exposed to extreme flare activity. Similar erosion may occur for hot Jupiters with close orbits around solar-like stars. We have developed a model, Forecasting a CME's Altered Trajectory (ForeCAT), which predicts a CME's deflection. We adapt ForeCAT to simulate CME deflections for the mid-type M dwarf V374 Peg and hot Jupiters with solar-type hosts. V374 Peg'smore » strong magnetic fields can trap CMEs at the M dwarfs's Astrospheric Current Sheet, that is, the location of the minimum in the background magnetic field. Solar-type CMEs behave similarly, but have much smaller deflections and do not become trapped at the Astrospheric Current Sheet. The probability of planetary impact decreases with increasing inclination of the planetary orbit with respect to the Astrospheric Current Sheet: 0.5–5 CME impacts per day for M dwarf exoplanets, 0.05–0.5 CME impacts per day for solar-type hot Jupiters. We determine the minimum planetary magnetic field necessary to shield a planet's atmosphere from CME impacts. M dwarf exoplanets require values between tens and hundreds of Gauss. Hot Jupiters around a solar-type star, however, require a more reasonable <30 G. These values exceed the magnitude required to shield a planet from the stellar wind, suggesting that CMEs may be the key driver of atmospheric losses.« less

Zodiacal Exoplanets in Time (ZEIT). VI. A Three-planet System in the Hyades Cluster Including an Earth-sized Planet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mann, Andrew W.; Vanderburg, Andrew; Rizzuto, Aaron C.; Kraus, Adam L.; Berlind, Perry; Bieryla, Allyson; Calkins, Michael L.; Esquerdo, Gilbert A.; Latham, David W.; Mace, Gregory N.; Morris, Nathan R.; Quinn, Samuel N.; Sokal, Kimberly R.; Stefanik, Robert P.

2018-01-01

Planets in young clusters are powerful probes of the evolution of planetary systems. Here we report the discovery of three planets transiting EPIC 247589423, a late-K dwarf in the Hyades (≃800 Myr) cluster, and robust detection limits for additional planets in the system. The planets were identified from their K2 light curves as part of our survey of young clusters and star-forming regions. The smallest planet has a radius comparable to Earth ({0.99}-0.04+0.06{R}\\oplus ), making it one of the few Earth-sized planets with a known, young age. The two larger planets are likely a mini-Neptune and a super-Earth, with radii of {2.91}-0.10+0.11{R}\\oplus and {1.45}-0.08+0.11{R}\\oplus , respectively. The predicted radial velocity signals from these planets are between 0.4 and 2 m s-1, achievable with modern precision RV spectrographs. Because the target star is bright (V = 11.2) and has relatively low-amplitude stellar variability for a young star (2-6 mmag), EPIC 247589423 hosts the best known planets in a young open cluster for precise radial velocity follow-up, enabling a robust test of earlier claims that young planets are less dense than their older counterparts.

Monitoring the High-Energy Radiation Environment of Exoplanets Around Low-mass Stars with SPARCS (Star-Planet Activity Research CubeSat)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shkolnik, Evgenya L.; Ardila, David; Barman, Travis; Beasley, Matthew; Bowman, Judd D.; Gorjian, Varoujan; Jacobs, Daniel; Jewell, April; Llama, Joe; Meadows, Victoria; Nikzad, Shouleh; Scowen, Paul; Swain, Mark; Zellem, Robert

2018-01-01

Roughly seventy-five billion M dwarfs in our galaxy host at least one small planet in the habitable zone (HZ). The stellar ultraviolet (UV) radiation from M dwarfs is strong and highly variable, and impacts planetary atmospheric loss, composition and habitability. These effects are amplified by the extreme proximity of their HZs (0.1–0.4 AU). Knowing the UV environments of M dwarf planets will be crucial to understanding their atmospheric composition and a key parameter in discriminating between biological and abiotic sources for observed biosignatures. The Star-Planet Activity Research CubeSat (SPARCS) will be a 6U CubeSat devoted to photometric monitoring of M stars in the far-UV and near-UV, measuring the time-dependent spectral slope, intensity and evolution of M dwarf stellar UV radiation. For each target, SPARCS will observe continuously over at least one complete stellar rotation (5 - 45 days). SPARCS will also advance UV detector technology by flying high quantum efficiency, UV-optimized detectors developed at JPL. These Delta-doped detectors have a long history of deployment demonstrating greater than five times the quantum efficiency of the detectors used by GALEX. SPARCS will pave the way for their application in missions like LUVOIR or HabEx, including interim UV-capable missions. SPARCS will also be capable of ‘target-of-opportunity’ UV observations for the rocky planets in M dwarf HZs soon to be discovered by NASA’s TESS mission, providing the needed UV context for the first habitable planets that JWST will characterize.Acknowledgements: Funding for SPARCS is provided by NASA’s Astrophysics Research and Analysis program, NNH16ZDA001N.

TWO SMALL PLANETS TRANSITING HD 3167

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vanderburg, Andrew; Bieryla, Allyson; Latham, David W.

2016-09-20

We report the discovery of two super-Earth-sized planets transiting the bright (V = 8.94, K = 7.07) nearby late G-dwarf HD 3167, using data collected by the K2 mission. The inner planet, HD 3167 b, has a radius of 1.6 R {sub ⊕} and an ultra-short orbital period of only 0.96 days. The outer planet, HD 3167 c, has a radius of 2.9 R {sub ⊕} and orbits its host star every 29.85 days. At a distance of just 45.8 ± 2.2 pc, HD 3167 is one of the closest and brightest stars hosting multiple transiting planets, making HD 3167more » b and c well suited for follow-up observations. The star is chromospherically inactive with low rotational line-broadening, ideal for radial velocity observations to measure the planets’ masses. The outer planet is large enough that it likely has a thick gaseous envelope that could be studied via transmission spectroscopy. Planets transiting bright, nearby stars like HD 3167 are valuable objects to study leading up to the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope .« less

HPF: The Habitable Zone Planet Finder at the Hobby-Eberly Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wright, Jason T.; Mahadevan, Suvrath; Hearty, Fred; Monson, Andy; Stefansson, Gudmundur; Ramsey, Larry; Ninan, Joe; Bender, Chad; Kaplan, Kyle; Roy, Arpita; Terrien, Ryan; Robertson, Paul; Halverson, Sam; Schwab, Christian; Kanodia, Shubham

2018-01-01

The Habitable Zone Planet Finder (HPF) is an ultra-stable NIR (ZYJ) high resolution echelle spectrograph on the 10-m Hobby-Eberly Telescope capable of 1-3 m/s Doppler velocimetry on nearby late M dwarfs (M4-M9). This precision is sufficient to detect terrestrial planets in the Habitable Zones of these relatively unexplored stars. Here we present its capabilities and early commissioning results.

DEUTERIUM BURNING IN MASSIVE GIANT PLANETS AND LOW-MASS BROWN DWARFS FORMED BY CORE-NUCLEATED ACCRETION

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bodenheimer, Peter; D'Angelo, Gennaro; Lissauer, Jack J.

Using detailed numerical simulations, we study the formation of bodies near the deuterium-burning limit according to the core-nucleated giant planet accretion scenario. The objects, with heavy-element cores in the range 5-30 M{sub Circled-Plus }, are assumed to accrete gas up to final masses of 10-15 Jupiter masses (M{sub Jup}). After the formation process, which lasts 1-5 Myr and which ends with a ''cold-start'', low-entropy configuration, the bodies evolve at constant mass up to an age of several Gyr. Deuterium burning via proton capture is included in the calculation, and we determined the mass, M{sub 50}, above which more than 50%more » of the initial deuterium is burned. This often-quoted borderline between giant planets and brown dwarfs is found to depend only slightly on parameters, such as core mass, stellar mass, formation location, solid surface density in the protoplanetary disk, disk viscosity, and dust opacity. The values for M{sub 50} fall in the range 11.6-13.6 M{sub Jup}, in agreement with previous determinations that do not take the formation process into account. For a given opacity law during the formation process, objects with higher core masses form more quickly. The result is higher entropy in the envelope at the completion of accretion, yielding lower values of M{sub 50}. For masses above M{sub 50}, during the deuterium-burning phase, objects expand and increase in luminosity by one to three orders of magnitude. Evolutionary tracks in the luminosity versus time diagram are compared with the observed position of the companion to Beta Pictoris.« less

ICI Showcase House Prototype

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2009-02-16

Building Science Corporation collaborated with ICI Homes in Daytona Beach, FL on a 2008 prototype Showcase House that demonstrates the energy efficiency and durability upgrades that ICI currently promotes through its in-house efficiency program called EFactor.

Development and Testing of a Laser-Powered Cryobot for Outer Planet Icy Moon Exploration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siegel, V.; Stone, W.; Hogan, B.; Lelievre, S.; Flesher, C.

2013-12-01

Project VALKYRIE (Very-deep Autonomous Laser-powered Kilowatt-class Yo-yoing Robotic Ice Explorer) is a NASA-funded effort to develop the first laser powered cryobot - a self-contained intelligent ice penetrator capable of delivering science payloads through ice caps of the outer planet icy moons. The long range objective is to enable a full-scale Europa lander mission in which an autonomous life-searching underwater vehicle is transported by the cryobot and launched into the sub-surface Europan ocean. Mission readiness testing will involve an Antarctic sub-glacial lake cryobot sample return through kilometers of ice cap thickness. A key element of VALKYRIE's design is the use of a high energy laser as the primary power source. 1070 nm laser light is transmitted at a power level of 5 kW from a surface-based laser and injected into a custom-designed optical waveguide that is spooled out from the descending cryobot. Light exits the downstream end of the fiber, travels through diverging optics, and strikes a beam dump, which channels thermal power to hot water jets that melt the descent hole. Some beam energy is converted, via photovoltaic cells, to electricity for running onboard electronics and jet pumps. Since the vehicle can be sterilized prior to deployment and the melt path freezes behind it, preventing forward contamination, expansions on VALKYRIE concepts may enable cleaner and faster access to sub-glacial Antarctic lakes. Testing at Stone Aerospace between 2010 and 2013 has already demonstrated high power optical energy transfer over relevant (kilometer scale) distances as well as the feasibility of a vehicle-deployed optical waveguide (through which the power is transferred). The test vehicle is equipped with a forward-looking synthetic aperture radar (SAR) that can detect obstacles out to 1 kilometer from the vehicle. The initial ASTEP test vehicle will carry a science payload consisting of a DUV flow cytometer and a water sampling sub-system that will be

Dust in brown dwarfs and extra-solar planets. I. Chemical composition and spectral appearance of quasi-static cloud layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Helling, Ch.; Woitke, P.; Thi, W.-F.

2008-07-01

Aims: Brown dwarfs are covered by dust cloud layers which cause inhomogeneous surface features and move below the observable τ = 1 level during the object's evolution. The cloud layers have a strong influence on the structure and spectral appearance of brown dwarfs and extra-solar planets, e.g. by providing high local opacities and by removing condensable elements from the atmosphere causing a sub-solar metalicity in the atmosphere. We aim at understanding the formation of cloud layers in quasi-static substellar atmospheres that consist of dirty grains composed of numerous small islands of different solid condensates. Methods: The time-dependent description is a kinetic model describing nucleation, growth and evaporation. It is extended to treat gravitational settling and is applied to the static-stationary case of substellar model atmospheres. From the solution of the dust moments, we determine the grain size distribution function approximately which, together with the calculated material volume fractions, provides the basis for applying effective medium theory and Mie theory to calculate the opacities of the composite dust grains. Results: The cloud particles in brown dwarfs and hot giant-gas planets are found to be small in the high atmospheric layers (a ≈ 0.01 μm), and are composed of a rich mixture of all considered condensates, in particular MgSiO3[s], Mg2SiO4[s] and SiO2[s]. As the particles settle downward, they increase in size and reach several 100 μm in the deepest layers. The more volatile parts of the grains evaporate and the particles stepwise purify to form composite particles of high-temperature condensates in the deeper layers, mainly made of Fe[s] and Al2O3[s]. The gas phase abundances of the elements involved in the dust formation process vary by orders of magnitudes throughout the atmosphere. The grain size distribution is found to be relatively broad in the upper atmospheric layers but strongly peaked in the deeper layers. This reflects

The POKEMON Speckle Survey of Nearby M-Dwarfs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Belle, Gerard; von Braun, Kaspar; Horch, Elliott; Clark, Catherine; DSSI Speckle Team

2018-01-01

The POKEMON (Pervasive Overview of Kompanions of Every M-dwarf in Our Neighborhood) survey of nearby M-dwarfs intends to inspect, at diffraction-limited resolution, every low-mass star out to 15pc, along with selected additional objects to 25pc. The primary emphasis of the survey is detection of low-mass companions to these M-dwarfs for refinement of the low-mass star multiplicity rate. The resultant catalog of M-dwarf companions will also guide immediate refinement of transit planet detection results from surveys such as TESS. POKEMON is using Lowell Observatory's 4.3-m Discovery Channel Telescope (DCT) with the Differential Speckle Survey Instrument (DSSI) speckle camera, along with the NN-Explore Exoplanet Stellar Speckle Imager (NESSI) speckle imager on 3.5-m WIYN; the survey takes advantage of the extremely rapid observing cadence rates possible with WIYN and (especially) DCT. The current status and preliminary results from the first 20+ nights of observing will be presented. Gotta observe them all!

The search for other planets: clues from the solar system.

PubMed

Owen, T

1994-01-01

Studies of element abundances and values of D/H in the atmospheres of the outer planets and Titan support a two-step model for the formation of these bodies. This model suggests that the dimensions of Uranus provide a good index for the sensitivity required to detect planets around other stars. The high proportion of N2 on the surfaces of Pluto and Triton indicates that this gas was the dominant reservoir of nitrogen in the early solar nebula. It should also be abundant on pristine comets. There is evidence that some of these comets may well have brought a large store of volatiles to the inner planets, while others were falling into the sun. In other systems, icy planetesimals falling into stars should reveal themselves through high values of D/H.

THE EXTREMELY RED, YOUNG L DWARF PSO J318.5338–22.8603: A FREE-FLOATING PLANETARY-MASS ANALOG TO DIRECTLY IMAGED YOUNG GAS-GIANT PLANETS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, Michael C.; Magnier, Eugene A.; Kotson, Michael C.

2013-11-10

We have discovered using Pan-STARRS1 an extremely red late-L dwarf, which has (J – K){sub MKO} = 2.78 and (J – K){sub 2MASS} = 2.84, making it the reddest known field dwarf and second only to 2MASS J1207–39b among substellar companions. Near-IR spectroscopy shows a spectral type of L7 ± 1 and reveals a triangular H-band continuum and weak alkali (K I and Na I) lines, hallmarks of low surface gravity. Near-IR astrometry from the Hawaii Infrared Parallax Program gives a distance of 24.6 ± 1.4 pc and indicates a much fainter J-band absolute magnitude than field L dwarfs. Themore » position and kinematics of PSO J318.5–22 point to membership in the β Pic moving group. Evolutionary models give a temperature of 1160{sup +30}{sub -40} K and a mass of 6.5{sup +1.3}{sub -1.0} M {sub Jup}, making PSO J318.5–22 one of the lowest mass free-floating objects in the solar neighborhood. This object adds to the growing list of low-gravity field L dwarfs and is the first to be strongly deficient in methane relative to its estimated temperature. Comparing their spectra suggests that young L dwarfs with similar ages and temperatures can have different spectral signatures of youth. For the two objects with well constrained ages (PSO J318.5–22 and 2MASS J0355+11), we find their temperatures are ≈400 K cooler than field objects of similar spectral type but their luminosities are similar, i.e., these young L dwarfs are very red and unusually cool but not 'underluminous'. Altogether, PSO J318.5–22 is the first free-floating object with the colors, magnitudes, spectrum, luminosity, and mass that overlap the young dusty planets around HR 8799 and 2MASS J1207–39.« less

Planet Formation Instrument for the Thirty Meter Telescope

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Macintosh, B; Troy, M; Graham, J

2006-02-22

In the closing years of the 20th Century humankind began its exploration of the planetary systems in the solar neighborhood. Precision radial velocity measurements have now yielded the discovery of over 160 planets. Direct imaging of these planets, as opposed to detection of the effects of orbital motion on their parent star, is now feasible, and the first young planet in a wide orbit may have been detected using adaptive optics systems. Gemini and the VLT are building the first generation of high contrast adaptive optics systems, which deliver planet-imaging performance within few Airy rings of the host star. Thesemore » systems will make the first surveys of the outer regions of solar systems by detecting the self-luminous radiation of young planets. These instruments will establish whether Jovian planets form predominantly through 'top-down' (global gravitational instability) or 'bottom-up' (core accretion) processes. The 8-m 'extreme' AO systems cannot see close enough to the host stars to image Doppler planets, and they cannot reach the relatively distant, young clusters and associations where planets are forming. The Planet Formation Instrument will use the nearly four-fold improved angular resolution of TMT to peer into the inner solar systems of Doppler-planet bearing stars to yield a unified sample of planets with known Keplerian orbital elements and atmospheric properties. In star formation regions, where T Tauri stars (young solar type stars) are found in abundance, PFI can see into the snow line, where the icy cores of planets like Jupiter must have formed. Thus, TMT will be the first facility to witness the formation of new planets.« less

New and updated stellar parameters for 71 evolved planet hosts. On the metallicity-giant planet connection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mortier, A.; Santos, N. C.; Sousa, S. G.; Adibekyan, V. Zh.; Delgado Mena, E.; Tsantaki, M.; Israelian, G.; Mayor, M.

2013-09-01

Context. It is still being debated whether the well-known metallicity-giant planet correlation for dwarf stars is also valid for giant stars. For this reason, having precise metallicities is very important. Precise stellar parameters are also crucial to planetary research for several other reasons. Different methods can provide different results that lead to discrepancies in the analysis of planet hosts. Aims: To study the impact of different analyses on the metallicity scale for evolved stars, we compare different iron line lists to use in the atmospheric parameter derivation of evolved stars. Therefore, we use a sample of 71 evolved stars with planets. With these new homogeneous parameters, we revisit the metallicity-giant planet connection for evolved stars. Methods: A spectroscopic analysis based on Kurucz models in local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) was performed through the MOOG code to derive the atmospheric parameters. Two different iron line list sets were used, one built for cool FGK stars in general, and the other for giant FGK stars. Masses were calculated through isochrone fitting, using the Padova models. Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests (K-S tests) were then performed on the metallicity distributions of various different samples of evolved stars and red giants. Results: All parameters compare well using a line list set, designed specifically for cool and solar-like stars to provide more accurate temperatures. All parameters derived with this line list set are preferred and are thus adopted for future analysis. We find that evolved planet hosts are more metal-poor than dwarf stars with giant planets. However, a bias in giant stellar samples that are searched for planets is present. Because of a colour cut-off, metal-rich low-gravity stars are left out of the samples, making it hard to compare dwarf stars with giant stars. Furthermore, no metallicity enhancement is found for red giants with planets (log g < 3.0 dex) with respect to red giants without

The Fate of Close-in Planets: Tidal or Magnetic Migration?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Strugarek, A.; Bolmont, E.; Mathis, S.

Planets in close-in orbits interact magnetically and tidally with their host stars. These interactions lead to a net torque that makes close-in planets migrate inward or outward depending on their orbital distance. We systematically compare the strength of magnetic and tidal torques for typical observed star–planet systems (T-Tauri and hot Jupiter, M-dwarf and Earth-like planet, K star and hot Jupiter) based on state-of-the-art scaling laws. We find that depending on the characteristics of the system, tidal or magnetic effects can dominate. For very close-in planets, we find that both torques can make a planet migrate on a timescale as smallmore » as 10–100 thousands of years. Both effects thus have to be taken into account when predicting the evolution of compact systems.« less

Seven temperate terrestrial planets around the nearby ultracool dwarf star TRAPPIST-1.

PubMed

Gillon, Michaël; Triaud, Amaury H M J; Demory, Brice-Olivier; Jehin, Emmanuël; Agol, Eric; Deck, Katherine M; Lederer, Susan M; de Wit, Julien; Burdanov, Artem; Ingalls, James G; Bolmont, Emeline; Leconte, Jeremy; Raymond, Sean N; Selsis, Franck; Turbet, Martin; Barkaoui, Khalid; Burgasser, Adam; Burleigh, Matthew R; Carey, Sean J; Chaushev, Aleksander; Copperwheat, Chris M; Delrez, Laetitia; Fernandes, Catarina S; Holdsworth, Daniel L; Kotze, Enrico J; Van Grootel, Valérie; Almleaky, Yaseen; Benkhaldoun, Zouhair; Magain, Pierre; Queloz, Didier

2017-02-22

One aim of modern astronomy is to detect temperate, Earth-like exoplanets that are well suited for atmospheric characterization. Recently, three Earth-sized planets were detected that transit (that is, pass in front of) a star with a mass just eight per cent that of the Sun, located 12 parsecs away. The transiting configuration of these planets, combined with the Jupiter-like size of their host star-named TRAPPIST-1-makes possible in-depth studies of their atmospheric properties with present-day and future astronomical facilities. Here we report the results of a photometric monitoring campaign of that star from the ground and space. Our observations reveal that at least seven planets with sizes and masses similar to those of Earth revolve around TRAPPIST-1. The six inner planets form a near-resonant chain, such that their orbital periods (1.51, 2.42, 4.04, 6.06, 9.1 and 12.35 days) are near-ratios of small integers. This architecture suggests that the planets formed farther from the star and migrated inwards. Moreover, the seven planets have equilibrium temperatures low enough to make possible the presence of liquid water on their surfaces.

Investigating the FUV Emission of Young M dwarfs with FUMES: the Far Ultraviolet M-dwarf Evolution Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pineda, John

2016-10-01

M dwarf stars have become attractive candidates for exoplanet searches and will be a main focus of the upcoming TESS mission, with the continued search for nearby potentially habitable worlds. However, the atmospheric characterization of these exoplanetary systems depends critically on the high energy stellar radiation environment from X-ray to NUV. Strong radiation at these energies can lead to atmospheric mass loss and is a strong driver of photochemistry in planetary atmospheres. Recently, the MUSCLES Treasury Survey (Cycles 19, 22) provided the first comprehensive assessment of the high energy radiation field around old, planet hosting M dwarfs. However, the habitability and potential for such exoplanetary atmospheres to develop life also depends on the evolution of the atmosphere and hence the evolution of the incident radiation field. The strong high energy spectrum of young M dwarfs can have devastating consequences for the potential habitability of a given system. We, thus, propose the Far Ultraviolet M-dwarf Evolution Survey (FUMES) to measure the strong FUV coronal/chromospheric emission features of young M dwarfs (12 - 650 Myr), e.g. He II, C IV, and S IV. FUMES will observe objects with a wide range of rotation rates to directly connect the emission features to the evolution of coronal heating and upper atmospheric structure, and provide observational benchmarks at young ages for models of M dwarf upper atmospheres. Building on results from MUSCLES, we will be able to estimate the whole high energy radiation field and establish the evolutionary picture of the incident radiation throughout the lifetime of exoplanetary systems around early-mid M dwarf hosts.

Direct Imaging discovery of a second planet candidate around the possibly transiting planet host CVSO 30

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmidt, T. O. B.; Neuhäuser, R.; Briceño, C.; Vogt, N.; Raetz, St.; Seifahrt, A.; Ginski, C.; Mugrauer, M.; Buder, S.; Adam, C.; Hauschildt, P.; Witte, S.; Helling, Ch.; Schmitt, J. H. M. M.

2016-09-01

Context. Direct imaging has developed into a very successful technique for the detection of exoplanets in wide orbits, especially around young stars. Directly imaged planets can be both followed astrometrically on their orbits and observed spectroscopically and thus provide an essential tool for our understanding of the early solar system. Aims: We surveyed the 25 Ori association for direct-imaging companions. This association has an age of only few million years. Among other targets, we observed CVSO 30, which has recently been identified as the first T Tauri star found to host a transiting planet candidate. Methods: We report on photometric and spectroscopic high-contrast observations with the Very Large Telescope, the Keck telescopes, and the Calar Alto observatory. They reveal a directly imaged planet candidate close to the young M3 star CVSO 30. Results: The JHK-band photometry of the newly identified candidate is at better than 1σ consistent with late-type giants, early-T and early-M dwarfs, and free-floating planets. Other hypotheses such as galaxies can be excluded at more than 3.5σ. A lucky imaging z' photometric detection limit z' = 20.5 mag excludes early-M dwarfs and results in less than 10 MJup for CVSO 30 c if bound. We present spectroscopic observations of the wide companion that imply that the only remaining explanation for the object is that it is the first very young (<10 Myr) L - T-type planet bound to a star, meaning that it appears bluer than expected as a result of a decreasing cloud opacity at low effective temperatures. Only a planetary spectral model is consistent with the spectroscopy, and we deduce a best-fit mass of 4-5 Jupiter masses (total range 0.6-10.2 Jupiter masses). Conclusions: This means that CVSO 30 is the first system in which both a close-in and a wide planet candidate are found to have a common host star. The orbits of the two possible planets could not be more different: they have orbital periods of 10.76 h and about 27

The Galactic Distribution of Planets via Spitzer Microlensing Parallax

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gould, Andrew; Yee, Jennifer; Carey, Sean; Shvartzvald, Yossi

2018-05-01

We will measure the Galactic distribution of planets by obtaining 'microlens parallaxes' of about 200 events, including 3 planetary events, from the comparison of microlens lightcurves observed from Spitzer and Earth, which are separated by >1.5 AU in projection. The proposed observations are part of a campaign that we have conducted with Spitzer since 2014. The planets expected to be identified in this campaign when combined with previous work will yield a first statistically significant measurement of the frequency of planets in the Galactic bulge versus the Galactic disk. As we have demonstrated in three previous programs, the difference in these lightcurves yields both the 'microlens parallax' (ratio of the lens-source relative parallax) to the Einstein radius, and the direction of lens-source relative motion. For planetary events, this measurement directly yields the mass and distance of the planet. This proposal is significantly more sensitive to planets than previous work because it takes advantage of the KMTNet observing strategy that covers >85 sq.deg t >0.4/hr cadence, 24/7 from 3 southern observatories and a alert system KMTNet is implementing for 2019. This same observing program also provides a unique probe of dark objects. It will yield an improved measurement of the isolated-brown-dwarf mass function. Thirteen percent of the observations will specifically target binaries, which will probe systems with dark components (brown dwarfs, neutron stars, black holes) that are difficult or impossible to investigate by other methods. The observations and methods from this work are a test bed for WFIRST microlensing.

Artist's Concept of Hubble-Discovered Ancient Gas-Giant Planet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope (HST) precisely measured the mass of the oldest known planet in our Milky Way Galaxy bringing closure to a decade of speculation. Scientists weren't sure if the object was a planet or a brown dwarf. Hubble's analysis shows that the object is 2.5 times the mass of Jupiter, confirming that it is indeed a planet. At an estimated age of 13 billion years, the planet is more than twice the age of Earth's 4.5 billion years. It formed around a young, sun-like star barely 1 million years after our universe's birth in the Big Bang. The ancient planet resides in an unlikely, rough neighborhood. It orbits a peculiar pair of burned-out stars in the crowded core cluster of more than 100,000 stars. Its very existence provides evidence that the first planets formed rapidly, within a billion years of the Big Bang, and leads astronomers to conclude that planets may be very abundant in our galaxy. This artist's concept depicts the planet with a view of a rich star filled sky.

Inward migration of the TRAPPIST-1 planets as inferred from their water-rich compositions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Unterborn, Cayman T.; Desch, Steven J.; Hinkel, Natalie R.; Lorenzo, Alejandro

2018-04-01

Multiple planet systems provide an ideal laboratory for probing exoplanet composition, formation history and potential habitability. For the TRAPPIST-1 planets, the planetary radii are well established from transits1,2, with reasonable mass estimates coming from transit timing variations2,3 and dynamical modelling4. The low bulk densities of the TRAPPIST-1 planets demand substantial volatile content. Here we show, using mass-radius-composition models, that TRAPPIST-1f and g probably contain substantial (≥50 wt%) water/ice, with TRAPPIST-1 b and c being significantly drier (≤15 wt%). We propose that this gradient of water mass fractions implies that planets f and g formed outside the primordial snow line whereas b and c formed within it. We find that, compared with planets in our Solar System that also formed within the snow line, TRAPPIST-1b and c contain hundreds more oceans of water. We demonstrate that the extent and timescale of migration in the TRAPPIST-1 system depends on how rapidly the planets formed and the relative location of the primordial snow line. This work provides a framework for understanding the differences between the protoplanetary disks of our Solar System versus M dwarfs. Our results provide key insights into the volatile budgets, timescales of planet formation and migration history of M dwarf systems, probably the most common type of planetary host in the Galaxy.

The Kepler Dichotomy in Planetary Disks: Linking Kepler Observables to Simulations of Late-stage Planet Formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moriarty, John; Ballard, Sarah

2016-11-01

NASA’s Kepler Mission uncovered a wealth of planetary systems, many with planets on short-period orbits. These short-period systems reside around 50% of Sun-like stars and are similarly prevalent around M dwarfs. Their formation and subsequent evolution is the subject of active debate. In this paper, we simulate late-stage, in situ planet formation across a grid of planetesimal disks with varying surface density profiles and total mass. We compare simulation results with observable characteristics of the Kepler sample. We identify mixture models with different primordial planetesimal disk properties that self-consistently recover the multiplicity, radius, period and period ratio, and duration ratio distributions of the Kepler planets. We draw three main conclusions. (1) We favor a “frozen-in” narrative for systems of short-period planets, in which they are stable over long timescales, as opposed to metastable. (2) The “Kepler dichotomy,” an observed phenomenon of the Kepler sample wherein the architectures of planetary systems appear to either vary significantly or have multiple modes, can naturally be explained by formation within planetesimal disks with varying surface density profiles. Finally, (3) we quantify the nature of the “Kepler dichotomy” for both GK stars and M dwarfs, and find that it varies with stellar type. While the mode of planet formation that accounts for high multiplicity systems occurs in 24% ± 7% of planetary systems orbiting GK stars, it occurs in 63% ± 16% of planetary systems orbiting M dwarfs.

Planetary Protection for future missions to Europa and other icy moons: the more things change...

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conley, C. A.; Race, M.

2007-12-01

NASA maintains a planetary protection policy regarding contamination of extraterrestrial bodies by terrestrial microorganisms and organic compounds, and sets limits intended to minimize or prevent contamination resulting from spaceflight missions. Europa continues to be a high priority target for astrobiological investigations, and other icy moons of the outer planets are becoming increasingly interesting as data are returned from current missions. In 2000, a study was released by the NRC that provided recommendations on preventing the forward contamination of Europa. This study addressed a number of issues, including cleaning and sterilization requirements, the applicability of protocols derived from Viking and other missions to Mars, and the need to supplement spore based culture methods in assessing spacecraft bioload. The committee also identified a number of future studies that would improve knowledge of Europa and better define issues related to forward contamination of that body. The standard recommended by the 2000 study and adopted by NASA uses a probabilistic approach, such that spacecraft sent to Europa must demonstrate a probability less than 10-4 per mission of contaminating an europan ocean with one viable terrestrial organism. A number of factors enter into the equation for calculating this probability, including at least bioload at launch, probability of survival during flight, probability of reaching the surface of Europa, and probability of reaching an europan ocean. Recently, the NASA Planetary Protection Subcommittee of the NASA Advisory Council has recommended that the probabilistic approach recommended for Europa be applied to all outer planet icy moons, until another NRC study can be convened to reevaluate the issues in light of recent data. This presentation will discuss the status of current and anticipated planetary protection considerations for missions to Europa and other icy moons.

Habitable evaporated cores: transforming mini-Neptunes into super-Earths in the habitable zones of M dwarfs.

PubMed

Luger, R; Barnes, R; Lopez, E; Fortney, J; Jackson, B; Meadows, V

2015-01-01

We show that photoevaporation of small gaseous exoplanets ("mini-Neptunes") in the habitable zones of M dwarfs can remove several Earth masses of hydrogen and helium from these planets and transform them into potentially habitable worlds. We couple X-ray/extreme ultraviolet (XUV)-driven escape, thermal evolution, tidal evolution, and orbital migration to explore the types of systems that may harbor such "habitable evaporated cores" (HECs). We find that HECs are most likely to form from planets with ∼1 M⊕ solid cores with up to about 50% H/He by mass, though whether or not a given mini-Neptune forms a HEC is highly dependent on the early XUV evolution of the host star. As terrestrial planet formation around M dwarfs by accumulation of local material is likely to form planets that are small and dry, evaporation of small migrating mini-Neptunes could be one of the dominant formation mechanisms for volatile-rich Earths around these stars.

Exploring medium gravity icy planetary bodies: an opportunity in the Inner System by landing at Ceres high latitudes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poncy, J.; Grasset, O.; Martinot, V.; Tobie, G.

2009-04-01

With potentially up to 25% of its mass as H2O and current indications of a differentiated morphology, 950km-wide "dwarf planet" Ceres is holding the promise to be our closest significant icy planetary body. Ceres is within easier reach than the icy moons, allowing for the use of solar arrays and not lying inside the deep gravity well of a giant planet. As such, it would represent an ideal step stone for future in-situ exploration of other airless icy bodies of major interest such as Europa or Enceladus. But when NASA's Dawn orbits Ceres and maps it in 2015, will we be ready to undertake the next logical step: landing? Ceres' gravity at its poles, at about one fifth of the Moon's gravity, is too large for rendezvous-like asteroid landing techniques to apply. Instead, we are there fully in the application domain of soft precision landing techniques such as the ones being developed for ESA's MoonNext mission. These latter require a spacecraft architecture akin to robotic lunar Landers or NASA's Phoenix, and differing from missions to comets and asteroids. If Dawn confirms the icy nature of Ceres under its regolith-covered surface, the potential presence of some ice spots on the surface would call for specific attention. Such spots would indeed be highly interesting landing sites. They are more likely to lie close to the poles of Ceres where cold temperatures should prevent exposed ice from sublimating and/or may limit the thickness of the regolith layer. Also the science and instruments suite should be fitted to study a large body that has probably been or may still be geologically active: its non-negligible gravity field combined with its high volatile mass fraction would then bring Ceres closer in morphology and history to an "Enceladus" or a frozen or near-frozen "Europa" than to a rubble-pile-structured asteroid or a comet nucleus. Thales Alenia Space and the "Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique" of the University of Nantes have carried out a preliminary

K2-155: A Bright Metal-poor M Dwarf with Three Transiting Super-Earths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirano, Teruyuki; Dai, Fei; Livingston, John H.; Fujii, Yuka; Cochran, William D.; Endl, Michael; Gandolfi, Davide; Redfield, Seth; Winn, Joshua N.; Guenther, Eike W.; Prieto-Arranz, Jorge; Albrecht, Simon; Barragan, Oscar; Cabrera, Juan; Cauley, P. Wilson; Csizmadia, Szilard; Deeg, Hans; Eigmüller, Philipp; Erikson, Anders; Fridlund, Malcolm; Fukui, Akihiko; Grziwa, Sascha; Hatzes, Artie P.; Korth, Judith; Narita, Norio; Nespral, David; Niraula, Prajwal; Nowak, Grzegorz; Pätzold, Martin; Palle, Enric; Persson, Carina M.; Rauer, Heike; Ribas, Ignasi; Smith, Alexis M. S.; Van Eylen, Vincent

2018-03-01

We report on the discovery of three transiting super-Earths around K2-155 (EPIC 210897587), a relatively bright early M dwarf (V = 12.81 mag) observed during Campaign 13 of the NASA K2 mission. To characterize the system and validate the planet candidates, we conducted speckle imaging and high-dispersion optical spectroscopy, including radial velocity measurements. Based on the K2 light curve and the spectroscopic characterization of the host star, the planet sizes and orbital periods are {1.55}-0.17+0.20 {R}\\oplus and 6.34365 ± 0.00028 days for the inner planet; {1.95}-0.22+0.27 {R}\\oplus and 13.85402 ± 0.00088 days for the middle planet; and {1.64}-0.17+0.18 {R}\\oplus and 40.6835 ± 0.0031 days for the outer planet. The outer planet (K2-155d) is near the habitable zone, with an insolation 1.67 ± 0.38 times that of the Earth. The planet’s radius falls within the range between that of smaller rocky planets and larger gas-rich planets. To assess the habitability of this planet, we present a series of three-dimensional global climate simulations, assuming that K2-155d is tidally locked and has an Earth-like composition and atmosphere. We find that the planet can maintain a moderate surface temperature if the insolation proves to be smaller than ∼1.5 times that of the Earth. Doppler mass measurements, transit spectroscopy, and other follow-up observations should be rewarding, as K2-155 is one of the optically brightest M dwarfs known to harbor transiting planets.

Seven temperate terrestrial planets around the nearby ultracool dwarf star TRAPPIST-1

PubMed Central

Gillon, Michaël; Triaud, Amaury H. M. J.; Demory, Brice-Olivier; Jehin, Emmanuël; Agol, Eric; Deck, Katherine M.; Lederer, Susan M.; de Wit, Julien; Burdanov, Artem; Ingalls, James G.; Bolmont, Emeline; Leconte, Jeremy; Raymond, Sean N.; Selsis, Franck; Turbet, Martin; Barkaoui, Khalid; Burgasser, Adam; Burleigh, Matthew R.; Carey, Sean J.; Chaushev, Aleksander; Copperwheat, Chris M.; Delrez, Laetitia; Fernandes, Catarina S.; Holdsworth, Daniel L.; Kotze, Enrico J.; Van Grootel, Valérie; Almleaky, Yaseen; Benkhaldoun, Zouhair; Magain, Pierre; Queloz, Didier

2017-01-01

One focus of modern astronomy is to detect temperate terrestrial exoplanets well-suited for atmospheric characterisation. A milestone was recently achieved with the detection of three Earth-sized planets transiting (i.e. passing in front of) a star just 8% the mass of the Sun 12 parsecs away1. Indeed, the transiting configuration of these planets combined with the Jupiter-like size of their host star - named TRAPPIST-1 - makes possible in-depth studies of their atmospheric properties with current and future astronomical facilities1,2,3. Here we report the results of an intensive photometric monitoring campaign of that star from the ground and with the Spitzer Space Telescope. Our observations reveal that at least seven planets with sizes and masses similar to the Earth revolve around TRAPPIST-1. The six inner planets form a near-resonant chain such that their orbital periods (1.51, 2.42, 4.04, 6.06, 9.21, 12.35 days) are near ratios of small integers. This architecture suggests that the planets formed farther from the star and migrated inward4,5. The seven planets have equilibrium temperatures low enough to make possible liquid water on their surfaces6,7,8. PMID:28230125

ICI/BASF PP for acrylics swap

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Alperowicz, N.

ICI (London) and BASF (Ludwigshafen) have announced their long-awaited polypropylene (PP) for acrylics swap deal. ICI is buying BASF's European acrylic resin business, and the German firm will acquire ICI's European PP operations. The deal is due for completion by mid-1993, subject to regulatory approvals. BASF, hitherto a small-scale PP producer, doubles capacity to 600,000 m.t./year and moves up the European PP league to number three, behind Himont and Shell. BASF, whose process is used in the plants, secures a foothold in the UK PP market, where Shell - planning a merger with Himont - is the only other producer,more » with 170,000 m.t./year. ICI's purchase involves BASF's Resart GmbH and Critesa SA subsidiaries, located at Mainz, Germany and near Barcelona, Spain, respectively. The business - which will add about [Brit pounds]60 million ($93 million) to ICI Acrylics [Brit pounds]300-million revenues - employs 400 people, who will transfer to ICI.« less

Illustration of TRAPPIST-1 Planets as of Feb. 2018

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-02-05

This illustration shows the seven Earth-size planets of TRAPPIST-1, an exoplanet system about 40 light-years away, based on data current as of February 2018. The image shows the planets' relative sizes but does not represent their orbits to scale. The art highlights possibilities for how the surfaces of these intriguing worlds might look based on their newly calculated properties. The seven planets of TRAPPIST-1 are all Earth-sized and terrestrial. TRAPPIST-1 is an ultra-cool dwarf star in the constellation Aquarius, and its planets orbit very close to it. In the background, slightly distorted versions the familiar constellations of Orion and Taurus are shown as they would appear from the location of TRAPPIST-1 (courtesy of California Academy of Sciences/Dan Tell). https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22097

Ancient Planet in a Globular Cluster Core

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-03-31

Release Date: July 10, 2003 A rich starry sky fills the view from an ancient gas-giant planet in the core of the globular star cluster M4, as imagined in this artist's concept. The 13-billion-year-old planet orbits a helium white-dwarf star and the millisecond pulsar B1620-26, seen at lower left. The globular cluster is deficient in heavier elements for making planets, so the existence of such a world implies that planet formation may have been quite efficient and common in the early universe. Object Names: B1620-26, M4 Image Type: Artwork Illustration Credit: NASA and G. Bacon (STScI) To learn more about this image go to: www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/topstory/2003/0709hstss... NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is home to the nation's largest organization of combined scientists, engineers and technologists that build spacecraft, instruments and new technology to study the Earth, the sun, our solar system, and the universe.

Evidence for water in the rocky debris of a disrupted extrasolar minor planet.

PubMed

Farihi, J; Gänsicke, B T; Koester, D

2013-10-11

The existence of water in extrasolar planetary systems is of great interest because it constrains the potential for habitable planets and life. We have identified a circumstellar disk that resulted from the destruction of a water-rich and rocky extrasolar minor planet. The parent body formed and evolved around a star somewhat more massive than the Sun, and the debris now closely orbits the white dwarf remnant of the star. The stellar atmosphere is polluted with metals accreted from the disk, including oxygen in excess of that expected for oxide minerals, indicating that the parent body was originally composed of 26% water by mass. This finding demonstrates that water-bearing planetesimals exist around A- and F-type stars that end their lives as white dwarfs.

Adaptive Optics Observations of Exoplanets, Brown Dwarfs, and Binary Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hinkley, Sasha

2012-04-01

The current direct observations of brown dwarfs and exoplanets have been obtained using instruments not specifically designed for overcoming the large contrast ratio between the host star and any wide-separation faint companions. However, we are about to witness the birth of several new dedicated observing platforms specifically geared towards high contrast imaging of these objects. The Gemini Planet Imager, VLT-SPHERE, Subaru HiCIAO, and Project 1640 at the Palomar 5m telescope will return images of numerous exoplanets and brown dwarfs over hundreds of observing nights in the next five years. Along with diffraction-limited coronagraphs and high-order adaptive optics, these instruments also will return spectral and polarimetric information on any discovered targets, giving clues to their atmospheric compositions and characteristics. Such spectral characterization will be key to forming a detailed theory of comparative exoplanetary science which will be widely applicable to both exoplanets and brown dwarfs. Further, the prevalence of aperture masking interferometry in the field of high contrast imaging is also allowing observers to sense massive, young planets at solar system scales (~3-30 AU)- separations out of reach to conventional direct imaging techniques. Such observations can provide snapshots at the earliest phases of planet formation-information essential for constraining formation mechanisms as well as evolutionary models of planetary mass companions. As a demonstration of the power of this technique, I briefly review recent aperture masking observations of the HR 8799 system. Moreover, all of the aforementioned techniques are already extremely adept at detecting low-mass stellar companions to their target stars, and I present some recent highlights.

Changes in the metallicity of gas giant planets due to pebble accretion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Humphries, R. J.; Nayakshin, S.

2018-06-01

We run numerical simulations to study the accretion of gas and dust grains on to gas giant planets embedded into massive protoplanetary discs. The outcome is found to depend on the disc cooling rate, planet mass, grain size, and irradiative feedback from the planet. If radiative cooling is efficient, planets accrete both gas and pebbles rapidly, open a gap, and usually become massive brown dwarfs. In the inefficient cooling case, gas is too hot to accrete on to the planet but pebble accretion continues and the planets migrate inward rapidly. Radiative feedback from the planet tends to suppress gas accretion. Our simulations predict that metal enrichment of planets by dust grain accretion inversely correlates with the final planet mass, in accordance with the observed trend in the inferred bulk composition of Solar system and exosolar giant planets. To account for observations, however, as many as ˜30-50 per cent of the dust mass should be in the form of large grains.

X-MIME: An Imaging X-ray Spectrometer for Detailed Study of Jupiter's Icy Moons and the Planet's X-ray Aurora

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elsner, R. F.; Ramsey, B. D.; Waite, J. H.; Rehak, P.; Johnson, R. E.; Cooper, J. F.; Swartz, D. A.

2004-01-01

Remote observations with the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the XMM-Newton Observatory have shown that the Jovian system is a source of x-rays with a rich and complicated structure. The planet's polar auroral zones and its disk are powerful sources of x-ray emission. Chandra observations revealed x-ray emission from the Io Plasma Torus and from the Galilean moons Io, Europa, and possibly Ganymede. The emission from these moons is certainly due to bombardment of their surfaces of highly energetic protons, oxygen and sulfur ions from the region near the Torus exciting atoms in their surfaces and leading to fluorescent x-ray emission lines. Although the x-ray emission from the Galilean moons is faint when observed from Earth orbit, an imaging x-ray spectrometer in orbit around these moons, operating at 200 eV and above with 150 eV energy resolution, would provide a detailed mapping (down to 40 m spatial resolution) of the elemental composition in their surfaces. Such maps would provide important constraints on formation and evolution scenarios for the surfaces of these moons. Here we describe the characteristics of X-MIME, an imaging x-ray spectrometer under going a feasibility study for the JIMO mission, with the ultimate goal of providing unprecedented x-ray studies of the elemental composition of the surfaces of Jupiter's icy moons and Io, as well as of Jupiter's auroral x-ray emission.

External supply of oxygen to the atmospheres of the giant planets.

PubMed

Feuchtgruber, H; Lellouch, E; de Graauw, T; Bézard, B; Encrenaz, T; Griffin, M

1997-09-11

The atmospheres of the giant planets are reducing, being mainly composed of hydrogen, helium and methane. But the rings and icy satellites that surround these planets, together with the flux of interplanetary dust, could act as important sources of oxygen, which would be delivered to the atmospheres mainly in the form of water ice or silicate dust. Here we report the detection, by infrared spectroscopy, of gaseous H2O in the upper atmospheres of Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. The implied H2O column densities are 1.5 x 10(15), 9 x 10(13) and 3 x 10(14) molecules cm(-2) respectively. CO2 in comparable amounts was also detected in the atmospheres of Saturn and Neptune. These observations can be accounted for by external fluxes of 10(5)-10(7) H2O molecules cm(-2) s(-1) and subsequent chemical processing in the atmospheres. The presence of gaseous water and infalling dust will affect the photochemistry, energy budget and ionospheric properties of these atmospheres. Moreover, our findings may help to constrain the injection rate and possible activity of distant icy objects in the Solar System.

Jovian Planet Finder optical system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krist, John E.; Clampin, Mark; Petro, Larry; Woodruff, Robert A.; Ford, Holland C.; Illingworth, Garth D.; Ftaclas, Christ

2003-02-01

The Jovian Planet Finder (JPF) is a proposed NASA MIDEX mission to place a highly optimized coronagraphic telescope on the International Space Station (ISS) to image Jupiter-like planets around nearby stars. The optical system is an off-axis, unobscured telescope with a 1.5 m primary mirror. A classical Lyot coronagraph with apodized occulting spots is used to reduce diffracted light from the central star. In order to provide the necessary contrast for detection of a planet, scattered light from mid-spatial-frequency errors is reduced by using super-smooth optics. Recent advances in polishing optics for extreme-ultraviolet lithography have shown that a factor of >30 reduction in midfrequency errors relative to those in the Hubble Space Telescope is possible (corresponding to a reduction in scattered light of nearly 1000x). The low level of scattered and diffracted light, together with a novel utilization of field rotation introduced by the alt-azimuth ISS telescope mounting, will provide a relatively low-cost facility for not only imaging extrasolar planets, but also circumstellar disks, host galaxies of quasars, and low-mass substellar companions such as brown dwarfs.

Galactic Distribution of Planets from Spitzer Microlens Parallaxes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gould, Andrew; Carey, Sean; Yee, Jennifer

2014-12-01

We will measure the 'microlens parallaxes' of about 120 microlensing events that peak during Spitzer's 'bulge window' (2015 Jun 09 - Jul 19), by comparing simultaneous Spitzer and ground-based microlensing lightcurves, making use of Spitzer's location about 1 AU from Earth. These measurements will enable mass and distance measurements of about 4 microlensing planets. The ensemble of planet and non-planet distance measurements will yield the first probe of the Galactic distribution of planets Microlens planet mass measurements are very rare and have proved extremely interesting in every case. Microlensing identifies planets at and beyond the snowline, probing unique parameter space and providing vital information to constrain planet formation and migration theories. But the sample of ground-based microlens-parallax measurements is highly biased toward special systems. Spitzer would provide the first unbiased study. The same survey would provide a unique probe of brown dwarf binaries, and yield the first mass-based (not light-based) measurement of the stellar mass function (i.e., including dark objects such as black holes). A very successful 2014 'Pilot Program' demonstrates that this project is technically and scientifically viable. (As in the previous 'Pilot Program', we request zero day proprietary period.)

Carbon Monoxide and the Potential for Prebiotic Chemistry on Habitable Planets around Main Sequence M Stars.

PubMed

Nava-Sedeño, J Manik; Ortiz-Cervantes, Adrian; Segura, Antígona; Domagal-Goldman, Shawn D

2016-10-04

Lifeless planets with CO 2 atmospheres produce CO by CO 2 photolysis. On planets around M dwarfs, CO is a long-lived atmospheric compound, as long as UV emission due to the star's chromospheric activity lasts, and the sink of CO and O 2 in seawater is small compared to its atmospheric production. Atmospheres containing reduced compounds, like CO, may undergo further energetic and chemical processing to give rise to organic compounds of potential importance for the origin of life. We calculated the yield of organic compounds from CO 2 -rich atmospheres of planets orbiting M dwarf stars, which were previously simulated by Domagal-Goldman et al. (2014) and Harman et al. (2015), by cosmic rays and lightning using results of experiments by Miyakawa et al. (2002) and Schlesinger and Miller ( 1983a , 1983b ). Stellar protons from active stars may be important energy sources for abiotic synthesis and increase production rates of biological compounds by at least 2 orders of magnitude compared to cosmic rays. Simple compounds such as HCN and H 2 CO are more readily synthesized than more complex ones, such as amino acids and uracil (considered here as an example), resulting in higher yields for the former and lower yields for the latter. Electric discharges are most efficient when a reducing atmosphere is present. Nonetheless, atmospheres with high quantities of CO 2 are capable of producing higher amounts of prebiotic compounds, given that CO is constantly produced in the atmosphere. Our results further support planetary systems around M dwarf stars as candidates for supporting life or its origin. Key Words: Prebiotic chemistry-M dwarfs-Habitable planets-Cosmic rays-Lightning-Stellar activity. Astrobiology 16, 744-754.

Parent stars of extrasolar planets - XIV. Strong evidence of Li abundance deficit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gonzalez, G.

2015-01-01

We report the results of our analysis of new high-resolution spectra of 30 late-F to early-G dwarf field stars for the purpose of deriving their Li abundances. They were selected from the subsample of stars in the Valenti and Fischer compilation that are lacking detected planets. These new data serve to expand our comparison sample used to test whether stars with Doppler-detected giant planets display Li abundance anomalies. Our results continue to show that Li is deficient among stars with planets when compared to very similar stars that lack such planets. This conclusion is strengthened when we add literature data to ours in a consistent way. We present a table of stars with planets paired with very similar stars lacking planets, extending the recent similar results of Delgado Mena et al.

A gaseous metal disk around a white dwarf.

PubMed

Gänsicke, B T; Marsh, T R; Southworth, J; Rebassa-Mansergas, A

2006-12-22

The destiny of planetary systems through the late evolution of their host stars is very uncertain. We report a metal-rich gas disk around a moderately hot and young white dwarf. A dynamical model of the double-peaked emission lines constrains the outer disk radius to just 1.2 solar radii. The likely origin of the disk is a tidally disrupted asteroid, which has been destabilized from its initial orbit at a distance of more than 1000 solar radii by the interaction with a relatively massive planetesimal object or a planet. The white dwarf mass of 0.77 solar mass implies that planetary systems may form around high-mass stars.

8-12 GHz Radio Observations of Flare Activity On M dwarf CN Leo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wofford, Alia; Villadsen, Jackie; Quintana, Elisa; Barclay, Thomas; Thackeray, Beverly

2018-01-01

Red dwarfs are cool stars that make up 70% of all stars. Red dwarfs can be utilized to detect potentially habitable planets but they have particularly strong magnetic activity that can be detrimental to orbiting planets’ atmospheres and habitability. A coronal mass ejection (CME) is an eruption of magnetized plasma from the star that is ejected into the interplanetary medium which can erode a planet’s atmosphere daily. Based on the sun CMEs are expected to produce very bright radio bursts along with optical flares. We are using M dwarf CN Leo, a well studied flare star that was in the K2 campaign field in summer 2017, as a template to understand the relationship between radio and optical flares and the space weather conditions impacting M dwarf planets. Using radio frequencies ranging from 0.22 GHz-12 GHz we search for simultaneous radio bursts and optical flares to infer if CMEs, flares or aurorae are occurring on the star. I will present the 8-12 GHz radio data from eight 1.5-hour observations with simultaneous optical data. CN Leo produced a bright non-thermal radio flare that lasted approximately for a day during two consecutive observations, with a gyrosynchrotron emission mechanism.

Connecting Variability and Metals in White Dwarfs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kilic, Mukremin

2016-10-01

The Kepler and K2 missions have revealed that about half of the observed white dwarfs with sufficient signal-to-noise ratio light curves have low-level photometric variations at hour to day timescales. Potential explanations for the observed variability include the relativistic beaming effect, ellipsodial variations, eclipses, and reflection off of giant planets in close orbits. However, these are all rare events. Roughly 10% of white dwarfs are magnetic, and magnetic fields can explain part of this puzzle. However, the high incidence (50%) of variability is currently unexplained. HST COS spectroscopy of nearby white dwarfs show that about half of them have metals on their surface. Hence, we propose that the observed variability is due to the rotation of the star coupled with an inhomogeneous surface distribution of accreted metals. We have recently discovered an ideal system to test this hypothesis. J1529 is an apparently non-magnetic white dwarf that shows 5.9% photometric dips in the optical every 38 min. We propose to obtain COS TIME-TAG spectroscopy of J1529 over 4 orbits to search for surface abundance differences throughout the orbit and look for the flux redistribution effect in the optical. These observations will confirm or rule out the idea that inhomogeneous metal accretion on white dwarfs can explain the high incidence of variability. We predict that the LSST will identify 100,000 variable white dwarfs. Hence, understanding the source of variability in white dwarfs has implications for the current and future transient surveys.

Toward a Galactic Distribution of Planets. I. Methodology and Planet Sensitivities of the 2015 High-cadence Spitzer Microlens Sample

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Wei; Udalski, A.; Calchi Novati, S.; Chung, S.-J.; Jung, Y. K.; Ryu, Y.-H.; Shin, I.-G.; Gould, A.; Lee, C.-U.; Albrow, M. D.; Yee, J. C.; Han, C.; Hwang, K.-H.; Cha, S.-M.; Kim, D.-J.; Kim, H.-W.; Kim, S.-L.; Kim, Y.-H.; Lee, Y.; Park, B.-G.; Pogge, R. W.; KMTNet Collaboration; Poleski, R.; Mróz, P.; Pietrukowicz, P.; Skowron, J.; Szymański, M. K.; KozLowski, S.; Ulaczyk, K.; Pawlak, M.; OGLE Collaboration; Beichman, C.; Bryden, G.; Carey, S.; Fausnaugh, M.; Gaudi, B. S.; Henderson, C. B.; Shvartzvald, Y.; Wibking, B.; Spitzer Team

2017-11-01

We analyze an ensemble of microlensing events from the 2015 Spitzer microlensing campaign, all of which were densely monitored by ground-based high-cadence survey teams. The simultaneous observations from Spitzer and the ground yield measurements of the microlensing parallax vector {{\\boldsymbol{π }}}{{E}}, from which compact constraints on the microlens properties are derived, including ≲25% uncertainties on the lens mass and distance. With the current sample, we demonstrate that the majority of microlenses are indeed in the mass range of M dwarfs. The planet sensitivities of all 41 events in the sample are calculated, from which we provide constraints on the planet distribution function. In particular, assuming a planet distribution function that is uniform in {log}q, where q is the planet-to-star mass ratio, we find a 95% upper limit on the fraction of stars that host typical microlensing planets of 49%, which is consistent with previous studies. Based on this planet-free sample, we develop the methodology to statistically study the Galactic distribution of planets using microlensing parallax measurements. Under the assumption that the planet distributions are the same in the bulge as in the disk, we predict that ∼1/3 of all planet detections from the microlensing campaigns with Spitzer should be in the bulge. This prediction will be tested with a much larger sample, and deviations from it can be used to constrain the abundance of planets in the bulge relative to the disk.

The Dharma Planet Survey of Low-mass and Habitable Rocky Planets around Nearby Solar-type Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ge, Jian; Ma, Bo; Jeram, Sarik; Sithajan, Sirinrat; Singer, Michael; Muterspaugh, Matthew W.; Varosi, Frank; Schofield, Sidney; Liu, Jian; Kimock, Benjamin; Powell, Scott; Williamson, Michael W.; Herczeg, Aleczander; Grantham, Jim; Stafford, Greg; Hille, Bruce; Rosenbaum, Gary; Savage, David; Bland, Steve; Hoscheidt, Joseph; Swindle, Scott; Waidanz, Melanie; Petersen, Robert; Grieves, Nolan; Zhao, Bo; Cassette, Anthony; Chun, Andrew; Avner, Louis; Barnes, Rory; Tan, Jonathan C.; Lopez, Eric; Dai, Ruijia

2017-01-01

The Dharma Planet Survey (DPS) aims to monitor ~150 nearby very bright FGK dwarfs (most of them brighter than V=7) during 2016-2019 using the TOU optical very high resolution spectrograph (R~100,000, 380-900nm) at the dedicated 50-inch Robotic Telescope on Mt. Lemmon. Operated in high vacuum (<0.01mTorr) with precisely controlled temperature (~1 mK), TOU has delivered ~ 0.5 m/s (RMS) long-term instrument stability, which is a factor of two times more stable than any of existing Doppler instruments to our best knowledge. DPS aims at reaching better than 0.5 m/s (a goal of 0.2 m/s) Doppler measurement precision for bright survey targets. With very high RV precision and high cadence (~100 observations per target randomly spread over 450 days), a large number of rocky planets, including possible habitable ones, are expected to be detected. The discovery of a Neptune mass planet and early survey results will be announced.

H2 Fluorescence in M dwarf Systems: A Stellar Origin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kruczek, Nicholas; France, Kevin; Evonosky, William; Youngblood, Allison; Loyd, R. O. Parke

2017-01-01

Observations of Lyα-driven H2 fluorescence can be a useful tool for measuring the abundance of H2 in exoplanet atmospheres. This emission has been previously observed in M dwarfs with planetary systems but at too low of a signal to determine its origin. It may have been originating in the atmospheres of planets, but conditions within these systems also mean that the H2 could be residing on the stellar surface or in a circumstellar disk. We use observations from the ``Measurements of the Ultraviolet Spectral Characteristics of Low-mass Exoplanet Host Stars" (MUSCLES) Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Treasury Survey to study H2 fluorescence in M dwarfs with and without confirmed planets to determine the origin of the emission. The results are further supported by the direct imaging of a candidate M dwarf system using the HST-Advanced Camera for Surveys/Solar Blind Channel. We constrain the location of the fluorescing H2 through analysis of the line profiles and determine that the emission is originating on the star. We verify that this interpretation is consistent with 1D radiative transfer models that are optimized using the spectra of the MUSCLES stars and find that the H2 likely resides in starspots or a cool region of the lower chromosphere.

Doppler Imaging of Exoplanets and Brown Dwarfs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crossfield, I.; Biller, B.; Schlieder, J.; Deacon, N.; Bonnefoy, M.; Homeier, D.; Allard, F.; Buenzli, E.; Henning, T.; Brandner, W.; Goldman, Bertr; Kopytova, T.

2014-03-01

Doppler Imaging produces 2D global maps. When applied to cool planets or more massive brown dwarfs, it can map atmospheric features and track global weather patterns. The first substellar map, of the 2pc-distant brown dwarf Luhman 16B (Crossfeld et al. 2014), revealed patchy regions of thin & thick clouds. Here, I investigate the feasibility of future Doppler Imaging of additional objects. Searching the literature, I find that all 3 of P, v sin i, and variability are published for 22 brown dwarfs. At least one datum exists for 333 targets. The sample is very incomplete below ~L5; we need more surveys to find the best targets for Doppler Imaging! I estimate limiting magnitudes for Doppler Imaging with various hi-resolution near-infrared spectrographs. Only a handful of objects - at the M/L and L/T transitions - can be mapped with current tools. Large telescopes such as TMT and GMT will allow Doppler Imaging of many dozens of brown dwarfs and the brightest exoplanets. More targets beyond type L5 likely remain to be found. Future observations will let us probe the global atmospheric dynamics of many diverse objects.

Large Impact Features on Saturn's Middle-sized Icy Satellites: Global Image Mosaics and Topography

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schenk, P. M.; Moore, J. M.; McKinnon, W. B.

2003-01-01

With the approach of Cassini to the Saturn system, attention naturally focuses on the planet, its rings and Titan, but the Saturn system is also populated by a number of smaller satellites. The seven middle-sized icy satellites, along with those of Uranus, (between 400 and 1500 km wide) are distinctly different geophysically and geologically from their much larger Galilean-class brethren [e.g., 1]. Topographic mapping of these bodies is a critical part of understanding their geologic evolution. Here we describe our recent efforts to map the topography of these satellites using Voyager data.

Formation of high-field magnetic white dwarfs from common envelopes

PubMed Central

Nordhaus, Jason; Wellons, Sarah; Spiegel, David S.; Metzger, Brian D.; Blackman, Eric G.

2011-01-01

The origin of highly magnetized white dwarfs has remained a mystery since their initial discovery. Recent observations indicate that the formation of high-field magnetic white dwarfs is intimately related to strong binary interactions during post-main-sequence phases of stellar evolution. If a low-mass companion, such as a planet, brown dwarf, or low-mass star, is engulfed by a post-main-sequence giant, gravitational torques in the envelope of the giant lead to a reduction of the companion’s orbit. Sufficiently low-mass companions in-spiral until they are shredded by the strong gravitational tides near the white dwarf core. Subsequent formation of a super-Eddington accretion disk from the disrupted companion inside a common envelope can dramatically amplify magnetic fields via a dynamo. Here, we show that these disk-generated fields are sufficiently strong to explain the observed range of magnetic field strengths for isolated, high-field magnetic white dwarfs. A higher-mass binary analogue may also contribute to the origin of magnetar fields. PMID:21300910

Optical-to-UV correlations and particle fluxes for M dwarf exoplanet host stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Youngblood, Allison

2017-01-01

UV stellar radiation can significantly impact planetary atmospheres through heating and photochemistry, even regulating production of potential biomarkers. M dwarfs emit the majority of their UV radiation in the form of emission lines, and the incident UV radiation on habitable-zone planets is significant owing to their small orbital radii. Only recently have the UV spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of average M dwarfs been explored (e.g., the MUSCLES Treasury Survey). Emission lines tracing hot plasma in the stellar chromosphere and transition region dominate the far-UV spectra, even for optically inactive M dwarfs (i.e., those displaying Hα absorption spectra). Lyα (1216 Å) is the strongest of the UV emission lines, but resonant scattering from the interstellar medium makes direct observations of the intrinsic Lyα emission of even nearby stars challenging. I reconstruct the intrinsic Lyα profiles using an MCMC technique and use them to estimate the extreme-UV SED.Monitoring the long-term (years-to-decades) UV activity of M dwarfs will be important for assessing the potential habitability of short-period planets, but will only be feasible from the ground via optical proxies. Therefore, I also quantify correlations between UV and optical emission lines of the MUSCLES stars and other M dwarfs, for use when direct UV observations of M dwarf exoplanet host stars are not available. Recent habitability studies of M dwarf exoplanets have sought to address the impact of frequent flaring and are just beginning to include the damaging impact of stellar energetic particles that are typically associated with large flares. Working under the necessary assumption of solar-like particle production, I present a new technique for estimating >10 MeV proton flux during far-UV flares, and analyze a sample of the flares observed in the MUSCLES Treasury Survey.

Alpha Centauri's siren call has frustrated planet hunters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clery, Daniel

2018-04-01

Alpha Centauri, a three-star system just 4 light-years away that is the sun's nearest neighbor, ought to be a great place to look for Earth-like planets. But last week, at a meeting of the European Astronomical Society here, astronomers lamented that the system has so far thwarted discovery efforts—and announced new schemes to probe it. The two sunlike stars, Alpha Centauri A and B, orbit each other closely while Proxima Centauri, a tempestuous red dwarf, hangs onto the system tenuously in a much more distant orbit. In 2016, astronomers discovered an Earth-mass planet around Proxima Centauri, but few think the planet, blasted by radiation and fierce stellar winds, is habitable. Astrobiologists believe the other two stars are more likely to host temperate, Earth-like worlds.

Measuring stellar granulation during planet transits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiavassa, A.; Caldas, A.; Selsis, F.; Leconte, J.; Von Paris, P.; Bordé, P.; Magic, Z.; Collet, R.; Asplund, M.

2017-01-01

Context. Stellar activity and convection-related surface structures might cause bias in planet detection and characterization that use these transits. Surface convection simulations help to quantify the granulation signal. Aims: We used realistic three-dimensional (3D) radiative hydrodynamical (RHD) simulations from the Stagger grid and synthetic images computed with the radiative transfer code Optim3D to model the transits of three prototype planets: a hot Jupiter, a hot Neptune, and a terrestrial planet. Methods: We computed intensity maps from RHD simulations of the Sun and a K-dwarf star at different wavelength bands from optical to far-infrared that cover the range of several ground- and space-based telescopes which observe exoplanet transits. We modeled the transit using synthetic stellar-disk images obtained with a spherical-tile imaging method and emulated the temporal variation of the granulation intensity generating random images covering a granulation time-series of 13.3 h. We measured the contribution of the stellar granulation on the light curves during the planet transit. Results: We identified two types of granulation noise that act simultaneously during the planet transit: (I) the intrinsic change in the granulation pattern with timescale (e.g., 10 min for solar-type stars assumed in this work) is smaller than the usual planet transit ( hours as in our prototype cases); and (II) the fact that the transiting planet occults isolated regions of the photosphere that differ in local surface brightness as a result of convective-related surface structures. First, we showed that our modeling approach returns granulation timescale fluctuations that are comparable with what has been observed for the Sun. Then, our statistical approach shows that the granulation pattern of solar and K-dwarf-type stars have a non-negligible effect of the light curve depth during the transit, and, consequentially on the determination of the planet transit parameters such as the

Robo-AO M Dwarf Multiplicity Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lamman, Claire; Baranec, Christoph; Berta-Thompson, Zachory K.; Law, Nicholas M.; Ziegler, Carl; Schonhut-Stasik, Jessica

2018-06-01

We analyzed close to 7,000 observations from Robo-AO’s field M dwarf survey taken on the 2.1m Kitt Peak telescope. Results will help determine the total multiplicity fraction and multiplicity functions of M dwarfs, which are crucial steps towards understanding their evolution and formation mechanics. Through its robotic, laser-guided, and automated system, the Robo-AO instrument has yielded the largest adaptive-optics M dwarf survey to date. I developed a graphical user interface to quickly analyze this data. Initial data analysis included assessing data quality, checking the result from Robo-AO’s automatic reduction pipeline, and determining existence as well as the relative position of companions through a visual inspection. This program can be applied to other datasets and was successfully tested by re-analyzing observations from a separate Robo-AO survey. After a conservative initial cut for quality, over 350 companions were found within 4” of a primary star out of 2,746 high quality Robo-AO M dwarf observations, including four triple systems. Further observations were done with the Keck II telescope by using its NIRC2 imager to follow up on ten select targets for the existence and physical association of companions. Future research will yield insights into low-mass stellar formation and provide a database of nearby M dwarf multiples that will potentially assist ongoing and future surveys for planets around these stars, such as the NASA TESS mission.

Satellites of giant planets — possible sites for origin and existence of biospheres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simakov, Michael B.

All giant planets of the Solar system have a big number of satellites (61 of Jupiter, 52 of Saturn, known in 2003). A small part of them consist very large bodies, quite comparable to planets of terrestrial type, but including very significant share of water ice. Some from them have an atmosphere. E.g., the mass of a column of the Titan’s atmosphere exceeds 15 times the mass of the Earth atmosphere column. Formation (or capture) of satellites is a natural phenomenon, and satellite systems definitely should exist at extrasolar planets. As an example, we can see on Titan, the largest satellite of Saturn, which has a dense nitrogen atmosphere and a large quantity of liquid water under ice cover and so has a great exobiological significance. The most recent models of the Titan’s interior lead to the conclusion that a substantial liquid layer exists today under relatively thin ice cover inside Titan. The putative internal water ocean along with complex atmospheric photochemistry provide some exobiological niches on this body: (1) an upper layer of the internal water ocean; (2) pores, veins, channels and pockets filled with brines inside of the lowest part of the icy layer; (3) the places of cryogenic volcanism; (4) set of caves in icy layer connecting with cryovolcanic processes; (5) the brine-filled cracks in icy crust caused by tidal forces; (6) liquid water pools on the surface originated from meteoritic strikes; (7) the sites of hydrothermal activity on the bottom of the ocean. We can see all conditions needed for origin and evolution of biosphere — liquid water, complex organic chemistry and energy sources for support of biological processes — are on the Saturnian moon. Galileo spacecraft has given indications, primarily from magnetometer and gravity data, of the possibility that three of Jupiter’s four large moons, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto have such oceans also. The existing of liquid water ocean within icy world can be consequences of the physical

Survival of a brown dwarf after engulfment by a red giant star.

PubMed

Maxted, P F L; Napiwotzki, R; Dobbie, P D; Burleigh, M R

2006-08-03

Many sub-stellar companions (usually planets but also some brown dwarfs) orbit solar-type stars. These stars can engulf their sub-stellar companions when they become red giants. This interaction may explain several outstanding problems in astrophysics but it is unclear under what conditions a low mass companion will evaporate, survive the interaction unchanged or gain mass. Observational tests of models for this interaction have been hampered by a lack of positively identified remnants-that is, white dwarf stars with close, sub-stellar companions. The companion to the pre-white dwarf AA Doradus may be a brown dwarf, but the uncertain history of this star and the extreme luminosity difference between the components make it difficult to interpret the observations or to put strong constraints on the models. The magnetic white dwarf SDSS J121209.31 + 013627.7 may have a close brown dwarf companion but little is known about this binary at present. Here we report the discovery of a brown dwarf in a short period orbit around a white dwarf. The properties of both stars in this binary can be directly observed and show that the brown dwarf was engulfed by a red giant but that this had little effect on it.

FC colour images of dwarf planet Ceres reveal a complicated geological history

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nathues, A.; Hoffmann, M.; Platz, T.; Thangjam, G. S.; Cloutis, E. A.; Reddy, V.; Le Corre, L.; Li, J.-Y.; Mengel, K.; Rivkin, A.; Applin, D. M.; Schaefer, M.; Christensen, U.; Sierks, H.; Ripken, J.; Schmidt, B. E.; Hiesinger, H.; Sykes, M. V.; Sizemore, H. G.; Preusker, F.; Russell, C. T.

2016-12-01

The dwarf planet Ceres (equatorial diameter 963km) is the largest object that has remained in the main asteroid belt (Russell and Raymond, 2012), while most large bodies have been destroyed or removed by dynamical processes (Petit et al. 2001; Minton and Malhotra, 2009). Pre-Dawn investigations (McCord and Sotin, 2005; Castillo-Rogez and McCord, 2010; Castillo-Rogez et al., 2011) suggest that Ceres is a thermally evolved, but still volatile-rich body with potential geological activity, that was never completely molten, but possibly differentiated into a rocky core, an ice-rich mantle, and may contain remnant internal liquid water. Thermal alteration should contribute to producing a (dark) carbonaceous chondritic-like surface (McCord and Sotin, 2005; Castillo-Rogez and McCord, 2010; Castillo-Rogez et al., 2011; Nathues et al., 2015) containing ammoniated phyllosilicates (King et al., 1992; De Sanctis et al., 2015 and 2016). Here we show and analyse global contrast-rich colour mosaics, derived from a camera on-board Dawn at Ceres (Russell et al., 2016). Colours are unexpectedly more diverse on global scale than anticipated by Hubble Space Telescope (Li et al., 2006) and ground-based observations (Reddy et al. 2015). Dawn data led to the identification of five major colour units. The youngest units identified by crater counting, termed bright and bluish units, are exclusively found at equatorial and intermediate latitudes. We identified correlations between the distribution of the colour units, crater size, and formation age, inferring a crustal stratigraphy. Surface brightness and spectral properties are not correlated. The youngest surface features are the bright spots at crater Occator ( Ø 92km). Their colour spectra are highly consistent with the presence of carbonates while most of the remaining surface resembles modifications of various types of ordinary carbonaceous chondrites.

Transit visibility zones of the Solar system planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wells, R.; Poppenhaeger, K.; Watson, C. A.; Heller, R.

2018-01-01

The detection of thousands of extrasolar planets by the transit method naturally raises the question of whether potential extrasolar observers could detect the transits of the Solar system planets. We present a comprehensive analysis of the regions in the sky from where transit events of the Solar system planets can be detected. We specify how many different Solar system planets can be observed from any given point in the sky, and find the maximum number to be three. We report the probabilities of a randomly positioned external observer to be able to observe single and multiple Solar system planet transits; specifically, we find a probability of 2.518 per cent to be able to observe at least one transiting planet, 0.229 per cent for at least two transiting planets, and 0.027 per cent for three transiting planets. We identify 68 known exoplanets that have a favourable geometric perspective to allow transit detections in the Solar system and we show how the ongoing K2 mission will extend this list. We use occurrence rates of exoplanets to estimate that there are 3.2 ± 1.2 and 6.6^{+1.3}_{-0.8} temperate Earth-sized planets orbiting GK and M dwarf stars brighter than V = 13 and 16, respectively, that are located in the Earth's transit zone.

It's Far, It's Small, It's Cool: It's an Icy Exoplanet!

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2006-01-01

Using a network of telescopes scattered across the globe, including the Danish 1.54m telescope at ESO La Silla (Chile), astronomers [1] discovered a new extrasolar planet significantly more Earth-like than any other planet found so far. The planet, which is only about 5 times as massive as the Earth, circles its parent star in about 10 years. It is the least massive exoplanet around an ordinary star detected so far and also the coolest [2]. The planet most certainly has a rocky/icy surface. Its discovery marks a groundbreaking result in the search for planets that support life. ESO PR Photo 03a/06 ESO PR Photo 03a/06 Artist's Impression of the Newly Found Exoplanet The new planet, designated by the unglamorous identifier of OGLE-2005-BLG-390Lb, orbits a red star five times less massive than the Sun and located at a distance of about 20,000 light years, not far from the centre of our Milky Way galaxy. Its relatively cool parent star and large orbit implies that the likely surface temperature of the planet is 220 degrees Centigrade below zero, too cold for liquid water. It is likely to have a thin atmosphere, like the Earth, but its rocky surface is probably deeply buried beneath frozen oceans. It may therefore more closely resemble a more massive version of Pluto, rather than the rocky inner planets like Earth and Venus. "This planet is actually the first and only planet that has been discovered so far that is in agreement with the theories for how our Solar System formed ", said Uffe Gråe Jørgensen (Niels Bohr Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark), member of the team. The favoured theoretical explanation for the formation of planetary systems proposes that solid 'planetesimals' accumulate to build up planetary cores, which then accrete nebular gas - to form giant planets - if they are sufficiently massive. Around red dwarfs, the most common stars of our Galaxy, this model favours the formation of Earth- to Neptune-mass planets being between 1 and 10 times the Earth

Magma oceans and enhanced volcanism on TRAPPIST-1 planets due to induction heating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kislyakova, K. G.; Noack, L.; Johnstone, C. P.; Zaitsev, V. V.; Fossati, L.; Lammer, H.; Khodachenko, M. L.; Odert, P.; Guedel, M.

2017-10-01

Low-mass M stars are plentiful in the Universe and often host small, rocky planets detectable with the current instrumentation. Recently, seven small planets have been discovered orbiting the ultracool dwarf TRAPPIST-1 te{Gillon16,Gillon17}. We examine the role of electromagnetic induction heating of these planets, caused by the star's rotation and the planet's orbital motion. If the stellar rotation and magnetic dipole axes are inclined with respect to each other, induction heating can melt the upper mantle and enormously increase volcanic activity, sometimes producing a magma ocean below the planetary surface. We show that induction heating leads the three innermost planets, one of which is in the habitable zone, to either evolve towards a molten mantle planet, or to experience increased outgassing and volcanic activity, while the four outermost planets remain mostly unaffected.

K2 Finds Earth-Sized Planets Artist Concept

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-07-18

This artist's concept shows NASA's Kepler Space Telescope on its K2 mission. In July 2016, an international team of astronomers announced they had discovered more than 100 new planets using this telescope. The batch includes four planets in the size range of Earth that are orbiting a single dwarf star, depicted in this illustration. Two of these planets are too hot to support life as we know it, but two are in the star's "habitable" zone, where liquid water could exist on the surface. These small, rocky worlds are far closer to their star than Mercury is to our sun. But because the star is smaller and cooler than ours, its habitable zone is much closer. One of the two planets in the habitable zone, K2-72c, has a "year" about 15 Earth-days long -- the time it takes to complete one orbit. This closer planet is likely about 10 percent warmer than Earth. The slightly more distant planet in the habitable zone, K2-72e, has a year lasting 24 Earth days, and would be about 6 percent colder than Earth. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20698

OSSOS. IV. Discovery of a Dwarf Planet Candidate in the 9:2 Resonance with Neptune

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bannister, Michele T.; Alexandersen, Mike; Benecchi, Susan; Chen, Ying-Tung; Delsanti, Audrey; Fraser, Wesley C.; Gladman, Brett; Granvik, Mikael; Grundy, Will M.; Guilbert-Lepoutre, Aurelie;

What Can TRAPPIST-1 Tell Us About Radiation From M-Dwarf Chromospheres And Coronae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Linsky, Jeffrey

2017-05-01

The recent discovery of 7 planets orbiting the nearby star TRAPPIST-1 (Gillon et al. Nature 2017) and the discovery that this M8 V host star has very weak chromospheric compared to coronal emission (Bourrier et al. A+A 2017) raises the broader question of the relation of chromospheres to coronae in host stars. This question is important because chromospheric emission, primarily in the Lyman-alpha line, controls photochemical reactions in the outer atmospheres of exoplanets, whereas coronal X-ray emission and associated coronal mass ejections play critical roles in atmospheric mass loss. Both chromospheric and coronal emission from the host star can, therefore, determine whether a planet is habitable. I will show that the amount of emission in the Lyman-alpha line is proportional to that in X-rays for F-K dwarf stars, but that chromospheric emission becomes relatively weak in the early M dwarfs and very weak in the late-M dwarfs such as TRAPPIST-1.Stellar emission lines formed in a star's chromosphere and transition region can be separated into narrow and broad Gaussian components with the broad components formed by microflaring events or high speed flows. I will show how the broad component activity indicator depends on stellar effective temperature and age.I will also describe the results concerning star-planet interactions obtained by MUSCLES Treasury Survey team.

Brown dwarf science at Project 1640: the case of HD 19467 B

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aguilar, Jonathan; Crepp, Justin R.; Rice, Emily L.; Pueyo, Laurent; Veicht, Aaron; Nilsson, Ricky; Oppenheimer, Rebecca; Hinkley, Sasha; Brenner, Douglas; Vasisht, Gautam; Cady, Eric; Beichman, Charles A.; Hillenbrand, Lynne; Lockhart, Thomas; Matthews, Christopher T.; Roberts, Lewis C.; Sivaramakrishnan, Anand; Soummer, Remi; Zhai, Chengxing; Giorla, Paige

2015-01-01

Project 1640 is an extreme-AO, coronagraphic, hyperspectral direct-imaging instrument designed to characterize substellar companions in the giant planet to brown dwarf mass regime. It also plays an important role in the TRENDS survey, which targets solar-type stars with Doppler accelerations known to be caused by brown dwarf-sized companions. A recent highlight from TRENDS is HD 19467 B -- this is currently the only directly-imaged benchmark T dwarf known to induce a measurable Doppler acceleration around its host. J- and H-band spectra taken by the Project 1640 integral field spectrograph were fitted against SpeX/IRTF T dwarf standards and synthetic spectra from BT-Settl atmospheric models. Spectral typing classified HD 19467 B as a T5.5±1 brown dwarf with an effective temperature of Teff = 978+20-43 K. The new spectrum helps resolve a previous disagreement about the system age, helping constrain the range of allowed masses for the companion. We expect that new data from the ongoing TRENDS survey will help improve our understanding of brown dwarf atmospheres in high mass ratio systems.

New Extra-Solar Planet - thermal state and structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valencia, D.; O'Connell, R. J.; Sasselov, D.

2005-12-01

For the last decade astronomers have found more than 160 planets orbiting stars other than our sun. All but three of them are gaseous planets. The variety of characteristics of these newly discovered planets opens a new field with questions about planetary formation, structure and evolution, as well as the possibility of existence of life beyond our solar system. Planetary formation models suggested the existence of terrestrial extra-solar planets with masses up to 10 times the mass of the Earth. In June of 2005 the first Super-Earth was discovered orbiting a star 15 light years away with a mass that is about 7.5 times the mass of the Earth and a period of 1.94 days. The composition of this planet is unknown but probably has an Earth-like composition. Astronomers believe the surface temperature ranges between ~500 K and ~700 K. Liquid water can exist at temperatures above T=400K at high pressures (above 10 MPa) allowing for the possibility of a water layer on top of a rocky core. Our work focuses on determining scaling relationships with mass, internal structure parameters and thermal state. We explore the effects of a water/icy layer above a rocky core as well as other types of compositions in determining the internal structure. This water layer may convect causing the planet to have two layer convection. We explore the effects of a layer convection mode versus whole mantle convection for a Super-Earth. Due to the closeness of this planet to its parent star we can expect substantial tidal heating that can affect the thermal state of this planet. We explore the effects of tidal heating in the internal structure of a planet. Differences in composition have much larger effects in the mass-radius relationship than the uncertainties in thermodynamic parameters of the minerals composing the planet.

ROBO-AO M DWARF MULTIPLICITY SURVEY

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lamman, Claire; Berta-Thompson, Zachory; Baranec, Christoph; Law, Nicholas; Schonhut, Jessica

2018-01-01

We analyzed over 7,000 observations from Robo-AO’s field M dwarf survey taken on the 2.1m Kitt Peak telescope. Results will help determine the multiplicity fraction of M dwarfs as a function of primary mass, which is a crucial step towards understanding their evolution and formation mechanics. Through its robotic, laser-guided, and automated system, the Robo-AO instrument has yielded the largest adaptive-optics M dwarf survey to date. I developed a graphical user interface to quickly analyze this data. Initial data analysis included assessing data quality, checking the result from Robo-AO’s automatic reduction pipeline, and determining existence as well as the relative position of companions through a visual inspection. This program can be applied to other datasets and was successfully tested by re-analyzing observations from a separate Robo-AO survey. Following the preliminary results from this data analysis tool, further observations were done with the Keck II telescope by using its NIRC2 imager to follow up on ten select targets for the existence and physical association of companions. After a conservative initial cut for quality, 356 companions were found within 4” of a primary star out of 2,746 high quality Robo-AO M dwarf observations, including four triple systems. We will present a preliminary estimate for the multiplicity rate of wide M dwarf companions after accounting for observation limitations and the completeness of our search. Future research will yield insights into low-mass stellar formation and provide a database of nearby M dwarf multiples that will potentially assist ongoing and future surveys for planets around these stars, such as the NASA TESS mission.

Zones, spots, and planetary-scale waves beating in brown dwarf atmospheres.

PubMed

Apai, D; Karalidi, T; Marley, M S; Yang, H; Flateau, D; Metchev, S; Cowan, N B; Buenzli, E; Burgasser, A J; Radigan, J; Artigau, E; Lowrance, P

2017-08-18

Brown dwarfs are massive analogs of extrasolar giant planets and may host types of atmospheric circulation not seen in the solar system. We analyzed a long-term Spitzer Space Telescope infrared monitoring campaign of brown dwarfs to constrain cloud cover variations over a total of 192 rotations. The infrared brightness evolution is dominated by beat patterns caused by planetary-scale wave pairs and by a small number of bright spots. The beating waves have similar amplitudes but slightly different apparent periods because of differing velocities or directions. The power spectrum of intermediate-temperature brown dwarfs resembles that of Neptune, indicating the presence of zonal temperature and wind speed variations. Our findings explain three previously puzzling behaviors seen in brown dwarf brightness variations. Copyright © 2017 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.

ICIS Model

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Integrated Compliance Information System (ICIS) is a web-based system that provides information for the federal enforcement and compliance (FE&C) and the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) programs.

Sizing up the planets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meszaros, S. P.

1985-01-01

Visual, scaled comparisons are made among prominent volcanic, tectonic, crater and impact basin features photographed on various planets and moons in the solar system. The volcanic formation Olympus Mons, on Mars, is 27 km tall, while Io volcanic plumes reach 200-300 km altitude. Valles Marineris, a tectonic fault on Mars, is several thousand kilometers long, and the Ithasa Chasma on the Saturnian moon Tethys extends two-thirds the circumference of the moon. Craters on the Saturnian moons Tethys and Mimas are large enough to suggest a collision by objects which almost shattered the planetoids. Large meteorite impacts may leave large impact basins or merely ripples, such as found on Callisto, whose icy surface could not support high mountains formed by giant body impacts.

Leveraging the Thousands of Known Planets to Inform TESS Follow-Up

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ballard, Sarah

2017-10-01

The Solar System furnishes our most familiar planetary architecture: many planets, orbiting nearly coplanar to one another. However, a typical system of planets in the Milky Way orbits a much smaller M dwarf star, and these stars furnish a different blueprint in key ways than the conditions that nourished evolution of life on Earth. With ensemble studies of hundreds-to-thousands of exoplanets, I will describe the emerging links between planet formation from disks, orbital dynamics of planets, and the content and observability of planetary atmospheres. These quantities can be tied to observables even in discovery light curves, to enable judicious selection of follow-up targets from the ground and from space. After TESS exoplanet discoveries start in earnest, the studies of individual planets with large, space-based platforms comprise the clear next step toward understanding the hospitability of the Milky Way to life. Our success hinges upon leveraging the many thousands of planet discoveries in hand to determine how to use these precious and limited resources.

Prevalence and Properties of Planets from Kepler and K2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petigura, Erik; Marcy, Geoffrey W.; Howard, Andrew; Crossfield, Ian; Beichman, Charles; Sinukoff, Evan

2015-12-01

Discoveries from the prime Kepler mission demonstrated that small planets (< 3 Earth-radii) are common outcomes of planet formation around G, K, and M stars. While Kepler detected many such planets, all but a handful orbit faint, distant stars, which are not amenable to precise follow up measurements. NASA's K2 mission has the potential to increase the number of known small, transiting planets around bright stars by an order of magnitude. I will present the latest results from my team's efforts to detect, confirm, and characterize planets using the K2 mission. I will highlight some of the progress and remaining challenges involved with generating denoised K2 photometry and with detecting planets in the presence of severe instrument systematics. Among our recent discoveries are the K2-3 and K2-21 planetary systems: M dwarfs hosting multiple transiting Earth-size planets with low equilibrium temperatures. These systems offer a convenient laboratory for studying the bulk composition and atmospheric properties of small planets receiving low levels of stellar irradiation, where processes such as mass loss by photo-evaporation could play a weaker role.

Genesis of magnetic fields in isolated white dwarfs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Briggs, Gordon P.; Ferrario, Lilia; Tout, Christopher A.; Wickramasinghe, Dayal T.

2018-05-01

A dynamo mechanism driven by differential rotation when stars merge has been proposed to explain the presence of strong fields in certain classes of magnetic stars. In the case of the high field magnetic white dwarfs (HFMWDs), the site of the differential rotation has been variously thought to be the common envelope, the hot outer regions of a merged degenerate core or an accretion disc formed by a tidally disrupted companion that is subsequently accreted by a degenerate core. We have shown previously that the observed incidence of magnetism and the mass distribution in HFMWDs are consistent with the hypothesis that they are the result of merging binaries during common envelope evolution. Here we calculate the magnetic field strengths generated by common envelope interactions for synthetic populations using a simple prescription for the generation of fields and find that the observed magnetic field distribution is also consistent with the stellar merging hypothesis. We use the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test to study the correlation between the calculated and the observed field strengths and find that it is consistent for low envelope ejection efficiency. We also suggest that field generation by the plunging of a giant gaseous planet on to a white dwarf may explain why magnetism among cool white dwarfs (including DZ white dwarfs) is higher than among hot white dwarfs. In this picture a super-Jupiter residing in the outer regions of the white dwarf's planetary system is perturbed into a highly eccentric orbit by a close stellar encounter and is later accreted by the white dwarf.

Genesis of magnetic fields in isolated white dwarfs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Briggs, Gordon P.; Ferrario, Lilia; Tout, Christopher A.; Wickramasinghe, Dayal T.

2018-07-01

A dynamo mechanism driven by differential rotation when stars merge has been proposed to explain the presence of strong fields in certain classes of magnetic stars. In the case of the high-field magnetic white dwarfs (HFMWDs), the site of the differential rotation has been variously thought to be the common envelope, the hot outer regions of a merged degenerate core or an accretion disc are formed by a tidally disrupted companion that is subsequently accreted by a degenerate core. We have shown previously that the observed incidence of magnetism and the mass distribution in HFMWDs are consistent with the hypothesis that they are the result of merging binaries during common envelope evolution. Here, we calculate the magnetic field strengths generated by common envelope interactions for synthetic populations using a simple prescription for the generation of fields and find that the observed magnetic field distribution is also consistent with the stellar merging hypothesis. We use the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test to study the correlation between the calculated and the observed field strengths and find that it is consistent for low envelope ejection efficiency. We also suggest that the field generation by the plunging of a giant gaseous planet on to a white dwarf may explain why magnetism among cool white dwarfs (including DZ white dwarfs) is higher than among hot white dwarfs. In this picture, a super-Jupiter residing in the outer regions of the white dwarf's planetary system is perturbed into a highly eccentric orbit by a close stellar encounter and is later accreted by the white dwarf.

A Panchromatic View of Brown Dwarf Aurorae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pineda, J. Sebastian; Hallinan, Gregg; Kao, Melodie M.

2017-09-01

Stellar coronal activity has been shown to persist into the low-mass star regime, down to late M-dwarf spectral types. However, there is now an accumulation of evidence suggesting that at the end of the main sequence, there is a transition in the nature of the magnetic activity from chromospheric and coronal to planet-like and auroral, from local impulsive heating via flares and MHD wave dissipation to energy dissipation from strong large-scale magnetospheric current systems. We examine this transition and the prevalence of auroral activity in brown dwarfs through a compilation of multiwavelength surveys of magnetic activity, including radio, X-ray, and optical. We compile the results of those surveys and place their conclusions in the context of auroral emission as a consequence of large-scale magnetospheric current systems that accelerate energetic electron beams and drive the particles to impact the cool atmospheric gas. We explore the different manifestations of auroral phenomena, like Hα, in brown dwarf atmospheres and define their distinguishing characteristics. We conclude that large-amplitude photometric variability in the near-infrared is most likely a consequence of clouds in brown dwarf atmospheres, but that auroral activity may be responsible for long-lived stable surface features. We report a connection between auroral Hα emission and quiescent radio emission in electron cyclotron maser instability pulsing brown dwarfs, suggesting a potential underlying physical connection between quiescent and auroral emissions. We also discuss the electrodynamic engines powering brown dwarf aurorae and the possible role of satellites around these systems both to power the aurorae and seed the magnetosphere with plasma.

The MEarth-North and MEarth-South Transit Surveys: Searching for Habitable Super-Earth Exoplanets Around Nearby M-dwarfs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Irwin, Jonathan M.; Berta-Thompson, Zachory K.; Charbonneau, David; Dittmann, Jason; Falco, Emilio E.; Newton, Elisabeth R.; Nutzman, Philip

2015-01-01

Detection and characterization of potentially habitable Earth-size extrasolar planets is one of the major goals of contemporary astronomy. By applying the transit method to very low-mass M-dwarfs , it is possible to find these planets from the ground with present-day instrumentation and observational techniques. The MEarth project is one such survey with stations in both hemispheres: MEarth-North at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory, Mount Hopkins, Arizona, and MEarth-South at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, Chile. We present an update on recent results of this survey, for planet occurrence rates, and interesting stellar astrophysics, for which our sample of 3000 nearby mid-to-late M-dwarfs has been very fruitful. All light curves gathered during the survey are made publicly available after one year, and we describe how to access and use these data.

MISCIBILITY CALCULATIONS FOR WATER AND HYDROGEN IN GIANT PLANETS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Soubiran, François; Militzer, Burkhard

2015-06-20

We present results from ab initio simulations of liquid water–hydrogen mixtures in the range from 2 to 70 GPa and from 1000 to 6000 K, covering conditions in the interiors of ice giant planets and parts of the outer envelope of gas giant planets. In addition to computing the pressure and the internal energy, we derive the Gibbs free energy by performing a thermodynamic integration. For all conditions under consideration, our simulations predict hydrogen and water to mix in all proportions. The thermodynamic behavior of the mixture can be well described with an ideal mixing approximation. We suggest that amore » substantial fraction of water and hydrogen in giant planets may occur in homogeneously mixed form rather than in separate layers. The extent of mixing depends on the planet’s interior dynamics and its conditions of formation, in particular on how much hydrogen was present when icy planetesimals were delivered. Based on our results, we do not predict water–hydrogen mixtures to phase separate during any stage of the evolution of giant planets. We also show that the hydrogen content of an exoplanet is much higher if the mixed interior is assumed.« less

Response of atmospheric biomarkers to NO(x)-induced photochemistry generated by stellar cosmic rays for earth-like planets in the habitable zone of M dwarf stars.

PubMed

Grenfell, John Lee; Grießmeier, Jean-Mathias; von Paris, Philip; Patzer, A Beate C; Lammer, Helmut; Stracke, Barbara; Gebauer, Stefanie; Schreier, Franz; Rauer, Heike

2012-12-01

Understanding whether M dwarf stars may host habitable planets with Earth-like atmospheres and biospheres is a major goal in exoplanet research. If such planets exist, the question remains as to whether they could be identified via spectral signatures of biomarkers. Such planets may be exposed to extreme intensities of cosmic rays that could perturb their atmospheric photochemistry. Here, we consider stellar activity of M dwarfs ranging from quiet up to strong flaring conditions and investigate one particular effect upon biomarkers, namely, the ability of secondary electrons caused by stellar cosmic rays to break up atmospheric molecular nitrogen (N(2)), which leads to production of nitrogen oxides (NO(x)) in the planetary atmosphere, hence affecting biomarkers such as ozone (O(3)). We apply a stationary model, that is, without a time dependence; hence we are calculating the limiting case where the atmospheric chemistry response time of the biomarkers is assumed to be slow and remains constant compared with rapid forcing by the impinging stellar flares. This point should be further explored in future work with time-dependent models. We estimate the NO(x) production using an air shower approach and evaluate the implications using a climate-chemical model of the planetary atmosphere. O(3) formation proceeds via the reaction O+O(2)+M→O(3)+M. At high NO(x) abundances, the O atoms arise mainly from NO(2) photolysis, whereas on Earth this occurs via the photolysis of molecular oxygen (O(2)). For the flaring case, O(3) is mainly destroyed via direct titration, NO+O(3)→NO(2)+O(2), and not via the familiar catalytic cycle photochemistry, which occurs on Earth. For scenarios with low O(3), Rayleigh scattering by the main atmospheric gases (O(2), N(2), and CO(2)) became more important for shielding the planetary surface from UV radiation. A major result of this work is that the biomarker O(3) survived all the stellar-activity scenarios considered except for the strong

Stability of CO2 Atmospheres on Terrestrial Exoplanets in the Proximity of M Dwarfs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, P.; Hu, R.; Yung, Y. L.

2013-12-01

M dwarfs are promising targets for the search and characterization of terrestrial exoplanets that might be habitable, as the habitable planets around M dwarfs are in much more close-in orbits compared to their counterparts around Sun-like stars. CO2, one of the most important greenhouse gases on our planet, is conventionally adopted as a major greenhouse gas in studying the habitability of terrestrial exoplanets around M dwarfs. However, the stability of CO2 in terrestrial atmospheres has been called into question due to the high FUV/NUV flux ratio of some M dwarfs in comparison to that of Sun-like stars. While CO2 is photolyzed into CO and O by photons in the FUV, with O2 forming from the O atoms through third body catalytic reactions, NUV photons are able to photolyze water, producing HOx radicals which go on to catalytically recombine the relatively stable CO and O2 molecules back into CO2. The comparatively low NUV flux of some M dwarfs leads to a significantly reduced efficiency of catalytic recombination of CO and O2 and the possible net destruction of CO2 and the build up of CO and O2. In this work we test the above hypothesis using a 1D photochemical kinetics model for a Mars-sized planet with an initial atmospheric composition similar to that of Mars and the incoming stellar flux of a weakly active M dwarf, assuming the exoplanet is 0.1 AU away from its parent star, in proximity of its habitable zone. We show that a CO2-dominated atmosphere can be converted into a CO2/CO/O2-dominated atmosphere in 10^3-10^4 years by CO2 photolysis. This process is kept from running away by a combination of O2 photolysis, three body reactions of O, O2, and another species to form O3, and reactions of CO with OH to form CO2 and H. However, such a large amount of O2 and CO, combined with some amount of H and H2, may be susceptible to spontaneous combustion or detonation, and thus could prove to be an especially unstable state in itself. Thus there could arise a situation

Impact of clouds in the JWST and LUVOIR simulated transmission spectra of TRAPPIST-1 planets in the habitable zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fauchez, Thomas; Turbet, Martin; Mandell, Avi; Kopparapu, Ravi Kumar; Arney, Giada; Domagal-Goldman, Shawn

2018-06-01

M-dwarfs are the most common type of stars in our galaxy. Ultra-cool dwarfs (T < 2700 K) are a sub-stellar class of late M-dwarfs and represent nearly ~ 15% of astronomical objects in the stellar neighborhood of the Sun. Their smaller size than regular M-dwarfs allows easier detection of rocky exoplanets in close orbits, and this potential was recently realized by the discovery of the TRAPPIST-1 system. Located about 12 pc away, TRAPPIST-1 has seven known planets, and it is one of the most promising rocky-planet systems for follow-up observations due to the depths of the transit signals. Transit-timing variation (TTVs) measurements of the TRAPPIST-1 planets suggest terrestrial or volatile-rich composition. Also, it has been found that three planets (TRAPPIST-1 e, f and g) are in the Habitable Zone (HZ) where surface temperatures would allow surface water to exist. These planets will be prime targets for atmospheric characterization with JWST owing to their relative proximity to Earth and frequent planetary transits.Atmospheric properties are major components of planet habitability. However, the detectability of gaseous features on rocky planets in the HZ may be severely impacted by the presence of clouds and/or hazes in their atmosphere. We have already seen this phenomenon in the “flat” transit transmission spectra of larger exoplanets such as GJ 1214b, WASP-31b, WASP-12b and HATP-12b.In this work, we use the LMDG global climate model to simulate several possibilities of atmospheres for TRAPPIST-1 e, f and 1g: 1) Archean Earth, 2) modern Earth and 3) CO2-dominated atmospheres. We also calculate synthetic transit spectra using the GSFC Planetary Spectrum Generator (PSG), and determine the number of transits needed to observe key spectral features for both JWST and future telescopes (ARIEL, LUVOIR, HabEx). We will identify differences in the spectra of cloudy vs non-cloudy, and determine how much information on spatial variability in atmosphere characteristics

Zodiacal exoplanets in time (ZEIT) - II. A `super-Earth' orbiting a young K dwarf in the Pleiades Neighbourhood

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaidos, E.; Mann, A. W.; Rizzuto, A.; Nofi, L.; Mace, G.; Vanderburg, A.; Feiden, G.; Narita, N.; Takeda, Y.; Esposito, T. M.; De Rosa, R. J.; Ansdell, M.; Hirano, T.; Graham, J. R.; Kraus, A.; Jaffe, D.

2017-01-01

We describe a `super-Earth'-size (2.30 ± 0.16 R⊕) planet transiting an early K-type dwarf star in the Campaign 4 field observed by the K2 mission. The host star, EPIC 210363145, was identified as a candidate member of the approximately 120 Myr-old Pleiades cluster based on its kinematics and photometric distance. It is rotationally variable and exhibits near-ultraviolet emission consistent with a Pleiades age, but its rotational period is ≈20 d and its spectrum contains no Hα emission nor the Li I absorption expected of Pleiades K dwarfs. Instead, the star is probably an interloper that is unaffiliated with the cluster, but younger (≲1.3 Gyr) than the typical field dwarf. We ruled out a false positive transit signal produced by confusion with a background eclipsing binary by adaptive optics imaging and a statistical calculation. Doppler radial velocity measurements limit the companion mass to <2 times that of Jupiter. Screening of the light curves of 1014 potential Pleiades candidate stars uncovered no additional planets. An injection-and-recovery experiment using the K2 Pleiades light curves with simulated planets, assuming a planet population like that in the Kepler prime field, predicts only 0.8-1.8 detections (versus ˜20 in an equivalent Kepler sample). The absence of Pleiades planet detections can be attributed to the much shorter monitoring time of K2 (80 d versus 4 yr), increased measurement noise due to spacecraft motion, and the intrinsic noisiness of the stars.

Nuclear planetology: understanding habitable planets as Galactic bulge stellar remnants (black dwarfs) in a Hertzsprung-Russell (HR) diagram

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roller, Goetz

2016-04-01

The Hertzsprung-Russell (HR) diagram is one of the most important diagrams in astronomy. In a HR diagram, the luminosity of stars and/or stellar remnants (white dwarf stars, WD's), relative to the luminosity of the sun, is plotted versus their surface temperatures (Teff). The Earth shows a striking similarity in size (radius ≈ 6.370 km) and Teff of its outer core surface (Teff ≈ 3800 K at the core-mantle-boundary) with old WD's (radius ≈ 6.300 km) like WD0346+246 (Teff ≈ 3820 K after ≈ 12.7 Ga [1]), which plot in the HR diagram close to the low-mass extension of the stellar population or main sequence. In the light of nuclear planetology [2], Earth-like planets are regarded as old, down-cooled and differentiated black dwarfs (Fe-C BLD's) after massive decompression, the most important nuclear reactions involved being 56Fe(γ,α)52Cr (etc.), possibly responsible for extreme terrestrial glaciations events ("snowball" Earth), together with (γ,n), (γ,p) and fusion reactions like 12C(α,γ)16O. The latter reaction might have caused oxidation of the planet from inside out. Nuclear planetology is a new research field, tightly constrained by a coupled 187Re-232Th-238U systematics. By means of nuclear/quantum physics and taking the theory of relativity into account, it aims at understanding the thermal and chemical evolution of Fe-C BLD's after gravitational contraction (e.g. Mercury) or Fermi-pressure controlled collapse (e.g. Earth) events after massive decompression, leading possibly to an r-process event, towards the end of their cooling period [2]. So far and based upon 187Re-232Th-238U nuclear geochronometry, the Fe-C BLD hypothesis can successfully explain the global terrestrial MORB 232Th/238U signature [3]. Thus, it may help to elucidate the DM (depleted mantle), EMI (enriched mantle 1), EMII (enriched mantle 2) or HIMU (high U/Pb) reservoirs, and the 187Os/188Os isotopic dichotomy in Archean magmatic rocks and sediments [4]. Here I present a conceptual

The Extraordinary Albedo Variations on Pluto Detected by New Horizons and Implications for Dwarf Planet Eris

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buratti, Bonnie J.; Hofgartner, Jason D.; Stern, S. Alan; Weaver, Harold A.; Verbiscer, Anne J.; Ennico, Kimberly; Olkin, Catherine B.; Young, Leslie; New Horizons Geology and Geophysics Team

2016-10-01

The New Horizons mission returned stunning observations of active geology on the surface of Pluto (Stern et al., 2015, Science 350, 292). One of the markers for activity on planets or moons is normal albedos approaching 1.0, as is the case for Enceladus (Buratti et al., 1984, Icarus 58, 254; Verbiscer et al., 2005, Icarus 173, 66). When all corrections for viewing geometry are made for Pluto, it has normal albedos that approach unity in the regions that show evidence for activity by a lack of craters, notably the region informally named Sputnik Planum. On the other hand, Pluto also has a very dark (normal albedo ~0.10) equatorial belt.The geometric albedo of Eris, another large dwarf planet in the Kuiper Belt, is 0.96 (Sicardy et al., 2011, Nature 478, 493), close to that of Enceladus. Coupled with a high density of 2.5 gm/cc (Sicardy et al., ibid.), implying an even larger amount of radiogenic heating than that for Pluto (with a density near 1.9 gm/cc), we find it highly likely that Eris is also active with some type of solid state convection or cryovolcanism on its surface. Alternate explanations such as complete condensation of methane frost onto its surface in the colder environment at nearly 100 AUs would not lead to the high albedo observed.Another implication of the extreme albedo variations on Pluto is that the temperature varies by at least 20K on its surface, spawning possible aeolian processes and associated features such as wind streaks and dunes, which are currently being sought on New Horizons images. Finally, low albedo regions on Pluto, with normal reflectances less than 0.10, provide possible evidence for dust in the Kuiper Belt that is accreting onto the surface of Pluto. Another - or additional - explanation for this low-albedo dust is native material created in Pluto's hazy atmosphere.New Horizons funding by NASA is gratefully acknowledged.

Near-InfraRed Planet Searcher to Join HARPS on the ESO 3.6-metre Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouchy, F.; Doyon, R.; Artigau, É.; Melo, C.; Hernandez, O.; Wildi, F.; Delfosse, X.; Lovis, C.; Figueira, P.; Canto Martins, B. L..; González Hernández, J. I..; Thibault, S.; Reshetov, V.; Pepe, F.; Santos, N. C.; de Medeiros, J. R..; Rebolo, R.; Abreu, M.; Adibekyan, V. Z.; Bandy, T.; Benz, W.; Blind, N.; Bohlender, D.; Boisse, I.; Bovay, S.; Broeg, C.; Brousseau, D.; Cabral, A.; Chazelas, B.; Cloutier, R.; Coelho, J.; Conod, U.; Cumming, A.; Delabre, B.; Genolet, L.; Hagelberg, J.; Jayawardhana, R.; Käufl, H.-U.; Lafrenière, D.; de Castro Leão, I..; Malo, L.; de Medeiros Martins, A..; Matthews, J. M.; Metchev, S.; Oshagh, M.; Ouellet, M.; Parro, V. C.; Rasilla Piñeiro, J. L..; Santos, P.; Sarajlic, M.; Segovia, A.; Sordet, M.; Udry, S.; Valencia, D.; Vallée, P.; Venn, K.; Wade, G. A.; Saddlemyer, L.

2017-09-01

The Near-InfraRed Planet Searcher (NIRPS) is a new ultra-stable infrared (YJH) spectrograph that will be installed on ESO's 3.6-metre Telescope in La Silla, Chile. Aiming to achieve a precision of 1 m s-1, NIRPS is designed to find rocky planets orbiting M dwarfs, and will operate together with the High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS), also on the 3.6-metre Telescope. In this article we describe the NIRPS science cases and present its main technical characteristics.

The CARMENES search for exoplanets around M dwarfs. High-resolution optical and near-infrared spectroscopy of 324 survey stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reiners, A.; Zechmeister, M.; Caballero, J. A.; Ribas, I.; Morales, J. C.; Jeffers, S. V.; Schöfer, P.; Tal-Or, L.; Quirrenbach, A.; Amado, P. J.; Kaminski, A.; Seifert, W.; Abril, M.; Aceituno, J.; Alonso-Floriano, F. J.; Ammler-von Eiff, M.; Antona, R.; Anglada-Escudé, G.; Anwand-Heerwart, H.; Arroyo-Torres, B.; Azzaro, M.; Baroch, D.; Barrado, D.; Bauer, F. F.; Becerril, S.; Béjar, V. J. S.; Benítez, D.; Berdinas˜, Z. M.; Bergond, G.; Blümcke, M.; Brinkmöller, M.; del Burgo, C.; Cano, J.; Cárdenas Vázquez, M. C.; Casal, E.; Cifuentes, C.; Claret, A.; Colomé, J.; Cortés-Contreras, M.; Czesla, S.; Díez-Alonso, E.; Dreizler, S.; Feiz, C.; Fernández, M.; Ferro, I. M.; Fuhrmeister, B.; Galadí-Enríquez, D.; Garcia-Piquer, A.; García Vargas, M. L.; Gesa, L.; Galera, V. Gómez; González Hernández, J. I.; González-Peinado, R.; Grözinger, U.; Grohnert, S.; Guàrdia, J.; Guenther, E. W.; Guijarro, A.; Guindos, E. de; Gutiérrez-Soto, J.; Hagen, H.-J.; Hatzes, A. P.; Hauschildt, P. H.; Hedrosa, R. P.; Helmling, J.; Henning, Th.; Hermelo, I.; Hernández Arabí, R.; Hernández Castaño, L.; Hernández Hernando, F.; Herrero, E.; Huber, A.; Huke, P.; Johnson, E. N.; Juan, E. de; Kim, M.; Klein, R.; Klüter, J.; Klutsch, A.; Kürster, M.; Lafarga, M.; Lamert, A.; Lampón, M.; Lara, L. M.; Laun, W.; Lemke, U.; Lenzen, R.; Launhardt, R.; López del Fresno, M.; López-González, J.; López-Puertas, M.; López Salas, J. F.; López-Santiago, J.; Luque, R.; Magán Madinabeitia, H.; Mall, U.; Mancini, L.; Mandel, H.; Marfil, E.; Marín Molina, J. A.; Maroto Fernández, D.; Martín, E. L.; Martín-Ruiz, S.; Marvin, C. J.; Mathar, R. J.; Mirabet, E.; Montes, D.; Moreno-Raya, M. E.; Moya, A.; Mundt, R.; Nagel, E.; Naranjo, V.; Nortmann, L.; Nowak, G.; Ofir, A.; Oreiro, R.; Pallé, E.; Panduro, J.; Pascual, J.; Passegger, V. M.; Pavlov, A.; Pedraz, S.; Pérez-Calpena, A.; Medialdea, D. Pérez; Perger, M.; Perryman, M. A. C.; Pluto, M.; Rabaza, O.; Ramón, A.; Rebolo, R.; Redondo, P.; Reffert, S.; Reinhart, S.; Rhode, P.; Rix, H.-W.; Rodler, F.; Rodríguez, E.; Rodríguez-López, C.; Rodríguez Trinidad, A.; Rohloff, R.-R.; Rosich, A.; Sadegi, S.; Sánchez-Blanco, E.; Sánchez Carrasco, M. A.; Sánchez-López, A.; Sanz-Forcada, J.; Sarkis, P.; Sarmiento, L. F.; Schäfer, S.; Schmitt, J. H. M. M.; Schiller, J.; Schweitzer, A.; Solano, E.; Stahl, O.; Strachan, J. B. P.; Stürmer, J.; Suárez, J. C.; Tabernero, H. M.; Tala, M.; Trifonov, T.; Tulloch, S. M.; Ulbrich, R. G.; Veredas, G.; Vico Linares, J. I.; Vilardell, F.; Wagner, K.; Winkler, J.; Wolthoff, V.; Xu, W.; Yan, F.; Zapatero Osorio, M. R.

2018-04-01

The CARMENES radial velocity (RV) survey is observing 324 M dwarfs to search for any orbiting planets. In this paper, we present the survey sample by publishing one CARMENES spectrum for each M dwarf. These spectra cover the wavelength range 520-1710 nm at a resolution of at least R >80 000, and we measure its RV, Hα emission, and projected rotation velocity. We present an atlas of high-resolution M-dwarf spectra and compare the spectra to atmospheric models. To quantify the RV precision that can be achieved in low-mass stars over the CARMENES wavelength range, we analyze our empirical information on the RV precision from more than 6500 observations. We compare our high-resolution M-dwarf spectra to atmospheric models where we determine the spectroscopic RV information content, Q, and signal-to-noise ratio. We find that for all M-type dwarfs, the highest RV precision can be reached in the wavelength range 700-900 nm. Observations at longer wavelengths are equally precise only at the very latest spectral types (M8 and M9). We demonstrate that in this spectroscopic range, the large amount of absorption features compensates for the intrinsic faintness of an M7 star. To reach an RV precision of 1 m s-1 in very low mass M dwarfs at longer wavelengths likely requires the use of a 10 m class telescope. For spectral types M6 and earlier, the combination of a red visual and a near-infrared spectrograph is ideal to search for low-mass planets and to distinguish between planets and stellar variability. At a 4 m class telescope, an instrument like CARMENES has the potential to push the RV precision well below the typical jitter level of 3-4 m s-1.

METALLICITY AND TEMPERATURE INDICATORS IN M DWARF K-BAND SPECTRA: TESTING NEW AND UPDATED CALIBRATIONS WITH OBSERVATIONS OF 133 SOLAR NEIGHBORHOOD M DWARFS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rojas-Ayala, Barbara; Covey, Kevin R.; Lloyd, James P.

2012-04-01

We present K-band spectra for 133 nearby (d < 33 ps) M dwarfs, including 18 M dwarfs with reliable metallicity estimates (as inferred from an FGK type companion), 11 M dwarf planet hosts, more than 2/3 of the M dwarfs in the northern 8 pc sample, and several M dwarfs from the LSPM catalog. From these spectra, we measure equivalent widths of the Ca and Na lines, and a spectral index quantifying the absorption due to H{sub 2}O opacity (the H{sub 2}O-K2 index). Using empirical spectral type standards and synthetic models, we calibrate the H{sub 2}O-K2 index as an indicatormore » of an M dwarf's spectral type and effective temperature. We also present a revised relationship that estimates the [Fe/H] and [M/H] metallicities of M dwarfs from their Na I, Ca I, and H{sub 2}O-K2 measurements. Comparisons to model atmosphere provide a qualitative validation of our approach, but also reveal an overall offset between the atomic line strengths predicted by models as compared to actual observations. Our metallicity estimates also reproduce expected correlations with Galactic space motions and H{alpha} emission line strengths, and return statistically identical metallicities for M dwarfs within a common multiple system. Finally, we find systematic residuals between our H{sub 2}O-based spectral types and those derived from optical spectral features with previously known sensitivity to stellar metallicity, such as TiO, and identify the CaH1 index as a promising optical index for diagnosing the metallicities of near-solar M dwarfs.« less

Steamworlds: Atmospheric Structure and Critical Mass of Planets Accreting Icy Pebbles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chambers, John, E-mail: jchambers@carnegiescience.edu

In the core accretion model, gas-giant planets first form a solid core, which then accretes gas from a protoplanetary disk when the core exceeds a critical mass. Here, we model the atmosphere of a core that grows by accreting ice-rich pebbles. The ice fraction of pebbles evaporates in warm regions of the atmosphere, saturating it with water vapor. Excess water precipitates to lower altitudes. Beneath an outer radiative region, the atmosphere is convective, following a moist adiabat in saturated regions due to water condensation and precipitation. Atmospheric mass, density, and temperature increase with core mass. For nominal model parameters, planetsmore » with core masses (ice + rock) between 0.08 and 0.16 Earth masses have surface temperatures between 273 and 647 K and form an ocean. In more massive planets, water exists as a supercritical convecting fluid mixed with gas from the disk. Typically, the core mass reaches a maximum (the critical mass) as a function of the total mass when the core is 2–5 Earth masses. The critical mass depends in a complicated way on pebble size, mass flux, and dust opacity due to the occasional appearance of multiple core-mass maxima. The core mass for an atmosphere of 50% hydrogen and helium may be a more robust indicator of the onset of gas accretion. This mass is typically 1–3 Earth masses for pebbles that are 50% ice by mass, increasing with opacity and pebble flux and decreasing with pebble ice/rock ratio.« less

The Lives and Deaths of Planets and Stars in the Value-Added UV Photon Catalog

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hogg, David

The lives and deaths of planets and stars in the Value-Added UV Photon Catalog Over its lifetime, the GALEX satellite has detected nearly two trillion photons with its ultraviolet- sensitive, photon-counting detectors. This time-tagged data set remains largely unexplored time-variable science. This proposal is to extract and calibrate the full photon time stream from the GALEX raw data products and to use that time stream to make discoveries in two rapidlydeveloping areas of astrophysical research: exoplanets around hot white dwarf stars and prompt ultraviolet emission from supernovae. It is only around white dwarf stars that rocky planets in the habitable zone generate frequent eclipses at large depth and with high likelihood. Theories of planet formation and evolution, now confronted with heterogeneous exoplanet discoveries around main-sequence stars, make strong predictions about planets around white dwarf stars, establishing unique and sensitive tests for ultraviolet surveys. Almost every GALEX pointing contains a bright white dwarf in the field of view. This project would be the first ever photon-limited and ultraviolet search for exoplanet eclipses. A preliminary study by the proposers has discovered new white-dwarf--main-sequence-star eclipsing binaries (and confirmed known systems) using time-resolved GALEX images, but because a calibrated photon stream is not available, it has not been possible to reach the photon limit. This proposal is to calibrate the photon time stream and perform the first UV search for planets, moons and asteroids around white dwarfs and other blue stars. The project will produce a statistically complete sample of exoplanets around white dwarfs and a similarly complete sample of binary stars. Although any exoplanet system is interesting in its own right, the proposers will also produce a probabilistic estimate of the frequency with which stellar remnants host planets of different kinds at different radii. Supernovae models have long

Monitoring the High-Energy Radiation Environment of Exoplanets around Lowmass Stars with SPARCS (Star-Planet Activity Research CubeSat)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shkolnik, Evgenya

Seventy-five billion M dwarfs in our galaxy host at least one small planet in the habitable zone (HZ). The stellar ultraviolet (UV) radiation from M dwarfs is strong and highly variable, and impacts planetary atmospheric loss, composition and habitability. These effects are amplified by the extreme proximity of their HZs (0.1–0.4 AU). JWST will characterize HZ M dwarf planets and attempt the first spectroscopic search for life beyond the Solar System. Knowing the UV environments of M dwarf planets will be crucial to understanding their atmospheric composition and a key parameter in discriminating between biological and abiotic sources for observed biosignatures. The UV flux emitted during the super-luminous premain sequence phase of M stars drives water loss and photochemical O2 buildup for terrestrial planets within the HZ. This phase can persist for up to a billion years for the lowest mass M stars. Afterwards, UV-driven photochemistry during the main sequence phase strongly affects a planet’s atmosphere, could limit the planet’s potential for habitability, and may confuse studies of habitability by creating false chemical biosignatures. Our proposed CubeSat observatory will be the first mission to provide the time-dependent spectral slope, intensity and evolution of M dwarf stellar UV radiation. These measurements are crucial to interpreting observations of planetary atmospheres around low-mass stars. Mission: The Star-Planet Activity Research CubeSat (SPARCS) will be a 6U CubeSat devoted to monitoring 25 M stars in two UV bands: SPARCS far-UV (S- FUV: 153–171 nm) and SPARCS near-UV (S-NUV: 260– 300 nm). For each target, SPARCS will observe continuously between one and three complete stellar rotations (4–45 days) over a mission lifetime of 2 years. A UV characterization survey of M dwarfs, the most common of planet hosts, is a perfect experiment for a CubeSat: - UV astronomy cannot be done from the ground because of Earth’s atmospheric absorption

Aqueous geochemistry in icy world interiors: Equilibrium fluid, rock, and gas compositions, and fate of antifreezes and radionuclides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neveu, Marc; Desch, Steven J.; Castillo-Rogez, Julie C.

2017-09-01

The geophysical evolution of many icy moons and dwarf planets seems to have provided opportunities for interaction between liquid water and rock (silicate and organic solids). Here, we explore two ways by which water-rock interaction can feed back on geophysical evolution: the production or consumption of antifreeze compounds, which affect the persistence and abundance of cold liquid; and the potential leaching into the fluid of lithophile radionuclides, affecting the distribution of a long-term heat source. We compile, validate, and use a numerical model, implemented with the PHREEQC code, of the interaction of chondritic rock with pure water and with C, N, S-bearing cometary fluid, thought to be the materials initially accreted by icy worlds, and describe the resulting equilibrium fluid and rock assemblages at temperatures, pressures, and water-to-rock ratios of 0-200 ° C, 1-1000 bar, and 0.1-10 by mass, respectively. Our findings suggest that water-rock interaction can strongly alter the nature and amount of antifreezes, resulting in solutions rich in reduced nitrogen and carbon, and sometimes dissolved H2, with additional sodium, calcium, chlorine, and/or oxidized carbon. Such fluids can remain partially liquid down to 176 K if NH3 is present. The prominence of Cl in solution seems to hinge on its primordial supply in ices, which is unconstrained by the meteoritical record. Equilibrium assemblages, rich in serpentine and saponite clays, retain thorium and uranium radionuclides unless U-Cl or U-HCO3 complexing, which was not modeled, significantly enhances U solubility. However, the radionuclide 40 K can be leached at high water:rock ratio and/or low temperature at which K is exchanged with ammonium in minerals. We recommend the inclusion of these effects in future models of the geophysical evolution of ocean-bearing icy worlds. Our simulation products match observations of chloride salts on Europa and Enceladus; CI chondrites mineralogies; the observation of

Titan's Impact Cratering Record: Erosion of Ganymedean (and other) Craters on a Wet Icy Landscape

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schenk, P.; Moore, J.; Howard, A.

2012-04-01

We examine the cratering record of Titan from the perspective of icy satellites undergoing persistent landscape erosion. First we evaluate whether Ganymede (and Callisto) or the smaller low-gravity neighboring icy satellites of Saturn are the proper reference standard for evaluating Titan’s impact crater morphologies, using topographic and morphometric measurements (Schenk, 2002; Schenk et al. (2004) and unpublished data). The special case of Titan’s largest crater, Minrva, is addressed through analysis of large impact basins such as Gilgamesh, Lofn, Odysseus and Turgis. Second, we employ a sophisticated landscape evolution and modification model developed for study of martian and other planetary landforms (e.g., Howard, 2007). This technique applies mass redistribution principles due to erosion by impact, fluvial and hydrological processes to a planetary landscape. The primary advantage of our technique is the possession of a limited but crucial body of areal digital elevation models (DEMs) of Ganymede (and Callisto) impact craters as well as global DEM mapping of Saturn’s midsize icy satellites, in combination with the ability to simulate rainfall and redeposition of granular material to determine whether Ganymede craters can be eroded to resemble Titan craters and the degree of erosion required. References: Howard, A. D., “Simulating the development of martian highland landscapes through the interaction of impact cratering, fluvial erosion, and variable hydrologic forcing”, Geomorphology, 91, 332-363, 2007. Schenk, P. "Thickness constraints on the icy shells of the galilean satellites from impact crater shapes". Nature, 417, 419-421, 2002. Schenk, P.M., et al. "Ages and interiors: the cratering record of the Galilean satellites". In: Jupiter: The Planet, Satellites, and Magnetosphere, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, pp. 427-456, 2004.

Probing Cloud-Driven Variability on Two of the Youngest, Lowest-Mass Brown Dwarfs in the Solar Neighborhood

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schneider, Adam; Cushing, Michael; Kirkpatrick, J. Davy

2016-08-01

Young, late-type brown dwarfs share many properties with directly imaged giant extrasolar planets. They therefore provide unique testbeds for investigating the physical conditions present in this critical temperature and mass regime. WISEA 1147-2040 and 2MASS 1119-1137, two recently discovered late-type (~L7) brown dwarfs, have both been determined to be members of the ~10 Myr old TW Hya Association (Kellogg et al. 2016, Schneider et al. 2016). Each has an estimated mass of 5-6 MJup, making them two of the youngest and lowest-mass free floating objects yet found in the solar neighborhood. As such, these two planetary mass objects provide unparalleled laboratories for investigating giant planet-like atmospheres far from the contaminating starlight of a host sun. Condensate clouds play a critical role in shaping the emergent spectra of both brown dwarfs and gas giant planets, and can cause photometric variability via their non-uniform spatial distribution. We propose to photometrically monitor WISEA 1147-2040 and 2MASS 1119-1137 in order to search for the presence of cloud-driven variability to 1) investigate the potential trend of low surface gravity with high-amplitude variability in a previously unexplored mass regime and 2) explore the angular momentum evolution of isolated planetary mass objects.

Measuring the Number of M Dwarfs per M Dwarf Using Kepler Eclipsing Binaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shan, Yutong; Johnson, John A.; Morton, Timothy D.

2015-11-01

We measure the binarity of detached M dwarfs in the Kepler field with orbital periods in the range of 1-90 days. Kepler’s photometric precision and nearly continuous monitoring of stellar targets over time baselines ranging from 3 months to 4 years make its detection efficiency for eclipsing binaries nearly complete over this period range and for all radius ratios. Our investigation employs a statistical framework akin to that used for inferring planetary occurrence rates from planetary transits. The obvious simplification is that eclipsing binaries have a vastly improved detection efficiency that is limited chiefly by their geometric probabilities to eclipse. For the M-dwarf sample observed by the Kepler Mission, the fractional incidence of eclipsing binaries implies that there are {0.11}-0.04+0.02 close stellar companions per apparently single M dwarf. Our measured binarity is higher than previous inferences of the occurrence rate of close binaries via radial velocity techniques, at roughly the 2σ level. This study represents the first use of eclipsing binary detections from a high quality transiting planet mission to infer binary statistics. Application of this statistical framework to the eclipsing binaries discovered by future transit surveys will establish better constraints on short-period M+M binary rate, as well as binarity measurements for stars of other spectral types.

VizieR Online Data Catalog: Hα emission in nearby M dwarfs (Newton+, 2017)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Newton, E. R.; Irwin, J.; Charbonneau, D.; Berlind, P.; Calkins, M. L.; Mink, J.

2017-06-01

Our sample of M dwarfs is drawn from the MEarth Project, an all-sky survey looking for transiting planets around approximately 3000 nearby, mid-to-late M dwarfs. Nutzman & Charbonneau (2008PASP..120..317N) selected the northern MEarth targets from the Lepine & Shara (2005, I/298) northern proper motion catalog (hereafter the "nearby northern M dwarf" sample). MEarth-North is located at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory (FLWO), on Mount Hopkins, Arizona, and has been operational since 2008 September. The observatory comprises eight 40cm telescopes. This work utilizes results from MEarth-North and from our further spectroscopic characterization of the sample. Compiled and new rotation period and Hα measurements are included in Table 1. (1 data file).

A Combined Subaru/VLT/MMT 1-5 Micrometer Study of Planets Orbiting HR 8799: Implications For Atmospheric Properties, Masses and Formation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Currie, Thayne; Burrows, Adam; Itoh, Yoichi; Matsumura, Soko; Fukagawa, Misato; Apai, Daniel; Madhusudhan, Nikku; Hinz, Philip M.; Rodigas, T. J.; Kasper, Markus;

Calibration of the MEarth Photometric System: Optical Magnitudes and Photometric Metallicity Estimates for 1802 Nearby M-Dwarfs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dittmann, Jason A.; Irwin, Jonathan M.; Charbonneau, David; Newton, Elisabeth R.

2016-02-01

The MEarth Project is a photometric survey systematically searching the smallest stars near the Sun for transiting rocky planets. Since 2008, MEarth has taken approximately two million images of 1844 stars suspected to be mid-to-late M dwarfs. We have augmented this survey by taking nightly exposures of photometric standard stars and have utilized this data to photometrically calibrate the MEarth system, identify photometric nights, and obtain an optical magnitude with 1.5% precision for each M dwarf system. Each optical magnitude is an average over many years of data, and therefore should be largely immune to stellar variability and flaring. We combine this with trigonometric distance measurements, spectroscopic metallicity measurements, and 2MASS infrared magnitude measurements in order to derive a color-magnitude-metallicity relation across the mid-to-late M dwarf spectral sequence that can reproduce spectroscopic metallicity determinations to a precision of 0.1 dex. We release optical magnitudes and metallicity estimates for 1567 M dwarfs, many of which did not have an accurate determination of either prior to this work. For an additional 277 stars without a trigonometric parallax, we provide an estimate of the distance, assuming solar neighborhood metallicity. We find that the median metallicity for a volume-limited sample of stars within 20 pc of the Sun is [Fe/H] = -0.03 ± 0.008, and that 29/565 of these stars have a metallicity of [Fe/H] = -0.5 or lower, similar to the low-metallicity distribution of nearby G dwarfs. When combined with the results of ongoing and future planet surveys targeting these objects, the metallicity estimates presented here will be important for assessing the significance of any putative planet-metallicity correlation.

Brown Dwarf Microlensing Diagram

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-11-10

For the first time, two space-based telescopes have teamed up with ground-based observatories to observe a microlensing event, a magnification of the light of a distant star due to the gravitational effects of an unseen object in the foreground. In this case, the cause of the microlensing event was a brown dwarf, dubbed OGLE-2015-BLG-1319, orbiting a star. In terms of mass, brown dwarfs fall somewhere between the size of the largest planets and the smallest stars. Curiously, scientists have found that, for stars roughly the mass of our sun, less than 1 percent have a brown dwarf orbiting within 3 AU (1 AU is the distance between Earth and the sun). This newly discovered brown dwarf may fall in that distance range. This microlensing event was observed by ground-based telescopes looking for these uncommon events, and subsequently seen by NASA's Spitzer and Swift space telescopes. As the diagram shows, Spitzer and Swift offer additional vantage points for viewing this chance alignment. While Swift orbits close to Earth, and saw (blue diamonds) essentially the same change in light that the ground-based telescopes measured (grey markers), Spitzer's location much farther away from Earth gave it a very different perspective on the event (red circles). In particular, Spitzer's vantage point resulted in a time lag in the microlensing event it observed, compared to what was seen by Swift and the ground-based telescope. This offset allowed astronomers to determine the distance to OGLE-2015-BLG-1319 as well as its mass: around 30-65 times that of Jupiter. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21077

Model Atmospheres for Massive Gas Giants with Thick Clouds: Application to the HR 8799 Planets and Predictions for Future Detections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madhusudhan, Nikku; Burrows, Adam; Currie, Thayne

2011-08-01

We have generated an extensive new suite of massive giant planet atmosphere models and used it to obtain fits to photometric data for the planets HR 8799b, c, and d. We consider a wide range of cloudy and cloud-free models. The cloudy models incorporate different geometrical and optical thicknesses, modal particle sizes, and metallicities. For each planet and set of cloud parameters, we explore grids in gravity and effective temperature, with which we determine constraints on the planet's mass and age. Our new models yield statistically significant fits to the data, and conclusively confirm that the HR 8799 planets have much thicker clouds than those required to explain data for typical L and T dwarfs. Both models with (1) physically thick forsterite clouds and a 60 μm modal particle size and (2) clouds made of 1 μm sized pure iron droplets and 1% supersaturation fit the data. Current data are insufficient to accurately constrain the microscopic cloud properties, such as composition and particle size. The range of best-estimated masses for HR 8799b, HR 8799c, and HR 8799d conservatively span 2-12 MJ , 6-13 MJ , and 3-11 MJ , respectively, and imply coeval ages between ~10 and ~150 Myr, consistent with previously reported stellar ages. The best-fit temperatures and gravities are slightly lower than values obtained by Currie et al. using even thicker cloud models. Finally, we use these models to predict the near-to-mid-IR colors of soon-to-be imaged planets. Our models predict that planet-mass objects follow a locus in some near-to-mid-IR color-magnitude diagrams that is clearly separable from the standard L/T dwarf locus for field brown dwarfs.