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Full-Text Articles in Physical Processes
Detection Of Thermal Emission From A Super-Earth, Brice-Olivier Demory, Michaël Gillon, Sara Seager, Bjoern Benneke, Drake Deming, Brian Jackson
Detection Of Thermal Emission From A Super-Earth, Brice-Olivier Demory, Michaël Gillon, Sara Seager, Bjoern Benneke, Drake Deming, Brian Jackson
Brian Jackson
We report on the detection of infrared light from the super-Earth 55 Cnc e, based on four occultations obtained with Warm Spitzer at 4.5 μm. Our data analysis consists of a two-part process. In a first step, we perform individual analyses of each data set and compare several baseline models to optimally account for the systematics affecting each light curve. We apply independent photometric correction techniques, including polynomial detrending and pixel mapping, that yield consistent results at the 1σ level. In a second step, we perform a global Markov Chain Monte Carlo analysis, including all four data sets that yield …
The Roles Of Tidal Evolution And Evaporative Mass Loss In The Origin Of Corot-7 B, Brian Jackson, Neil Miller, Rory Barnes, Sean N. Raymond, Jonathan J. Fortney, Richard Greenberg
The Roles Of Tidal Evolution And Evaporative Mass Loss In The Origin Of Corot-7 B, Brian Jackson, Neil Miller, Rory Barnes, Sean N. Raymond, Jonathan J. Fortney, Richard Greenberg
Brian Jackson
CoRoT-7 b is the first confirmed rocky exoplanet, but, with an orbital semimajor axis of 0.0172 au, its origins may be unlike any rocky planet in our Solar system. In this study, we consider the roles of tidal evolution and evaporative mass loss in CoRoT-7 b's history, which together have modified the planet's mass and orbit. If CoRoT-7 b has always been a rocky body, evaporation may have driven off almost half its original mass, but the mass loss may depend sensitively on the extent of tidal decay of its orbit. As tides caused CoRoT-7 b's orbit to decay, they …
Tidal Heating Of Terrestrial Extrasolar Planets And Implications For Their Habitability, Brian Jackson, Rory Barnes, Richard Greenberg
Tidal Heating Of Terrestrial Extrasolar Planets And Implications For Their Habitability, Brian Jackson, Rory Barnes, Richard Greenberg
Brian Jackson
The tidal heating of hypothetical rocky (or terrestrial) extrasolar planets spans a wide range of values depending on stellar masses and initial orbits. Tidal heating may be sufficiently large (in many cases, in excess of radiogenic heating) and long-lived to drive plate tectonics, similar to the Earth's, which may enhance the planet's habitability. In other cases, excessive tidal heating may result in Io-like planets with violent volcanism, probably rendering them unsuitable for life. On water-rich planets, tidal heating may generate subsurface oceans analogous to Europa's with similar prospects for habitability. Tidal heating may enhance the outgassing of volatiles, contributing to …
Tides And The Evolution Of Planetary Habitability, Rory Barnes, Sean N. Raymond, Brian Jackson, Richard Greenberg
Tides And The Evolution Of Planetary Habitability, Rory Barnes, Sean N. Raymond, Brian Jackson, Richard Greenberg
Brian Jackson
Tides raised on a planet by the gravity of its host star can reduce the planet's orbital semi-major axis and eccentricity. This effect is only relevant for planets orbiting very close to their host stars. The habitable zones of low-mass stars are also close in, and tides can alter the orbits of planets in these locations. We calculate the tidal evolution of hypothetical terrestrial planets around low-mass stars and show that tides can evolve planets past the inner edge of the habitable zone, sometimes in less than 1 billion years. This migration requires large eccentricities (>0.5) and low-mass stars …