Chemistry of atmospheres formed during accretion of the Earth and other terrestrial planets

We used chemical equilibrium and chemical kinetic calculations to model chemistry of the volatiles released by heating different types of carbonaceous, ordinary and enstatite chondritic material as a function of temperature and pressure. Our results predict the composition of atmospheres formed by outgassing during accretion of the Earth and other terrestrial planets. Outgassing of CI and CM carbonaceous chondritic material produces H₂O-rich (steam) atmospheres in agreement with the results of impact experiments. However, outgassing of other types of chondritic material produces atmospheres dominated by other gases. Outgassing of ordinary (H, L, LL) and high iron enstatite (EH) chondritic material yields H₂-rich atmospheres with CO and H₂O being the second and third most abundant gases. Outgassing of low iron enstatite (EL) chondritic material gives a CO-rich atmosphere with H₂, CO₂, and H₂O being the next most abundant gases. Outgassing of CV carbonaceous chondritic material gives a CO₂-rich atmosphere with H₂O being the second most abundant gas. Our results predict that the atmospheres formed during accretion of the Earth and Mars were probably H₂-rich unless the accreted material was dominantly CI and CM carbonaceous chondritic material. We also predict significant amounts of S, P, Cl, F, Na, and K in accretionary atmospheres at high temperatures (1500-2500 K). Finally, our results may be useful for interpreting spectroscopic observations of accreting extrasolar terrestrial planets.     

The search for extrasolar giant planets using integral field spectroscopy: Simulations

We present here simulations of extrasolar planets detections obtained using a combination of extreme adaptive optics and integral field spectroscopy. The simulation code, written for IDL, provides images and, in particular, spectra, taking into account realistic Speckle Noise, AO correction effects and specific instrumental features. A detailed study has been done for ESO VLT telescopes (8.2 m), within the Phase A of the CHEOPS project, but the code is particularly flexible and can be updated for larger telescope diameters (ELTs) in order to give a realistic estimate of the detection limits, for giant telescopes, in standard conditions of seeing.     

On the existence of small comets and their interactions with planets

Arguments are presented for a substantial, unexplored population of comets with radii less than 1 km. Known examples confirm this population and extrapolation of any plausible size-distribution function indicates large numbers. However, their accurate numbers, orbital characteristics, and physical properties are unknown. Thus, even though the small comets may be the most frequent cometary bodies impacting the planets, a quantitative evaluation is not currently possible. We advocate an optimized, dedicated search program to characterize this population.Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado at BoulderLaboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado at BoulderLaboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado at Boulder     

The formation and habitability of terrestrial planets in the presence of close-in giant planets

‘Hot jupiters,’ giant planets with orbits very close to their parent stars, are thought to form farther away and migrate inward via interactions with a massive gas disk. If a giant planet forms and migrates quickly, the planetesimal population has time to re-generate in the lifetime of the disk and terrestrial planets may form [P.J. Armitage, A reduced efficiency of terrestrial planet formation following giant planet migration, Astrophys. J. 582 (2003) L47-L50]. We present results of simulations of terrestrial planet formation in the presence of hot/warm jupiters, broadly defined as having orbital radii ?0.5 AU. We show that terrestrial planets similar to those in the Solar System can form around stars with hot/warm jupiters, and can have water contents equal to or higher than the Earth's. For small orbital radii of hot jupiters (e.g., 0.15, 0.25 AU) potentially habitable planets can form, but for semi-major axes of 0.5 AU or greater their formation is suppressed. We show that the presence of an outer giant planet such as Jupiter does not enhance the water content of the terrestrial planets, but rather decreases their formation and water delivery timescales. We speculate that asteroid belts may exist interior to the terrestrial planets in systems with close-in giant planets.     

Extrasolar planets and the rotation and axisymmetric mass-loss of evolved stars

I examine the implications of the recently found extrasolar planets on the planet-induced axisymmetric mass-loss model for the formation of elliptical planetary nebulae (PNe). This model attributes the low departure from spherical mass-loss of upper asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars to envelope rotation which results from deposition of orbital angular momentum of the planets. Since about half of all PNe are elliptical, i.e., have low equatorial to polar density contrast, it was predicted that about 50 per cent of all Sun-like stars have Jupiter-like planets around them, i.e., a mass about equal to that of Jupiter, M _J, or more massive. In the light of the new findings that only 5 per cent of Sun-like stars have such planets, and a newly proposed mechanism for axisymmetric mass-loss, the cool magnetic spots model, I revise this prediction. I predict that indeed ∼50 per cent of PN progenitors do have close planets around them, but the planets can have much lower masses, as low as ∼0.01 M _J, in order to spin-up the envelopes of AGB stars efficiently. To support this claim, I follow the angular momentum evolution of single stars with main-sequence mass in the range of 1.3–2.4 M_⊙ , as they evolve to the post-AGB phase. I find that single stars rotate much too slowly to possess any significant non-spherical mass-loss as they reach the upper AGB. It seems, therefore, that planets, in some cases even Earth-like planets, are sufficient to spin-up the envelope of these AGB stars for them to form elliptical PNe. The prediction that on average several such planets orbit each star, as in the Solar system, still holds.     

Soft X-ray and magnetic field of late-type stars

We used four coronal models to fit ROSAT data of a sample of late-type stars. The merits and demerits of each was discussed. We found a good correlation between the cornoal temperature so derived and the magnetic field strength. This indicates magnetic heating of the corona and provides a possible, indirect means of estimating the photospheric magnetic field.     

Composite model for the magnetic field of HD 21699

A model is constructed for the magnetic field of the He-weak CP star HD 21699. This star has the field structure of a dipole displaced by 0.4 radii from the center perpendicular to its axis. The magnetic poles appear to be close to one another on the surface; they are separated by 55°, not by 180° as in the case of a central dipole. The phase dependences of the equivalent widths of He and Si lines have extrema at the phases corresponding to passage through the visible meridian of zero magnetic field between the magnetic poles. At the magnetic poles, the intensity of the helium lines is maximal and of the silicon lines, minimal. The silicon abundance is maximal in the regions where the magnetic field is predominantly tangential to the star’s surface. Because of averaging over the visible hemisphere and owing to the closeness of the magnetic poles, only one wave of variation in the intensity of the spectral lines of these chemical elements, one wave of photometric variability, and an average surface magnetic field Bs are observed. __________ Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 50, No. 3, pp. 441–451 (August 2007).     

Reflected light from 3D exoplanetary atmospheres and simulation of HD 209458b

We present radiation transfer models that demonstrate that reflected light levels from 3D exoplanetary atmospheres can be more than 50 per cent lower than those predicted by models of homogeneous or smooth atmospheres. Compared to smooth models, 3D atmospheres enable starlight to penetrate to larger depths resulting in a decreased probability for the photons to scatter back out of the atmosphere before being absorbed. The increased depth of penetration of starlight in a 3D medium is a well-known result from theoretical studies of molecular clouds and planetary atmospheres. For the first time we study the reflectivity of 3D atmospheres as a possible explanation for the apparent low geometric albedos inferred for extrasolar planetary atmospheres. Our models indicate that 3D atmospheric structure may be an important contributing factor to the non-detections of scattered light from exoplanetary atmospheres. We investigate the self-shadowing radiation transfer effects of patchy cloud cover in 3D scattered light simulations of the atmosphere of HD 209458b. We find that, for a generic planet, geometric albedos can be as high as 0.45 in some limited situations, but that in general the geometric albedo is much lower. We conclude with some explanations on why extrasolar planets are likely dark at optical wavelengths.     

From planetesimals to terrestrial planets: N-body simulations including the effects of nebular gas and giant planets

We present results from a suite of N-body simulations that follow the formation and accretion history of the terrestrial planets using a new parallel treecode that we have developed. We initially place 2000 equal size planetesimals between 0.5 and 4.0 AU and the collisional growth is followed until the completion of planetary accretion (>100 Myr). A total of 64 simulations were carried out to explore sensitivity to the key parameters and initial conditions. All the important effect of gas in laminar disks are taken into account: the aerodynamic gas drag, the disk-planet interaction including Type I migration, and the global disk potential which causes inward migration of secular resonances as the gas dissipates. We vary the initial total mass and spatial distribution of the planetesimals, the time scale of dissipation of nebular gas (which dissipates uniformly in space and exponentially in time), and orbits of Jupiter and Saturn. We end up with 1-5 planets in the terrestrial region. In order to maintain sufficient mass in this region in the presence of Type I migration, the time scale of gas dissipation needs to be 1-2 Myr. The final configurations and collisional histories strongly depend on the orbital eccentricity of Jupiter. If today’s eccentricity of Jupiter is used, then most of bodies in the asteroidal region are swept up within the terrestrial region owing to the inward migration of the secular resonance, and giant impacts between protoplanets occur most commonly around 10 Myr. If the orbital eccentricity of Jupiter is close to zero, as suggested in the Nice model, the effect of the secular resonance is negligible and a large amount of mass stays for a long period of time in the asteroidal region. With a circular orbit for Jupiter, giant impacts usually occur around 100 Myr, consistent with the accretion time scale indicated from isotope records. However, we inevitably have an Earth size planet at around 2 AU in this case. It is very difficult to obtain spatially concentrated terrestrial planets together with very late giant impacts, as long as we include all the above effects of gas and assume initial disks similar to the minimum mass solar nebular.     

The Gnevyshev-Ohl rule for physical parameters of the solar magnetic field: The 400-year interval

We consider a number of questions pertaining to the famous Gnevyshev-Ohl rule. We discuss various formulations of the rule and show that it is not violated in its exact formulation in the last pair of 11-year cycles 22 and 23. The rule has been found to hold not only for statistical indices of solar activity but also in the context of physical parameters of the solar magnetic field: the sunspot magnetic flux and the open magnetic flux. We have established that the hypothesis by Usoskin et al. (2001) about the “loss“ of one cycle at the end of the 18th century allows the Gnevyshev-Ohl rule, which regulates the behavior of physical parameters of the solar magnetic field, to be made universal, without any exceptions, at least in the last 400 years. Thus, in fact, we can talk about the Gnevyshev-Ohl law of the long-term dynamics of the solar magnetic field, a law that holds at both normal and extreme levels of solar activity.     

Rotation cycles of the sector structure of the solar magnetic field and its activity

We study the rotation of the sector structure of the solar magnetic field by using Stanford magnetographic observations from 1975 until 2000 and magnetic synoptic Hα-maps obtained from 1904 until 2000. The two independent series of observations yielded the same rotation periods of the two-sector (26.86 days) and four-sector (13.64 days) structures. We introduce a new index of the solar rotation, SSPM(t). The spectral power density of the sector structure of the magnetic field is shown to exhibit a 22-year cyclicity. The two-and four-sector structures of the magnetic field rotate faster at the maxima of even 11-year sunspot cycles. This phenomenon may be called the Gnevyshev-Ohl rule for the solar rotation. The 11-year sector-structure activity cycles are shown to lead the 11-year sunspot cycles (Wolf numbers) by 5.5 years. A 55-year component with the slowest rotation in the 18th cycle (1945–1955) was distinguished in the sector-structure rotation.     

The dynamical coupling of cosmic rays and magnetic field in galactic disks

In this paper we demonstrate the importance of cosmic rays for the dynamics of the interstellar medium. We present the first 3D-MHD numerical simulations of the Parker instability triggered by cosmic rays accelerated in supernova remnants. We show that in the presence of galactic rotation a net radial magnetic field is produced as a result of the cosmic ray injection. This process provides a very efficient magnetic field amplification within the general frame of so called fast galactic dynamo proposed by Parker (1992). This revised version was published online in September 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Variations of the magnetic field near Mars caused by magnetic crustal anomalies

The possible avenues for photoelectron transport were determined during southern hemisphere winter at Mars by using a mapping analysis of the theoretical magnetic field. Magnetic field line tracing was performed by superposing two magnetic field models: (1) magnetic field derived from a three-dimensional (3D) self-consistent quasi-neutral hybrid model which does not contain the Martian crustal magnetic anomalies and (2) a 3D map of the magnetic field associated with the magnetic anomalies based on Mars Global Surveyor magnetic field measurements. It was found that magnetic field lines connected to the nightside of the planet are mainly channeled within the optical shadow of the magnetotail whereas magnetic field lines connected to the dayside of the planet are observed to form the remainder of the magnetosphere. The simulation suggests that the crustal anomalies create “a magnetic shield” by decreasing the region near Mars which is magnetically connected to the Martian magnetosphere. The rotation of Mars causes periodic changes in magnetic connectivity, but not to qualitative changes in the overall magnetic field draping around Mars.     

A paradox in measuring the magnetic field of the Sun

Significant discrepancies are often observed among the values of the mean magnetic field (MMF) of the Sun as a star observed by various instruments using various spectral lines. This is conventionally attributed to the measurement errors and “saturation” of a solar magnetograph in fine-structure photospheric elements with a strong magnetic field. Measurements of the longitudinal MMF performed in 1968–2006 at six observatories are compared in this paper. It is shown that the degree of discrepancy (slopes b of linear regression lines) varies significantly over the phase of the 11-year cycle. This gives rise to a paradox: the magnetograph calibration is affected by the state of the Sun itself. The proposed explanation is based on quantum properties of light, namely, nonlocality and “coupling” of photons whose polarization at the telescope-spectrograph output is determined by spacious parts of the solar disk. In this case, the degree of coupling, or “identity,” of photons depends on the field distribution in the photosphere and the instrument design (as Bohr said, “the instrument inevitably affects the result”). The “puzzling” values of slope b are readily explained by the dependence of the coupling on the solar-cycle phase. The very statistical nature of light makes discrepancies unavoidable and requires the simple averaging of data to obtain the best approximation of the actual MMF. A 39-year time series of the MMF absolute value is presented, which is indicative of significant variations in the magnitude of the solar magnetic field with a cycle period of 10.5(7) yr.