Observable consequences of planet formation models in systems with close-in terrestrial planets

To date, two planetary systems have been discovered with close-in, terrestrial-mass planets     . Many more such discoveries are anticipated in the coming years with radial velocity and transit searches. Here we investigate the different mechanisms that could form 'hot Earths' and their observable predictions. Models include: (1) in situ accretion; (2) formation at larger orbital distance followed by inward 'type 1' migration; (3) formation from material being 'shepherded' inward by a migrating gas giant planet; (4) formation from material being shepherded by moving secular resonances during dispersal of the protoplanetary disc; (5) tidal circularization of eccentric terrestrial planets with close-in perihelion distances and (6) photoevaporative mass-loss of a close-in giant planet. Models 1–4 have been validated in previous work. We show that tidal circularization can form hot Earths, but only for relatively massive planets     with very close-in perihelion distances (≲0.025 au), and even then the net inward movement in orbital distance is at most only 0.1–0.15 au. For planets of less than     , photoevaporation can remove the planet's envelope and leave behind the solid core on a Gyr time-scale, but only for planets inside 0.025–0.05 au. Using two quantities that are observable by current and upcoming missions, we show that these models each produce unique signatures, and can be observationally distinguished. These observables are the planetary system architecture (detectable with radial velocities, transits and transit timing) and the bulk composition of transiting close-in terrestrial planets (measured by transits via the planet's radius).     

A Spitzer survey of young stellar objects in the Rosette Molecular Cloud

We present results from a survey of the Rosette Molecular Cloud (RMC) using both the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) and Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer (MIPS) onboard the Spitzer Space Telescope . We have mapped a region of active star formation covering an area approximately 1° by 1.5° including several previously known clusters. Spectral energy distributions (SEDs) fitted to our data combined with that from Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) are used to identify young stellar objects (YSOs) with infrared (IR) excesses. We find that roughly 50 per cent of the sources are forming in clustered environments and identify seven clusters of IR excess sources including four that were previously unknown. We investigate evidence for triggering of star formation due to the ionization front, identified in Brackett-α emission, associated with the young open cluster NGC 2244. Although the position of several of the clusters of IR excess sources are coincident with the ionization front, the bulk of the youngest YSOs are located far from the ionization front, in clusters located along the mid-plane of the cloud. We conclude that although triggering from the H  ii nebula is a possible origin for some of the recent star formation, the majority of the active star formation is occurring in already dense regions of the cloud not compressed by the expansion of the H  ii region.     

Eccentricity growth of planetesimals in a self-gravitating protoplanetary disc

We investigate the orbital evolution of planetesimals in a self-gravitating circumstellar disc in the size regime (∼1–5000 km) where the planetesimals behave approximately as test particles in the disc's non-axisymmetric potential. We find that the particles respond to the stochastic, regenerative spiral features in the disc by executing large random excursions (up to a factor of 2 in radius in ∼1000 yr), although typical random orbital velocities are of the order of one tenth of the Keplerian speed. The limited time frame and small number of planetesimals modelled do not permit us to discern any net direction of planetesimal migration. Our main conclusion is that the high eccentricities (∼0.1) induced by interaction with spiral features in the disc is likely to be highly unfavourable to the collisional growth of planetesimals in this size range while the disc is in the self-gravitating regime. Thus if , as recently argued by Rice et al., the production of planetesimals gets under way when the disc is in the self-gravitating regime (either at smaller planetesimal size scales, where gas drag is important, or via gravitational fragmentation of the solid component), the planetesimals thus produced would not be able to grow collisionally until the disc ceases to be self-gravitating. It is unclear, however, given the large amplitude excursions undergone by planetesimals in the self-gravitating disc, whether they would be retained in the disc throughout this period, or whether they would instead be lost to the central star.     

WASP-3b: a strongly irradiated transiting gas-giant planet

We report the discovery of WASP-3b, the third transiting exoplanet to be discovered by the WASP and SOPHIE collaboration. WASP-3b transits its host star USNO-B1.0 1256−0285133 every  1.846 834 ± 0.000 002  d. Our high-precision radial velocity measurements present a variation with amplitude characteristic of a planetary-mass companion and in phase with the light curve. Adaptive optics imaging shows no evidence for nearby stellar companions, and line-bisector analysis excludes faint, unresolved binarity and stellar activity as the cause of the radial velocity variations. We make a preliminary spectroscopic analysis of the host star and find it to have   T _eff= 6400 ± 100 K  and  log   g = 4.25 ± 0.05  which suggests it is most likely an unevolved main-sequence star of spectral type F7-8V. Our simultaneous modelling of the transit photometry and reflex motion of the host leads us to derive a mass of  1.76^+0.08_−0.14 M _J  and radius  1.31^+0.07_−0.14 R _J  for WASP-3b. The proximity and relative temperature of the host star suggests that WASP-3b is one of the hottest exoplanets known, and thus has the potential to place stringent constraints on exoplanet atmospheric models.     

The vertical structure of planet-induced gaps in protoplanetary discs

Giant planets embedded in circumstellar discs are expected to open gaps in these discs. We examine the vertical structure of the gap edges. We find that the planet excites spiral arms with significant (Mach number of a half) vertical motion of the gas, and discuss the implications of these motions. In particular, the spiral arms will make the edge appear 'puffed up' relative to the bulk of the disc. Infrared observations (sensitive to dust) would be dominated by the light from the thick inner edge of the disc. Submillimetre observations (sensitive to gas velocities) would appear to be hot in 'turbulent' motions (actually the ordered motion caused by the passage of the spiral arms), but cold in chemistry. Resolved submillimetre maps of circumstellar discs might even be able to detect the spiral arms directly.     

Periastron precession measurements in transiting extrasolar planetary systems at the level of general relativity

Transiting exoplanetary systems are surpassingly important among the planetary systems since they provide the widest spectrum of information for both the planet and the host star. If a transiting planet is on an eccentric orbit, the duration of transits T _D is sensitive to the orientation of the orbital ellipse relative to the line of sight. The precession of the orbit results in a systematic variation in both the duration of individual transit events and the observed period between successive transits,   P _obs  . The periastron of the ellipse slowly precesses due to general relativity and possibly the presence of other planets in the system. This secular precession can be detected through the long-term change in   P _obs  (transit timing variations, TTV) or in T _D (transit duration variations, TDV). We estimate the corresponding precession measurement precision for repeated future observations of the known eccentric transiting exoplanetary systems (XO-3b, HD 147506b, GJ 436b and HD 17156b) using existing or planned space-borne instruments. The TDV measurement improves the precession detection sensitivity by orders of magnitude over the TTV measurement. We find that TDV measurements over a approximately 4 yr period can typically detect the precession rate to a precision well exceeding the level predicted by general relativity.     

An analytical method to compute comet cloud formation efficiency and its application

A quick analytical method is presented for calculating comet cloud formation efficiency in the case of a single planet or multiple-planet system for planets that are not too eccentric (e _p ≲ 0.3). A method to calculate the fraction of comets that stay under the control of each planet is also presented, as well as a way to determine the efficiency in different star cluster environments. The location of the planet(s) in mass-semi-major axis space to form a comet cloud is constrained based on the conditions developed by Tremaine (1993) together with estimates of the likelyhood of passing comets between planets; and, in the case of a single, eccentric planet, the additional constraint that it is, by itself, able to accelerate material to relative encounter velocity U ~ 0.4 within the age of the stellar system without sweeping up the majority of the material beforehand. For a single planet, it turns out the efficiency is mainly a function of planetary mass and semi-major axis of the planet and density of the stellar environment. The theory has been applied to some extrasolar systems and compared to numerical simulations for both these systems and the Solar System, as well as a diffusion scheme based on the energy kick distribution of Everhart (Astron J 73:1039–1052, 1968). The analytic results are in good agreement with the simulations.     

重庆市自然灾害管理综合信息系统研究

从重庆市自然灾害情况和自然灾害信息管理现状分析入手,构建了该市自然灾害管理信息系统的系统目标、整体设计和界面的开发。该市自然灾害管理信息系统主要由4个模块组成:自然灾害数据库模块、远程通信管理模块、应用分析模型库和决策支持模块四大部分,四大模块通过一定的数据接口连结,成为一体化系统,对市自然灾害进行有效的管理和监测,从而减少自然灾害带来的经济损失。