ATMOSPHERES OF HOT SUPER-EARTHS

Chemistry of Silicate Atmospheres of Evaporating Super- Earths

Planet Formation around Stars of Various Masses: Hot Super-earths

We consider trends resulting from two formation mechanisms for short-period super-Earths: planetplanet scattering and migration. We model scenarios where these planets originate near the snow line in “cold finger” circumstellar disks. Low-mass planet-planet scattering excites planets to low periastron orbits only for lower mass stars. With long circularisation times, these planets reside on lon...

Hot super-Earths stripped by their host stars.

Simulations predict that hot super-Earth sized exoplanets can have their envelopes stripped by photoevaporation, which would present itself as a lack of these exoplanets. However, this absence in the exoplanet population has escaped a firm detection. Here we demonstrate, using asteroseismology on a sample of exoplanets and exoplanet candidates observed during the Kepler mission that, while ther...

Photochemistry in Terrestrial Exoplanet Atmospheres III: Photochemistry and Thermochemistry in Thick Atmospheres on Super Earths and Mini Neptunes

Some super Earths and mini Neptunes will likely have thick atmospheres that are not H2-dominated. We have developed a photochemistry-thermochemistry kinetic-transport model for exploring the compositions of thick atmospheres on super Earths and mini Neptunes, applicable for both H2-dominated atmospheres and non-H2-dominated atmospheres. Using this model to study thick atmospheres for wide range...

Melting in super-earths.

We examine the possible extent of melting in rock-iron super-earths, focusing on those in the habitable zone. We consider the energetics of accretion and core formation, the timescale of cooling and its dependence on viscosity and partial melting, thermal regulation via the temperature dependence of viscosity, and the melting curves of rock and iron components at the ultra-high pressures charac...