Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2003-12-15
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
4 pages. Contribution to 'The Search for Other Worlds', Oct 2003, University of Maryland
Scientific paper
10.1063/1.1774525
We present the first models of Saturn and Jupiter to couple their evolution to both a radiative-atmosphere grid and to high-pressure phase diagrams of hydrogen with helium. The purpose of these models is to quantify the evolutionary effects of helium phase separation in Saturn's deep interior. We find that prior calculated phase diagrams in which Saturn's interior reaches a region of predicted helium immiscibility do not allow enough energy release to prolong Saturn's cooling to its known age and effective temperature. We explore modifications to published phase diagrams that would lead to greater energy release, and find a modified H-He phase diagram that is physically reasonable, leads to the correct extension of Saturn's cooling, and predicts an atmospheric helium mass fraction Y_atmos in agreement with recent estimates. We then expand our inhomogeneous evolutionary models to show that hypothetical extrasolar giant planets in the 0.15 to 3.0 Jupiter mass range may have T_effs 10-15 K greater than one would predict with models that do not incorporate helium phase separation.
Fortney Jonathan J.
Hubbard William B.
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