Other
Scientific paper
Jan 2012
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2012aas...21932606b&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #219, #326.06
Other
Scientific paper
The inner edge of the habitable zone is often defined by the tightest orbit which does not trigger a moist or runaway greenhouse. Previously it was believed that only stellar radiation could trigger these phenomena for a long enough duration to dessicate a planet and preclude habitability. We show that for some planets orbiting low-mass main sequence stars (<0.3 solar masses), brown dwarfs and white dwarfs, tidal heating can reach levels that initiate a runaway greenhouse. We call these planets "Tidal Venuses." As tides circularize the orbit and drive the obliquity to 0 or π, the heating level drops, but tidal heating can persist long enough to remove all of a planet's water. Therefore a planet may be discovered in the habitable zone with very low eccentricity (and hence without enough tidal heat to drive a runaway greenhouse), and yet be uninhabitable due to a previous epoch of extreme tidal heating. In multi-planet systems, interactions with other companions may maintain non-zero eccentricities and obliquities, increasing the threat of catastrophic tidal heating. As terrestrial planets are discovered around low luminosity primaries, careful consideration of current and past tidal heating will be essential for estimating a planet's likelihood to be inhabited, and hence in allocating resources for its characterization.
Barnes Rory
Goldblatt Colin
Kasting James F.
Meadows Victoria S.
Mullins Kristina
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