The Structure of the Lone Core-Dominated Exoplanet

Details The Structure of the Lone Core-Dominated Exoplanet The Structure of the Lone Core-Dominated Exoplanet

May 2007

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2007sptz.prop40423c&link_type=abstract

Spitzer Proposal ID #40423

Computer Science

Scientific paper

Of all the known transiting exoplanets, one is unique in that its large density implies the presence of a massive central core of heavy elements. Although this conclusion would seem to support the core-accretion theory of planet formation as opposed to coreless alternatives such as gravitational instability, the core is much larger than expected. Many theoretical investigations have attempted to explain why this planet did not accrete gas efficiently or, alternatively, how it lost much of its gas envelope at a later stage. Surprisingly, these conclusions hinge on an estimate of the planet radius that is only poorly determined by current standards. We propose to fix this problem by obtaining an ultra precise IRAC 8-micron light curve of a single planetary transit. We simulate the expected data and conduct a complete end-to-end analysis. We demonstrate that we will improve the estimate of the planetary radius to the level required to conclude beyond the shadow of a doubt that a massive core lies at the heart of this puzzling world.

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