Atmospheric Chemistry in Extrasolar Giant Planets or The Cosmic Shoreline

Details Atmospheric Chemistry in Extrasolar Giant Planets or The Cosmic Shoreline Atmospheric Chemistry in Extrasolar Giant Planets or The Cosmic Shoreline

Sep 2011

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011ess.....2.4022z&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, ESS meeting #2, #40.22

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Scientific paper

Title: Atmospheric Chemistry in Extrasolar Giant Planets.
Metallicity and C/O ratio are potential observables in spectra of EGPs. Both address the mode of planetary formation. Metallicity reveals itself best in molecules composed of more than one “metal” atom, such as CO2. C/O ratio is more complicated.
There are parallels between the chemistry generated by 1994’s SL9 impacts on Jupiter and the chemistry of EGPs. In both, a hot gas quenches by cooling and rarefaction. In SL9, the impact-heated gas exploded, expanded, and cooled. In EGPs, quenching is a consequence of vertical mixing. Products of SL9 included S2, CS2, HCN, C2H4, CO, CO2, and carbonaceous hazes. All of these might be expected in EGPs.
Close-in planets differ from SL9 in the photochemical consequences of stellar UV. Primary photolysis of H2S, NH3, and H2O creates free radicals that react with H2 to make atomic H. Abundant H attacks CH4 and promotes formation of C2H2 and HCN, which readily polymerize to make hazes. It is likely that such a haze is observed in HD 189733b.
Title: Cosmic Shoreline.
Volatile escape is the classic existential problem of planetary atmospheres. The problem has gained new currency now that we can begin to study escape, or the cumulative effects of escape, from extrasolar planets seen in transit. Already some intriguing patterns have emerged. In particular, transiting EGPs appear to fit a pattern seen in our own Solar System. The data show that atmospheres are found where escape velocity is high and (i) solar heating is low or (ii) impact velocities are low. In either case, the boundary between planets with and without atmospheres --- the cosmic shoreline, as it were --- is a simple power law that extends from Pluto to Jupiters and beyond.

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