Physics – Geophysics
Scientific paper
Sep 2009
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009dps....41.0505j&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #41, #5.05
Physics
Geophysics
Scientific paper
As observational techniques improve and new planet-finding missions come online (such as Kepler), observers will soon find extra-solar planets with compositions and masses similar to the terrestrial planets in our solar system. The discovery of such planets represents a crucial step in finding life outside our own solar system. However, the suitability of these planets for life depends on many factors, and the planets' semi-major axes and eccentricities play an important role. If a terrestrial-scale planet is a member of a multi-planet system, secular and resonant perturbations from the other planets can cause the planet's orbital elements to oscillate over tens of thousands of years. For planets with orbits very close to their host stars, tides may also be important, and the interplay between tidal, resonant and secular perturbations may produce complex effects. Dissipation of tidal energy within a terrestrial-scale planet may help drive important geophysical processes (e.g. volcanism or tectonic activity), and oscillations in orbital elements resulting from secular or resonant perturbations may cause the tidal heating to oscillate as well. We present models of the orbital evolution of a suite of hypothetical terrestrial-scale planets and discuss possible effects on habitability, geophysics and atmospheres. For example, oscillations in a planet's orbital eccentricity may induce climatic variations similar to the Milankovitch cycle on the Earth, perhaps causing planets to periodically ice over.
Barnes Robin
Greenberg Richard
Jackson Brian
Raymond Sean
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