New Chemical Models for Extrasolar Giant Planet Atmospheres, and Implications for Observations

Details New Chemical Models for Extrasolar Giant Planet Atmospheres, and Implications for Observations New Chemical Models for Extrasolar Giant Planet Atmospheres, and Implications for Observations

Sep 2011

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011ess.....2.4005v&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, ESS meeting #2, #40.05

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Scientific paper

We have developed one-dimensional photochemical and thermochemical kinetics and diffusion models to study the effects of disequilibrium processes such as photochemistry and transport-induced quenching in extrasolar giant planet (EGP) atmospheres. These models transition smoothly between each chemical regime (thermochemical, transport-quench, and photochemical) and allow us to explore the effects of photochemistry and/or atmospheric transport on the vertical abundance profiles of individual atmospheric constituents. Here we will present model results for neutral H-C-N-O chemistry in the atmospheres of GJ 436b, HD 189733b, HD 209458b, and WASP-12b. We will examine the sensitivity of the model results to thermal and eddy diffusion profiles, and identify the major chemical processes affecting the abundance of potentially observable carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen species. Particular attention will be given to transport-induced quenching mechanisms, including updates to a timescale approach that can be used to estimate the abundance of quenched species in EGP atmospheres. A comparison of model results with primary transit and secondary eclipse observations will be used to discuss implications for the observational properties of EGPs. In general, our results indicate that disequilibrium processes such as photochemistry and transport-induced quenching play a larger role on cooler exoplanets than on warmer exoplanets. Disequilibrium processes are also likely to enhance the abundances of various atmospheric constituents (e.g., CH4, HCN, NH3, and C2H2) that are expected to affect the spectral and photometric behavior of extrasolar giant planets. This work is supported by the NASA Planetary Atmospheres Program.

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