Formation and Evolution of super-Earths and sub-Neptune Planets

超级地球和亚海王星行星的形成和演化

• 批准号: RGPIN-2014-06567
• 负责人: Valencia, Diana
• 金额: $ 1.38万
• 依托单位: University of Toronto
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2020-01-01 至 2021-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=708127
• 关键词: Formation; Evolution; super; Earths; sub

In the last 20 years, with improvement in observations, we have gone from discovering the first planet, a Jupiter-mass planet, outside the solar system, moving down in size to discovering super-Earth planets (a few masses larger than Earth), to even taking the spectrum of a sub-Neptune planet with information on its atmospheric composition. In the quest to finding an Earth analog, we are discovering the larger versions of it first, opening a new field of study. With no analog in our Solar System, super-Earths and sub-Neptunes are a new type of planet with novel characteristics for us to understand. Thanks to the growing number of discoveries, we now have enough data to study the physical processes that govern these objects. My research program addresses fundamental questions about the composition, origin and evolution of these planets. By inferring the composition of these objects we gain information about the location and timing of formation. Our research includes studying two aspects about formation: with theoretical models we aim to understand how atmospheric evaporation has shaped the envelopes of these planets, and by modeling the end-stages of formation and tying it to chemical composition, we will quantify the compositional outcomes of solid planets. This will allow us to understand how common an Earth-like and Mercury-like compositions are for planets around other stars. Furthermore, we know that planets evolve habitable conditions, and that Earth's thermal evolution has played a role in making it suitable for life. Super-Earths typically experience surface temperatures, heating budgets and mantle compositions that differ drastically from Earth and other solar system solid planets. Our goal is to generalize thermal evolution studies and understand mantle convection under generalized conditions appropriate for rocky/icy super-Earths. With the aim of helping future observations, we will couple mantle convection to outgassing of the atmosphere to trace out the pathways to habitability of terrestrial planets. This research program will help us understand the Earth and the Solar System planets in a broad planetary context.

在过去的20年中，随着观察结果的改善，我们已经从发现第一个行星，一个木星质量行星，太阳系以外的木星质量行星，变成尺寸向下变化到发现超实地球（比地球大的几块），甚至可以采取有关其大气组成的信息。为了找到一个地球类似物，我们首先发现了它的较大版本，开辟了一个新的研究领域。在我们的太阳系中没有类似物的情况下，超级诞生和亚北极子是一种新型的行星，具有新的特征，我们可以理解。 由于发现的数量越来越多，我们现在拥有足够的数据来研究控制这些对象的物理过程。 我的研究计划解决了有关这些行星的组成，起源和演变的基本问题。通过推断这些对象的组成，我们获得了有关形成的位置和时机的信息。我们的研究包括研究有关形成的两个方面：通过理论模型，我们旨在了解大气蒸发如何塑造这些行星的信封，并通过对地层的末端进行建模并将其与化学成分绑在一起，我们将量化固体星球的组成结果。这将使我们能够理解其他恒星周围行星的类似地球和汞状成分的普遍性。 此外，我们知道行星会发展可居住的条件，并且地球的热进化在使其适合生命方面发挥了作用。超收入通常会经历与地球和其他太阳系固体行星截然不同的表面温度，加热预算和地幔成分。我们的目标是概括热进化研究，并了解适合岩石/冰冷的超级地球的广义条件下的地幔对流。为了帮助未来的观察，我们将将地幔对流与大气融合在一起，以追踪通往陆地行星宜居性的途径。 该研究计划将帮助我们在广阔的行星背景下了解地球和太阳系行星。