Exoplanets and Stellar Physics

Abstract:

Context. Semi-grey atmospheric models (with one opacity for the visible and one opacity for the infrared) are useful to understand the global structure of irradiated atmospheres, their dynamics and the interior structure and evolution of planets, brown dwarfs and stars. But when compared to direct numerical radiative transfer calculations for irradiated exoplanets, these models systematically overestimate the temperatures at low optical depth, independently of the opacity parameters. We wish to understand why semi-grey models fail at low optical depths, and provide a more accurate approximation to the atmospheric structure by accounting for the variable opacity in the infrared. Our analytical irradiated non-grey model is found to provide a range of temperatures that is consistent with that obtained by numerical calculations. We find that even for slightly non-grey thermal opacities the temperature structure differs significantly from previous semi-grey models. For small values of beta (expected when lines are dominant), we find that the non-grey effects are confined to low-optical depths. However, for beta larger than 0.5 (appropriate in the presence of bands with a wavelength-dependence smaller or comparable with the width of the Planck function), we find that the temperature structure is affected even down to infrared optical depths unity and deeper as a result of the so-called blanketing effect. The expressions that we derive may be used to provide a proper functional form for algorithms that invert the atmospheric properties from spectral information. Because a full atmospheric structure can be calculated directly, these expressions should be useful for simulations of the dynamics of these atmospheres and of the thermal evolution of the planets. Finally, they should be used to test full radiative transfer models and improve their convergence.

Abstract:

Abstract:

Ariel, the Atmospheric Remote-sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large-survey, was adopted as the fourth medium-class mission in ESA's Cosmic Vision programme to be launched in 2029. During its 4-year mission, Ariel will study what exoplanets are made of, how they formed and how they evolve, by surveying a diverse sample of about 1000 extrasolar planets, simultaneously in visible and infrared wavelengths. It is the first mission dedicated to measuring the chemical composition and thermal structures of hundreds of transiting exoplanets, enabling planetary science far beyond the boundaries of the Solar System. The payload consists of an off-axis Cassegrain telescope (primary mirror 1100 mm x 730 mm ellipse) and two separate instruments (FGS and AIRS) covering simultaneously 0.5-7.8 micron spectral range. The satellite is best placed into an L2 orbit to maximise the thermal stability and the field of regard. The payload module is passively cooled via a series of V-Groove radiators; the detectors for the AIRS are the only items that require active cooling via an active Ne JT cooler. The Ariel payload is developed by a consortium of more than 50 institutes from 16 ESA countries, which include the UK, France, Italy, Belgium, Poland, Spain, Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Portugal, Czech Republic, Hungary, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Estonia, and a NASA contribution.

Abstract:

The runaway greenhouse represents the ultimate climate catastrophe for rocky, Earth-like worlds: when the incoming stellar flux cannot be balanced by radiation to space, the oceans evaporate and exacerbate heating, turning the planet into a hot wasteland with a steam atmosphere overlying a possibly molten magma surface. The equilibrium state beyond the runaway greenhouse instellation limit depends on the radiative properties of the atmosphere and its temperature structure. Here, we use 1-D radiative-convective models of steam atmospheres to explore the transition from the tropospheric radiation limit to the post-runaway climate state. To facilitate eventual simulations with 3-D global circulation models, a computationally efficient band-grey model is developed, which is capable of reproducing the key features of the more comprehensive calculations. We analyze two factors which determine the equilibrated surface temperature of post-runaway planets. The infrared cooling of the planet is strongly enhanced by the penetration of the dry adiabat into the optically thin upper regions of the atmosphere. In addition, thermal emission of both shortwave and near-IR fluxes from the hot lower atmospheric layers, which can radiate through window regions of the spectrum, is quantified. Astronomical surveys of rocky exoplanets in the runaway greenhouse state may discriminate these features using multi-wavelength observations.