Terrestrial planets in high-mass disks without gas giants

Context. Observational and theoretical studies suggest that planetary systems consisting only of rocky planets are probably the most common in the Universe. Aims. We study the potential habitability of planets formed in high-mass disks without gas giants around solar-type stars. These systems are in...

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Autores principales: Elía, Gonzalo Carlos de, Guilera, Octavio Miguel, Brunini, Adrián
Formato: Articulo
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: 2013
Materias:
Acceso en línea:http://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/handle/10915/93468
https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/abs/2013/09/aa21304-13/aa21304-13.html
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id I19-R120-10915-93468
record_format dspace
institution Universidad Nacional de La Plata
institution_str I-19
repository_str R-120
collection SEDICI (UNLP)
language Inglés
topic Ciencias Astronómicas
Protoplanetary disks
Astrobiology
Numerical methods
spellingShingle Ciencias Astronómicas
Protoplanetary disks
Astrobiology
Numerical methods
Elía, Gonzalo Carlos de
Guilera, Octavio Miguel
Brunini, Adrián
Terrestrial planets in high-mass disks without gas giants
topic_facet Ciencias Astronómicas
Protoplanetary disks
Astrobiology
Numerical methods
description Context. Observational and theoretical studies suggest that planetary systems consisting only of rocky planets are probably the most common in the Universe. Aims. We study the potential habitability of planets formed in high-mass disks without gas giants around solar-type stars. These systems are interesting because they are likely to harbor super-Earths or Neptune-mass planets on wide orbits, which one should be able to detect with the microlensing technique. Methods. First, a semi-analytical model was used to define the mass of the protoplanetary disks that produce Earth-like planets, superEarths, or mini-Neptunes, but not gas giants. Using mean values for the parameters that describe a disk and its evolution, we infer that disks with masses lower than 0.15 M are unable to form gas giants. Then, that semi-analytical model was used to describe the evolution of embryos and planetesimals during the gaseous phase for a given disk. Thus, initial conditions were obtained to perform N-body simulations of planetary accretion. We studied disks of 0.1, 0.125, and 0.15 M. Results. All our simulations form massive planets on wide orbits. For a 0.1 M disk, 2–3 super-Earths of 2.8 to 5.9 M⊕ are formed between 2 and 5 AU. For disks of 0.125 and 0.15 M, our simulations produce a 10–17.1 M⊕ planet between 1.6 and 2.7 AU, and other super-Earths are formed in outer regions. Moreover, six planets survive in the habitable zone (HZ). These planets have masses from 1.9 to 4.7 M⊕ and significant water contents ranging from 560 to 7482 Earth oceans, where one Earth ocean represents the amount of water on Earth’s surface, which equals 2.8 × 10−4 M⊕. Of the six planets formed in the HZ, three are water worlds with 39%–44% water by mass. These planets start the simulations beyond the snow line, which explains their high water abundances. In general terms, the smaller the mass of the planets observed on wide orbits, the higher the possibility to find water worlds in the HZ. In fact, massive planets can act as a dynamical barrier that prevents the inward diffusion of water-rich embryos located beyond the snow line. Conclusions. Systems without gas giants that harbor super-Earths or Neptune-mass planets on wide orbits around solar-type stars are of astrobiological interest. These systems are likely to harbor super-Earths in the HZ with significant water contents, which missions such as Kepler and Darwin should be able to find.
format Articulo
Articulo
author Elía, Gonzalo Carlos de
Guilera, Octavio Miguel
Brunini, Adrián
author_facet Elía, Gonzalo Carlos de
Guilera, Octavio Miguel
Brunini, Adrián
author_sort Elía, Gonzalo Carlos de
title Terrestrial planets in high-mass disks without gas giants
title_short Terrestrial planets in high-mass disks without gas giants
title_full Terrestrial planets in high-mass disks without gas giants
title_fullStr Terrestrial planets in high-mass disks without gas giants
title_full_unstemmed Terrestrial planets in high-mass disks without gas giants
title_sort terrestrial planets in high-mass disks without gas giants
publishDate 2013
url http://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/handle/10915/93468
https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/abs/2013/09/aa21304-13/aa21304-13.html
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