Atmospheric escape from the TRAPPIST-1 planets and implications for habitability
| Autor: | Chuanfei Dong, Yingjuan Ma, Manasvi Lingam, Vladimir Airapetian, Meng Jin, Bart van der Holst |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2017 |
| Předmět: |
Dwarf star
Outer planets 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences FOS: Physical sciences Context (language use) 01 natural sciences Astrobiology Physics - Space Physics Planet Natural satellite habitability 0103 physical sciences Astrophysics::Solar and Stellar Astrophysics 010303 astronomy & astrophysics Solar and Stellar Astrophysics (astro-ph.SR) 0105 earth and related environmental sciences Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP) Multidisciplinary Atmospheric escape Planetary surface Astrophysics::Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics Astronomy Exoplanet Space Physics (physics.space-ph) Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics Physical Sciences Environmental science Astrophysics::Earth and Planetary Astrophysics Astrophysics - Earth and Planetary Astrophysics |
| DOI: | 10.48550/arxiv.1705.05535 |
| Popis: | The presence of an atmosphere over sufficiently long timescales is widely perceived as one of the most prominent criteria associated with planetary surface habitability. We address the crucial question as to whether the seven Earth-sized planets transiting the recently discovered ultracool dwarf star TRAPPIST-1 are capable of retaining their atmospheres. To this effect, we carry out numerical simulations to characterize the stellar wind of TRAPPIST-1 and the atmospheric ion escape rates for all the seven planets. We also estimate the escape rates analytically and demonstrate that they are in good agreement with the numerical results. We conclude that the outer planets of the TRAPPIST-1 system are capable of retaining their atmospheres over billion-year timescales. The consequences arising from our results are also explored in the context of abiogenesis, biodiversity, and searches for future exoplanets. In light of the many unknowns and assumptions involved, we recommend that these conclusions must be interpreted with due caution. Comment: 19 pages, 4 figures, 3 tables |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|