Extrasolar carbon planets
Apr, 2005Citations per year
Abstract: (arXiv)
We suggest that some extrasolar planets <~ 60 Earth masses will form substantially from silicon carbide and other carbon compounds. Pulsar planets and low-mass white dwarf planets are especially good candidate members of this new class of planets, but these objects could also conceivably form around stars like the Sun. This planet-formation pathway requires only a factor of two local enhancement of the protoplanetary disk's C/O ratio above solar, a condition that pileups of carbonaceous grains may create in ordinary protoplanetary disks. Hot, Neptune-mass carbon planets should show a significant paucity of water vapor in their spectra compared to hot planets with solar abundances. Cooler, less massive carbon planets may show hydrocarbon-rich spectra and tar-covered surfaces. The high sublimation temperatures of diamond, SiC, and other carbon compounds could protect these planets from carbon depletion at high temperatures.Note:
- Submitted to Astrophys.J.Lett.
- ASTROBIOLOGY
- PLANETS
- SATELLITES
- MERCURY
- JUPITER
- PLANETARY SYSTEM FORMATION
- PSR 1257+12
- WHITE DWARFS
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