Exoplanets & Exomoons

A Chemical Modelling Roadmap Linking Protoplanetary Disks and Exoplanet Atmospheres

By Keith Cowing
Press Release
astro-ph.EP
November 1, 2022
Filed under , , ,
A Chemical Modelling Roadmap Linking Protoplanetary Disks and Exoplanet Atmospheres
A chronological overview of the effects of planet formation chemistry, from the onset of planet formation in a protoplanetary disk (1) to analysis of JWST data from observing programs that characterise exoplanet atmospheric compositions (4-5). In this illustration with a focus on Hot Jupiter exoplanets. This illustration was made by the author. JWST illustration credit: NASA.

This review paper discussed which chemical effects may be at play in a planet-forming disk midplane, which effects are relevant under different conditions, and which tools are available for modelling chemical kinetics in a disk midplane.

The review goes on to discuss some important efforts in the planet formation modelling community to treat chemical evolution, and, vice versa, efforts in the chemical modelling community to implement more physical effects related to planet formation into the chemical modelling.

The aim of this review is both to outline some concepts related to planet formation chemistry, but also to encourage, not just collaboration between the planet formation modelling community and the astrochemical community, but also assistance and guidance from one community to the other. Guidance, regarding which effects, out of many, might be more relevant than others under certain planet formation conditions, and regarding why certain included effects lead to certain important modelling outcomes.

As the research fields of exoplanet atmospheres and protoplanetary disks near new frontiers in observational insights with upcoming facilities, developing appropriate modelling frameworks (including physical and chemical effects) is paramount to ultimately enable the linking of a chemically characterised exoplanet atmospheres to its formation history in its natal protoplanetary disk.

Christian Eistrup

Comments: Invited Review for Special Issue of the American Chemical Society. 51 pages
Subjects: Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP)
Cite as: arXiv:2210.16921 [astro-ph.EP] (or arXiv:2210.16921v1 [astro-ph.EP] for this version)
Submission history
From: Christian Eistrup
[v1] Sun, 30 Oct 2022 18:53:23 UTC (5,007 KB)
https://arxiv.org/abs/2210.16921

Astrobiology

Keith Cowing

Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA Space Station Payload manager/space biologist, Away Teams, Journalist, Lapsed climber, Synaesthete, Na’Vi-Jedi-Freman-Buddhist-mix, ASL, Devon Island and Everest Base Camp veteran, (he/him) 🖖🏻

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