Mass – radius relations of puffy Venuses. a: M-R relations compared to observed exoplanets. The grey line is the M-R for terrestrial planets with an Earth-like core mass fraction of 0.325 (Plotnykov & Valencia 2020). Colored solid lines are puffy Venus radii assuming different Teq, with the fiducial, OC-like volatile C and H abundances. The orange dashed line is the M-R for Teq = 2000 K planets with a convective deep atmosphere to the MO surface, instead of a deep radiative zone. The shaded region is the range of M-R space an air-less rocky world can occupy for all possible Fe/Si ∈ [0, 1]. Planets less dense than this region require a volatile component. Measured exoplanet samples are from the NASA Exoplanet Archive (2023), and only contain those with relative errors below 30%. The nine planets highlighted with black circles are our preferred puffy Venus candidates. In rising mass order, they are GJ 1252 b, TOI-500 b, TOI-561 b, Kepler-10 b, Kepler-36 b, HD 219134 b, HD 3167 b, WASP-47 e, and 55 Cnc e. TOI-561 b’s radius is from Patel et al. (2023); its mass is from Brinkman et al. (2023) b: M-R of puffy Venuses with a range of chondritic C abundances, more opaque lines correspond to less C. They are color-coded by temperature – Teq = 1000 K (blue) and 2000 K (orange). The dashed orange line is for wet CI composition, while the solid line with the same color is for dry CI composition. The dotted portion of dry CI, 1000 K line are atmospheres that should experience graphite precipitation; see text. c: M-R of models assuming different chemical scenarios – I (solid), local chemical equilibrium throughout the atmosphere, II (dash-dot), chemical equilibrium at the MO surface, and a CO2 + H2O atmosphere (dotted). Fiducial OC C and H abundances are used. Same color-coding as b. The solid 1000 K and 2000 K lines in a, the 2 OC lines in b, and the 2 Scenario I lines in c are the same. — astro-ph.EP
The recent advancements in exoplanet observations enable the potential detection of exo-Venuses, rocky planets with carbon-rich atmospheres. How extended these atmospheres can be, given high carbon abundances, has not been studied.
To answer this, we present a model for a theoretical class of exoplanets – puffy Venuses – characterized by thick, carbon-dominated atmospheres in equilibrium with global magma oceans. Our model accounts for carbon and hydrogen partition between the atmosphere and the magma ocean, as well as the C-H-O equilibrium chemistry throughout a semi-grey, radiative-convective atmosphere.
We find that radius inflation by puffy Venus atmospheres is significant on small and irradiated planets: carbon content of 1200 ppm (or that of ordinary chondrites) can generate an atmosphere of ~0.16 – 0.3 R⊕ for an Earth-mass planet with equilibrium temperatures of 1500 to 2000 K. We identify TOI-561 b as an especially promising puffy Venus candidate, whose under-density could be attributed to a thick C-rich atmosphere.
We also advocate for a puffy Venus interpretation of 55 Cancri e, where recent JWST observation indicates the presence of a CO/CO2 atmosphere. Puffy Venuses may thus constitute a testable alternative interpretation for the interior structure of underdense low-mass exoplanets.
Bo Peng, Diana Valencia
Comments: V3, under review in ApJL. We welcome & appreciate your comments Subjects: Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP) Cite as: arXiv:2405.08998 [astro-ph.EP] (or arXiv:2405.08998v1 [astro-ph.EP] for this version) Submission history From: Bo Peng [v1] Tue, 14 May 2024 23:46:44 UTC (190 KB) https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.08998
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) 🖖🏻
