TRAPPIST-1 d: Exo-Venus, Exo-Earth or Exo-Dead?

TRAPPIST-1 d is generally assumed to be at the boundary between a Venus-like world and an Earth-like world, although recently published works on TRAPPIST-1 b and c raise concerns that TRAPPIST-1 d may be similarly devoid of a substantial atmosphere.

TRAPPIST-1 d is also relatively understudied in comparison with TRAPPIST-1 e. The latter has generally appeared to be within the habitable zone of most atmospheric modeling studies. Assuming that TRAPPIST-1 d still retains a substantial atmosphere, we demonstrate via a series of 3D general circulation model experiments using a dynamic ocean that the planet could reside within the habitable zone in a narrow parameter space.

At the same time, it could also be an exo-Venus or exo-Dead-type world or in transition between between one of these. Studies like this can help distinguish between these types of worlds.

M. J. Way

Comments: 17 pages, 5 Figures, Accepted ApJ Letters
Subjects: Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP)
Cite as: arXiv:2502.00132 [astro-ph.EP] (or arXiv:2502.00132v1 [astro-ph.EP] for this version)
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2502.00132
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Submission history
From: Michael Way
[v1] Fri, 31 Jan 2025 19:33:40 UTC (1,044 KB)
https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.00132
Astrobiology