We study the magnetospheric structure and the ionospheric Joule Heating of planets orbiting M-dwarf stars in the habitable zone using a set of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) models. The stellar wind solution […]
astro-ph.EP]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Three Regimes of Extrasolar Planets Inferred From Host Star Metallicities
Approximately half of the extrasolar planets (exoplanets) with radii less than four Earth radii are in orbits with short periods. Despite their sheer abundance, the compositions of such planets are […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets
Exploring the Origins of Carbon in Terrestrial Worlds
Given the central role of carbon in the chemistry of life, it is a fundamental question as to how carbon is supplied to the Earth, in what form and when. […]
Posted inAstrochemistry
Complex Organic Molecules Along Accretion Flow In Isolated / Externally Irradiated Protoplanetary Disks
The birth environment of the Sun will have influenced the conditions in the pre-solar nebula, including the attainable chemical complexity, important for prebiotic chemistry. The formation and distribution of complex […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones
A Cold and a Temperate Super-Earth Orbiting Kapteyn's Star
Exoplanets of a few Earth masses can be now detected around nearby low-mass stars using Doppler spectroscopy. In this paper, we investigate the radial velocity variations of Kapteyn’s star, which […]
Posted inTitan
Equilibrium Composition Between liquid and Clathrate Reservoirs on Titan
Hundreds of lakes and a few seas of liquid hydrocarbons have been observed by the Cassini spacecraft to cover the polar regions of Titan. A significant fraction of these lakes […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Titan
Titan's Atmosphere as Observed VIMS/Cassini Solar Occultations: CH4, CO and Evidence for C2H6 Absorption
We present an analysis of the VIMS solar occultations dataset, which extracts vertically resolved information on the characteristics of Titan’s atmosphere between 100-700 km with a characteristic vertical resolution of […]
Posted inMars
Warming Early Mars with CO2 and H2
The presence of valleys on ancient terrains of Mars suggest that liquid water flowed on the martian surface 3.8 billion years ago or before. The above-freezing temperatures required to explain […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Habitable Zones
Nitrogen Isotopic Composition and Density of the Archean Atmosphere
Understanding the atmosphere’s composition during the Archean eon is a fundamental issue to unravel ancient environmental conditions. We show from the analysis of nitrogen and argon isotopes in fluid inclusions […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Habitable Zones
Origins and Concentrations of Water, Carbon, Nitrogen and Noble Gases on Earth
The isotopic compositions of terrestrial hydrogen and nitrogen are clearly different from those of the nebular gas from which the solar system formed, and also differ from most of cometary […]