Bibcode
Rouan, D.; Deeg, H. J.; Demangeon, O.; Samuel, B.; Cavarroc, C.; Fegley, B.; Léger, A.
Referencia bibliográfica
The Astrophysical Journal Letters, Volume 741, Issue 2, article id. L30 (2011).
Fecha de publicación:
11
2011
Número de citas
49
Número de citas referidas
43
Descripción
The Kepler mission has made an important observation: the first
detection of photons from a terrestrial planet by observing its phase
curve (Kepler-10b). This opens a new field in exoplanet science: the
possibility of obtaining information about the atmosphere and surface of
rocky planets, objects of prime interest. In this Letter, we apply the
Lava-ocean model to interpret the observed phase curve. The model, a
planet without atmosphere and a surface partially made of molten rocks,
has been proposed for planets of the class of CoRoT-7b, i.e., rocky
planets very close to their star (at a few stellar radii). Kepler-10b is
a typical member of this family. It predicts that the light from the
planet has an important emission component in addition to the reflected
one, even in the Kepler spectral band. Assuming an isotropical
reflection of light by the planetary surface (Lambertian-like
approximation), we find that a Bond albedo of ~50% can account for the
observed amplitude of the phase curve, as opposed to a first attempt
where an unusually high value was found. We propose a physical process
to explain this still large value of the albedo. The overall
interpretation can be tested in the future with instruments such as the
James Webb Space Telescope or the Exoplanet Characterization
Observatory. Our model predicts a spectral dependence that is clearly
distinguishable from that of purely reflected light and from that of a
planet at a uniform temperature.
Proyectos relacionados
Sismología Solar y Estelar y Búsqueda de Exoplanetas
Los objetivos genéricos de este Proyecto son: 1) el estudio de la estructura y dinámica del interior solar, 2) la extensión de dicho estudio al caso de otras estrellas, 3) la búsqueda y caracterización de planetas extrasolares por métodos fotométricos (principalmente mediante el método de tránsitos) y espectroscópico (variaciones en la velocidad
Savita
Mathur