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Super-Earths: Atmospheric Accretion, Thermal Evolution and Envelope Loss

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Formation, Evolution, and Dynamics of Young Solar Systems

Part of the book series: Astrophysics and Space Science Library ((ASSL,volume 445))

Abstract

Combined mass and radius observations have recently revealed many short-period planets a few times the size of Earth but with significantly lower densities. A natural explanation for the low density of these super Earths is a voluminous gas atmosphere that engulfs more compact rocky cores. Planets with such substantial gas atmospheres may be a missing link between smaller planets, that did not manage to obtain or keep an atmosphere, and larger planets, that accreted gas too quickly and became gas giants . In this chapter we review recent advancements in the understanding of low-density super-Earth formation and evolution. Specifically, we present a consistent picture of the various stages in the lives of these planets: gas accretion from the protoplanetary disk, possible atmosphere heating and evaporation mechanisms, collisions between planets, and finally, evolution up to the age at which the planets are observed.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Re’em Sari for discussions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, 91904, Israel

    Sivan Ginzburg

  2. MIT, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA

    Niraj K. Inamdar & Hilke E. Schlichting

  3. University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA

    Hilke E. Schlichting

Authors
  1. Sivan Ginzburg
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  2. Niraj K. Inamdar
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  3. Hilke E. Schlichting
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Correspondence to Sivan Ginzburg .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Niels Bohr Institute, Niels Bohr International Academy, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Martin Pessah

  2. The Niels Bohr Institute, Niels Bohr International Academy, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Oliver Gressel

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Ginzburg, S., Inamdar, N.K., Schlichting, H.E. (2017). Super-Earths: Atmospheric Accretion, Thermal Evolution and Envelope Loss. In: Pessah, M., Gressel, O. (eds) Formation, Evolution, and Dynamics of Young Solar Systems. Astrophysics and Space Science Library, vol 445. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60609-5_10

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