Venerdì 18 Ottobre 2019, ore 11:00
Osservatorio Astrofisico di Torino, Sala Seminari di Villa Magliola
Water World Galore
Dr. Li Zeng
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences
Harvard & Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics / Department of Astronomy,
Harvard University, Cambridge (US)
Abstract
Exoplanet radii show a bimodal distribution, with two peaks corresponding to smaller planets (likely rocky) and larger intermediate-size planets, respectively. We apply interior structure model, growth model, as well as atmospheric escape model, and conduct Monte Carlo simulations, to demonstrate that many intermediate-size planets are water worlds. This result has profound implications on planet formation theory and origins of life.
