Related papers: Blackbody Radiation from Isolated Neptunes
We describe analytical and numerical collisional evolution calculations for the size distribution of icy bodies in the Kuiper Belt. For a wide range of bulk properties, initial masses, and orbital parameters, our results yield power-law…
We discuss our current understanding of the interior structure and thermal evolution of giant planets. This includes the gas giants, such as Jupiter and Saturn, that are primarily composed of hydrogen and helium, as well as the "ice…
Most known trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) gravitationally scattering off the giant planets have orbital inclinations consistent with an origin from the classical Kuiper belt, but a small fraction of these "scattering TNOs" have inclinations…
We present the discovery of three modestly-irradiated, roughly Neptune-mass planets orbiting three nearby Solar-type stars. HD 42618 b has a minimum mass of $15.4 \pm 2.4$ M$_{\oplus}$, a semi-major axis of 0.55 AU, an equilibrium…
I give a general overview of the theory of neutron star cooling, emphasizing the intuitive understanding of the effects of the various physical ingredients, including the recently proposed accreted envelopes and neutrino emission from…
Phase curve measurements provide a global view of the composition, thermal structure, and dynamics of exoplanet atmospheres. Although most of the dozens of phase curve measurements made to date are of large, massive hot Jupiters, there is…
We review current state of neutron star cooling theory and discuss the prospects to constrain the equation of state, neutrino emission and superfluid properties of neutron star cores by comparing the cooling theory with observations of…
We explore the thermal state of the neutron star in the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant using the recent result of Ho & Heinke (Nature, 462, 71 (2009)) that the thermal radiation of this star is well-described by a carbon atmosphere model…
Circumbinary planets experience a time varying irradiation pattern as they orbit their two host stars. In this work, we present the first detailed study of the atmospheric effects of this irradiation pattern on known and hypothetical…
Cooling of neutron stars with dipole magnetic fields is simulated using a realistic model of the anisotropic surface temperature distribution produced by magnetic fields. Suppression of the electron thermal conductivity of outer stellar…
We derive analytic approximations for the neutrino luminosities and the heat capacities of neutron stars with isothernal nucleon cores as functions of the mass and radius of stars. The neutrino luminosities are approximated for the three…
In current theories of planet formation, close-orbiting planets as massive as Neptune are expected to be very rare around low-mass stars. We report the discovery of a Neptune-mass planet orbiting the `ultracool' star LHS 3154, which is nine…
(Abridged) Inspired by the Kepler planet discoveries, we consider the thermal contraction of planets close to their parent star, under the influence of evaporation. The mass-loss rates are based on hydrodynamic models of evaporation that…
The Cosmic Neutrino Background (C$\nu$B) constitutes the last observable prediction of the standard cosmological model, which has yet to be detected directly. In this work, we show how the coherent scattering of neutrinos off dense neutron…
Motivated by the various theoretical studies regarding the efficient capturing of dark matter by neutron stars, we explore the possible indirect effects of captured dark matter on the cooling mechanism of a neutron star. The equation of…
The origin of the orbital structure of the cold component of the Kuiper belt is still a hot subject of investigation. Several features of the solar system suggest that the giant planets underwent a phase of global dynamical instability, but…
We consider models of cooling neutron stars with nucleon cores which possess moderately strong triplet-state superfluidity of neutrons. When the internal temperature drops below the maximum of the critical temperature over the core, $T_{\rm…
Cooling of neutron stars (NSs) with superfluid cores is simulated taking into account neutrino emission produced by Cooper pairing of nucleons. The critical temperatures of neutron and proton superfluidities, $T_{cn}$ and $T_{cp}$, are…
Neptune's dynamical history shaped the current orbits of Kuiper belt objects (KBOs), leaving clues to the planet's orbital evolution. In the "classical" region, a population of dynamically "hot" high-inclination KBOs overlies a flat "cold"…
We fit an isothermal oscillatory density model of Neptune's protoplanetary disk to the surviving regular satellites and its innermost ring and we determine the radial scale length of the disk, the equation of state and the central density…