Related papers: Iron Snow in the Martian Core?
Aims: The long-term carbon cycle for planets with a surface entirely covered by oceans works differently from that of the present-day Earth because inefficient erosion leads to a strong dependence of the weathering rate on the rate of…
Earth's magnetic field is generated by processes in the electrically conducting, liquid outer core, subsumed under the term `geodynamo'. In the last decades, great effort has been put into the numerical simulation of core dynamics following…
Despite decades of scientific research on the subject, the climate of the first 1.5 Gyr of Mars history has not been fully understood yet. Especially challenging is the need to reconcile the presence of liquid water for extended periods of…
Planets with sizes between those of Earth and Neptune divide into two populations: purely rocky bodies whose atmospheres contribute negligibly to their sizes, and larger gas-enveloped planets possessing voluminous and optically thick…
Mars is believed to have had a substantial atmosphere in the past. Atmospheric loss led to depressurization and cooling, and is thought to be the primary driving force responsible for the loss of liquid water from its surface. Recently,…
To understand the evolution of the Moon, we numerically modeled mantle convection and magmatism in a two-dimensional polar rectangular mantle. Magmatism occurs as an upward permeable flow of magma generated by decompression melting through…
Global climate evolution models for habitable earthlike planets do not consider the effect of ocean salinity on land ice formation through the hydrological cycle. We consider two categories of such planets: planets with deep oceans, but…
The Cassini state equilibrium associated with the precession of the Moon predicts that the mantle, fluid core and solid inner core precess at different angles. We present estimates of the dissipation from viscous friction associated with…
The Martian atmosphere experiences large diurnal variations due to the ~24.6 h planetary rotation and its low heat capacity. Understanding such variations on a planetary scale is limited due to the lack of observations, which are greatly…
According to the partially screened gap scenario, an efficient electron-positron pair creation, a general precondition of radio-pulsar activity, relies on the existence of magnetic spots, i.e., local concentrations of strong and small scale…
Understanding the sources of lunar water is crucial for studying the history of lunar evolution, and also the solar wind interaction with the Moon and other airless bodies. Recent observations revealed lunar hydration is very likely a…
This thesis work aims to study the possibility of energy production on Martian soil and, in particular, to establish what might be an optimal configuration for an energy system. This goal has been contextualized in the will to feed a…
The Fe-O system is fundamental to understanding the composition and properties of the Earth's core. Recent studies have suggested the possible existence of stable, iron-rich FenO compounds at around 215 GPa. Here, we performed…
Terrestrial planets within the Venus zone surrounding M dwarf stars can retain surface ice caps on the perpetual dark side if atmospheric heat transport is inefficient, {as suggested by previous global climate simulations…
Although the Earth's orbit is never far from circular, terrestrial planets around other stars might experience substantial changes in eccentricity that could lead to climate changes, including possible "phase transitions" such as the…
The crystal structure of iron in the Earth's inner core remains debated. Most recent experiments suggest a hexagonal-close-packed (hcp) phase. In simulations, it has been generally agreed that the hcp-Fe is stable at inner core pressures…
Mars' wet-to-dry transition is a major environmental catastrophe, yet the spatial pattern, tempo, and cause of drying are poorly constrained. We built a globally-distributed database of constraints on Mars late-stage paleolake size relative…
We examine to what extent the inferred surface temperature of magnetars in quiescence can constrain the presence of a superfluid in the neutron star core and the role of magnetic field decay in the core. By performing detailed simulations…
The iron-sulfur system is important for planetary interiors and is intensely studied, particularly for better understanding of the cores of Mars and Earth. Yet, there is a paradox about high-pressure stability of FeS: ab initio global…
The solar dynamo and the solar Global internal Magnetic Structure (GMS) appear to be a thin ($\sim$2 Mm thick) structure near ($\sim$1 Mm below) the solar surface. Evidence for these properties are found from the amplitude of the torsional…