Related papers: Convection in a volatile nitrogen-ice-rich layer d…
We show that condensation is an efficient particle growth mechanism, leading to growth beyond decimeter-sized pebbles close to an ice line in protoplanetary discs. As coagulation of dust particles is frustrated by bouncing and…
While conventional interior models for Jupiter and Saturn are based on the simplistic assumption of a solid core surrounded by a homogeneous gaseous envelope, we derive new models with an inhomogeneous distribution of heavy elements, i.e. a…
Recent observations found close-in planets with significant atmospheres of hydrogen and helium in great abundance. These are the so-called super-Earths and mini-Neptunes. Their atmospheric composition suggests that they formed early during…
Protoplanetary disks are often assumed to change slowly and smoothly during planet formation. Here, we investigate the time evolution of isolated disks subject to viscosity and a disk wind. The viscosity is assumed to increase rapidly at…
Exposed scarps images and ice-penetrating radar measurements in the North Polar Layered Deposits (NPLD) of Mars show alternating layers that provide an archive of past climate oscillations, that are thought to be linked to orbital…
Penitentes are ablative features observed in snow and ice that, on Earth, are characterized by regular cm to tens of cm spaced bowl-shaped depressions whose edges grade into tall spires up to several meters tall (Nichols et al. 1939,…
We carried out 3D dust+gas radiative hydrodynamic simulations of forming planets. We investigated a parameter grid of Neptune-, Saturn-, Jupiter-, and 5 Jupiter-mass planets at 5.2, 30, 50 AU distance from their star. We found that the…
To date, there is no core accretion simulation that can successfully account for the formation of Uranus or Neptune within the observed 2-3 Myr lifetimes of protoplanetary disks. Since solid accretion rate is directly proportional to the…
Haze in Pluto's atmosphere was detected in images by both the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) and the Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC) on New Horizons. LORRI observed haze up to altitudes of at least 200 km above Pluto's…
The Cassini and Juno probes have revealed large coherent cyclonic vortices in the polar regions of Saturn and Jupiter, a dramatic contrast from the east-west banded jet structure seen at lower latitudes. Debate has centered on whether the…
WASP-107b is a warm (~740 K) transiting planet with a Neptune-like mass of ~30.5 Earth masses and Jupiter-like radius of ~0.94 Jupiter radius, whose extended atmosphere is eroding. Previous observations showed evidence for water vapour and…
Recent observational constraints on the internal structure of Jupiter and Saturn suggest that these planets have ``fuzzy" cores, i.e., gradients of the concentration of heavy elements that might span a large fraction of the planet's radius.…
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…
Helium is the second most abundant element in the universe, and together with silica, they are major components of giant planets. Exploring the reactivity and state of helium and silica under high pressure is of fundamental importance for…
We have performed three-dimensional magneto-hydrodynamical simulations of stellar accretion disks, using the PLUTO code, and studied the accretion of gas onto a Jupiter-mass planet and the structure of the circumplanetary gas flow after…
Many of the unusual properties of Pluto's orbit are widely accepted as evidence for the orbital migration of the giant planets in early solar system history. However, some properties remain an enigma. Pluto's long term orbital stability is…
Europa's icy surface likely overlies an ocean, but the ice thickness is not known. Here we model the temporal growth of a Europan shell of pure ice subject to varying ice-ocean heat fluxes, ice rheologies, and internal heating rates. Both…
The best constraints on the internal structures of giant planets have historically come from measurements of their gravity fields. These gravity data are inherently mostly sensitive to a planet's outer regions, providing only loose…
(Abridged) The solar system gas giant planets are oblate due to their rapid rotation. A measurement of the planet's projected oblateness would constrain the planet's rotational period. Planets that are synchronously rotating with their…
Recent observations show activity in long-period comet C/2017 K2 at heliocentric distances beyond the orbit of Uranus. With this as motivation, we constructed a simple model that takes a detailed account of gas transport modes and simulates…