Related papers: Unveiling the Planet Population at Birth
Several models have been introduced in order to explain the radius distribution in exoplanet radii observed by Fulton et al. (2017) with one peak at $\rm \sim 1.3 R_{\oplus} $ the other at $\rm \sim 2.4 R_{\oplus} $ and the minimum at $\rm…
It is reasonable to assume that the structure of a planet and the interior distribution of its components are determined by its formation history. We thus follow the growth of a planet from a small embryo through its subsequent evolution.…
The increasing number of super-Earths close to their host stars revealed a scarcity of close-in small planets with 1.5-2.0$\,R_\oplus$ in the radius distribution of ${\it Kepler}$ planets. The atmospheric escape of super-Earths by…
Exoplanets around different types of stars provide a window into the diverse environments in which planets form. This chapter describes the observed relations between exoplanet populations and stellar properties and how they connect to…
We examine the accretion of cores of giant planets from planetesimals, gas accretion onto the cores, and their orbital migration. We adopt a working model for nascent protostellar disks with a wide variety of surface density distributions…
The recent detection of planets around very low mass stars raises the question of the formation, composition and potential habitability of these objects. We use planetary system formation models to infer the properties, in particular their…
This paper presents a consistent description of the formation and the subsequent evolution of gaseous planets, with special attention to short-period, low-mass hot-Neptune planets characteristic of $\mu$ Ara-like systems. We show that core…
Some exoplanets have much higher densities than expected from stellar abundances of planet-forming elements. There are two theories - metal-rich formation hypothesis and naked core hypothesis - that explain how formation and evolution can…
The first mass-estimate of an exoplanet around a Sun-like star, 51 Peg b and the first radius measurement of an exoplanet, HD209458b pointed to the challenges of understanding the atmosphere, interior, and evolution of exoplanets including…
Super-puffs are a class of low-mass, large-radius planets that have challenged planet formation and evolution models. Their high inferred H/He mass fractions, required to explain their physical sizes, would lead to rapid atmospheric escape,…
The majority of the transiting planets discovered by the Kepler mission (called super-Earths here, includes the so-called 'sub-Neptunes') orbit close to their stars. As such, photoevaporation of their hydrogen envelopes etch sharp features…
The core-accretion and disk instability models have so far been used to explain planetary formation. These models have different conditions, such as planet mass, disk mass, and metallicity for formation of gas giants. The core-accretion…
Massive exoplanets are observed preferentially around high metallicity ([Fe/H]) stars while low-mass exoplanets do not show such an effect. This so-called planet-metallicity correlation generally favors the idea that most observed gas…
The core-accretion model predicts that planetary cores as massive as super-Earths undergo runaway gas accretion to become gas giants. However, the exoplanet census revealed the prevalence of super-Earths close to their host stars, which…
We present empirical evidence, supported by a planet formation model, to show that the curve $R/R_\oplus = 1.05\,(F/F_\oplus)^{0.11}$ approximates the location of the so-called photo-evaporation valley. Planets below that curve are likely…
We have investigated the problem of the distribution of both masses and orbital radii of planets resulting from the gas-accretion, gas-capture model. First we followed the evolution of gas and solids from the moment where all solids are in…
In protoplanetary discs, planetary cores must be at least 0.1 earth mass at 1 au for migration to be significant; this mass rises to 1 earth mass at 5 au. Planet formation models indicate that these cores form on million year timescales. We…
The discovery of giant planets in wide orbits represents a major challenge for planet formation theory. In the standard core accretion paradigm planets are expected to form at radial distances $\lesssim 20$ au in order to form massive cores…
Water worlds have been hypothesized as an alternative to photo-evaporation in order to explain the gap in the radius distribution of Kepler exoplanets. We explore water worlds within the framework of a joint mass-radius-period distribution…
The heavy element content of giant exoplanets, inferred from structure models based on their radius and mass, often exceeds predictions based on classical core accretion. Pebble drift, coupled with volatile evaporation, has been proposed as…