地球与行星天体物理
Transit timing variations (TTVs) are observed for exoplanets at a range of amplitudes and periods, yielding an ostensibly degenerate forest of possible explanations. We offer some clarity in this forest, showing that systems with a distant…
Recent discoveries of transiting giant exoplanets around M-dwarf stars (GEMS), aided by the all-sky coverage of TESS, are starting to stretch theories of planet formation through the core-accretion scenario. Recent upper limits on their…
Recent observations of a stellar occultation have revealed the presence of a previously undiscovered small satellite around Quaoar. Orbiting near Quaoar's unusual ring system, this new satellite has the potential to provide significant…
We present a detailed dynamical analysis of the Quaoar-Weywot system based on nearly 20 years of high-precision astrometric data, including new HST observations and stellar occultations. Our study reveals that Weywot's orbit deviates…
The chemistry of planetary atmospheres containing molecular nitrogen as a major atmospheric component is strongly influenced by the reactions of atomic nitrogen. Although nitrogen atoms in their ground electronic state N(4S) are mostly…
The goal of this paper is to obtain an approximate solution of the restricted three-body problem in the case of small perturbations in the vicinity of, but not in exact resonance. In this paper, we study the restricted threebody problem…
Close-in transiting sub-Neptunes are abundant in our galaxy \cite{fulton2017california}. Planetary interior models based on their observed radius-mass relationship suggest that sub-Neptunes contain a discernible amount of either hydrogen…
We present updated transit timing measurements for the hot Jupiter WASP-135 b using three new ground-based transit observations obtained with Leia, a 0.6-meter telescope operated by NASA's Exoplanet Watch at the Table Mountain Facility.…
Searching for life elsewhere in the universe is one of the most highly prioritized pursuits in astronomy today. However, the ability to observe evidence of Earth-like life through biosignatures is limited by the number of planets in the…
$\eta_{\oplus}$, the occurrence rate of rocky habitable zone exoplanets orbiting Sun-like stars, is of great interest to both the astronomical community and the general public. The Kepler space telescope has made it possible to estimate…
Planetary rings are not only ubiquitous around the giant planets in the outer Solar System, but have also been discovered around several small distant bodies. In contrast, no rings have been observed around any inner Solar System objects.…
The evolution of gaseous planets is a complex process influenced by various physical parameters and processes. In this study, we present critical modifications to the Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA) code to enhance…
Electromagnetic induction heating has recently been proposed as an important internal heat source in the mantles of rocky exoplanets. However, its dependence on planetary interior properties remains poorly constrained. Here we construct…
We perform two-dimensional global magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations including the full nonideal MHD effects (Ohmic diffusion, Hall effect, and ambipolar diffusion) and approximate radiation transport to understand the dynamics and…
Sedna-like objects (a.k.a. sednoids) are transneptunian objects (TNOs) characterized by large semimajor axes and exceptionally high perihelia. Their high-$q$ orbits are detached from the influence of the four giant planets and need extra…
A recent paper (ref. 1) used infrared images of Io acquired by the Juno/JIRAM instrument to derive a latitudinal dependence of the spectral radiance and conclude that such latitudinal dependence is consistent with a magma ocean model. We…
WASP-69b and KELT-11b are two low-density hot Jupiters, which are expected to show strong atmospheric features in their transmission spectra. Such features offer valuable insights into the chemical composition, thermal structure, and cloud…
TOI-282 is a bright (V=9.38) F8 main-sequence star known to host three transiting long-period ($P_b$=22.9 d, $P_c$=56.0 d, and $P_d$=84.3 d) small ($R_p\approx$ 2-4 $R_{\oplus}$) planets. The orbital period ratio of the two outermost…
NASA's Artemis Mission aims to return astronauts to the Moon and establish a base at the lunar south pole. A key challenge is understanding the threat from micrometeoroid impacts, which are too small to monitor directly. Using NASA's…
Throughout their lives, short period exoplanets (<100 days) experience X-ray and extreme-UV (XUV) stellar irradiation that can heat and photoionize planets' upper atmospheres, driving transonic outflows. This photoevaporative mass loss…