Description
Star-planet interactions shape the orbits of close-in planets, which allow us to derive constraints for their composition. For instance, tidal interactions predict that close-in planets must be deformed and the orbits decay. From these observations it is possible to derive constraints for the inner structure of planets (Love number) and stars (Q-factor).
Tidal forces between short-period planets and their host stars are extreme. These lead to the deformation of the planet and the shrinkage of the planet’s orbit.. Measuring the tidal deformation of the planet would allow us to estimate the second degree fluid Love number and gain insight into the planet's internal structure. Measuring the tidal decay timescale would allow us to estimate the...
Ultra-hot Jupiters (UHJs) orbit very close to their host stars, experiencing strong irradiation and tidal forces that markedly distinguish them of the Solar System giant planets. How the interiors of these planets change due to the extreme conditions is not yet fully understood since standard interior modelling techniques using mass and radius measurements lead to degenerate results. The...
The sub-Jovian exoplanet WASP-107b ranks among the best-characterized low-density worlds, featuring a Jupiter-like radius and a mass that lies firmly in the sub-Saturn range. Recently obtained JWST spectra reveal significant methane depletion in the atmosphere, indicating that WASP-107b’s envelope has both a high metallicity and an elevated internal heat flux. Together with a detected non-zero...
The inflated radii observed in hundreds of Hot Jupiters (HJs) represents a long-standing open issue, with Ohmic dissipation being one of the most promising mechanisms for a quantitative explanation. In this study, inspired by results from evolutionary models in the last decade, we specifically delve into the inferrance of the amount of electrical currents induced by the atmospheric winds....
Chemical evidence indicates that an appreciable fraction of Sun-like stars have engulfed rocky planets during their main-sequence lifetimes. We investigate whether the tidal evolution and destruction of ultra-short-period planets (USPs) can explain this phenomenon. We develop a simple parameterized model for the formation and engulfment of USPs in a population of MS stars. With this model, it...
Exoplanets in the hot Neptune desert, with their proximity to host stars and limited envelope masses, challenge our understanding of planetary evolution. Their survival despite expected significant atmospheric loss raises questions about their origins and the mechanisms shaping their evolution. To address these complexities, JADE (Joining Atmosphere and Dynamics for Exoplanets) was developed...
Very few planets have been discovered in the Neptunian desert, a region of period-radius parameter space encompassing Neptune-sized, short-period planets. The lack of planets in this region is explained by photoevaporation and high-eccentricity migration coupled with tidal disruption. However, since the launch of TESS a handful of planets have been discovered deep inside the Neptunian desert,...
The rich diversity of multi-planetary systems and their architectures is greatly contrasted by the uniformity exhibited within many of these systems. Previous studies have shown that compact Kepler systems often exhibit a peas-in-a-pod architecture: Planets in the same system tend to have similar sizes and masses and be regularly spaced in orbits with low eccentricities and small mutual...
The decay of short-lived radioisotopes (SLRs) is an important source of heating for early protoplanetary systems, and can affect planetesimal and subsequent planet formation through early thermal evolution, accelerated core-mantle differentiation and volatile outgassing. However, the mechanisms by which a stellar system becomes enriched with these SLRs to levels far above the galactic...
