Population-Level Analysis of Giant Planet Composition and Evolution
Jonathan Fortney (UC Santa Cruz) 鈥� May 14, 2018
Abstract
We live in a unique time with the dramatic advancement of exoplanetary science. Beyond population-level analyses of planetary frequency, we can now study some aspects of the physics of the planetary population. In particular, hundreds of transiting gas giant planets with well-determined masses are known. I will discuss what we have learned regarding the composition and metal-enrichment of giant exoplanets from modeling the structure and evolution of the planets as a population, and what it means for our understanding of planet formation. Furthermore, additional insights are enabled by this work on the population, including two novel assessments of the long-sought-after hot Jupiter “radius inflation” mechanism. We can now constrain the magnitude of this inflation mechanism across planetary temperature and stellar age.
Related reading
May 20, 2016
No Need for Planet 9
October 31, 2019