193 research outputs found
Predicted Abundances of Carbon Compounds in Volcanic Gases on Io
We use chemical equilibrium calculations to model the speciation of carbon in
volcanic gases on Io. The calculations cover wide temperature (500-2000 K),
pressure (10^-8 to 10^+2 bars), and composition ranges (bulk O/S atomic ratios
\~0 to 3), which overlap the nominal conditions at Pele (1760 K, 0.01 bar, O/S
~ 1.5). Bulk C/S atomic ratios ranging from 10^-6 to 10^-1 in volcanic gases
are used with a nominal value of 10^-3 based upon upper limits from Voyager for
carbon in the Loki plume on Io. Carbon monoxide and CO2 are the two major
carbon gases under all conditions studied. Carbonyl sulfide and CS2 are orders
of magnitude less abundant. Consideration of different loss processes
(photolysis, condensation, kinetic reactions in the plume) indicates that
photolysis is probably the major loss process for all gases. Both CO and CO2
should be observable in volcanic plumes and in Io's atmosphere at abundances of
several hundred parts per million by volume for a bulk C/S ratio of 10^-3.Comment: 21 pages, 4 figures, 4 tables; accepted by Astrophysical Journa
Atomic and Molecular Opacities for Brown Dwarf and Giant Planet Atmospheres
We present a comprehensive description of the theory and practice of opacity
calculations from the infrared to the ultraviolet needed to generate models of
the atmospheres of brown dwarfs and extrasolar giant planets. Methods for using
existing line lists and spectroscopic databases in disparate formats are
presented and plots of the resulting absorptive opacities versus wavelength for
the most important molecules and atoms at representative temperature/pressure
points are provided. Electronic, ro-vibrational, bound-free, bound-bound,
free-free, and collision-induced transitions and monochromatic opacities are
derived, discussed, and analyzed. The species addressed include the alkali
metals, iron, heavy metal oxides, metal hydrides, , , , ,
, , , and representative grains. [Abridged]Comment: 28 pages of text, plus 22 figures, accepted to the Astrophysical
Journal Supplement Series, replaced with more compact emulateapj versio
Spectroscopic Detection of Carbon Monoxide in Two Late-type T Dwarfs
M band spectra of two late-type T dwarfs, 2MASS J09373487+2931409, and Gliese
570D, confirm evidence from photometry that photospheric CO is present at
abundance levels far in excess of those predicted from chemical equilibrium.
These new and unambiguous detections of CO, together with an earlier
spectroscopic detection of CO in Gliese 229B and existing M band photometry of
a large selection of T dwarfs, suggest that vertical mixing in the photosphere
drives the CO abundance out of chemical equilibrium and is a common, and likely
universal feature of mid-to-late type T dwarfs. The M band spectra allow
determinations of the time scale of vertical mixing in the atmosphere of each
object, the first such measurements of this important parameter in late T
dwarfs. A detailed analysis of the spectral energy distribution of 2MASS
J09373487+2931409 results in the following values for metallicity, temperature,
surface gravity, and luminosity: [M/H]~-0.3, T_eff=925-975K, log g=5.20-5.47,
log L/L_sun=-5.308 +/- 0.027. The age is 3-10 Gyr and the mass is in the range
45-69 M_Jup.Comment: 36 pages incl. 12 figures and 3 tables, accepted by Ap
The extreme physical properties of the CoRoT-7b super-Earth
International audience► Here, we discuss the extreme physical properties possible for the first characterized rocky super-Earth, CoRoT-7b ( = 1.58 , = 5.7 ). ► We make the working hypothesis that the planet is rocky with no volatiles in its atmosphere, and derive the physical properties that result. ► The dayside is very hot (2500 K at the sub-stellar point) while the nightside is very cold (∼ 50 K). The sub-stellar point is as hot as the tungsten filament of an incandescent bulb, resulting in the melting and distillation of silicate rocks and the formation of a lava ocean. ► These possible features of CoRoT-7b should be common to many small and hot planets, including Kepler-10b. They define a new class of objects that we propose to name ''Lava-ocean planets''
Solubility of Rock in Steam Atmospheres of Planets
Extensive experimental studies show that all major rock-forming elements (e.g., Si, Mg, Fe, Ca, Al, Na, K) dissolve in steam to a greater or lesser extent. We use these results to compute chemical equilibrium abundances of rocky-element-bearing gases in steam atmospheres equilibrated with silicate magma oceans. Rocky elements partition into steam atmospheres as volatile hydroxide gases (e.g., Si(OH)4, Mg(OH)2, Fe(OH)2, Ni(OH)2, Al(OH)3, Ca(OH)2, NaOH, KOH) and via reaction with HF and HCl as volatile halide gases (e.g., NaCl, KCl, CaFOH, CaClOH, FAl(OH)2) in much larger amounts than expected from their vapor pressures over volatile-free solid or molten rock at high temperatures expected for steam atmospheres on the early Earth and hot rocky exoplanets. We quantitatively compute the extent of fractional vaporization by defining gas/magma distribution coefficients and show that Earth's subsolar Si/Mg ratio may be due to loss of a primordial steam atmosphere. We conclude that hot rocky exoplanets that are undergoing or have undergone escape of steam-bearing atmospheres may experience fractional vaporization and loss of Si, Mg, Fe, Ni, Al, Ca, Na, and K. This loss can modify their bulk composition, density, heat balance, and interior structure
Disequilibrium Carbon, Oxygen, and Nitrogen Chemistry in the Atmospheres of HD 189733b and HD 209458b
We have developed 1-D photochemical and thermochemical kinetics and diffusion
models for the transiting exoplanets HD 189733b and HD 209458b to study the
effects of disequilibrium chemistry on the atmospheric composition of "hot
Jupiters." Here we investigate the coupled chemistry of neutral carbon,
hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen species, and we compare the model results with
existing transit and eclipse observations. We find that the vertical profiles
of molecular constituents are significantly affected by transport-induced
quenching and photochemistry, particularly on cooler HD 189733b; however, the
warmer stratospheric temperatures on HD 209458b can help maintain
thermochemical equilibrium and reduce the effects of disequilibrium chemistry.
For both planets, the methane and ammonia mole fractions are found to be
enhanced over their equilibrium values at pressures of a few bar to less than a
mbar due to transport-induced quenching, but CH4 and NH3 are photochemically
removed at higher altitudes. Atomic species, unsaturated hydrocarbons
(particularly C2H2), some nitriles (particularly HCN), and radicals like OH,
CH3, and NH2 are enhanced overequilibrium predictions because of quenching and
photochemistry. In contrast, CO, H2O, N2, and CO2 more closely follow their
equilibrium profiles, except at pressures < 1 microbar, where CO, H2O, and N2
are photochemically destroyed and CO2 is produced before its eventual
high-altitude destruction. The enhanced abundances of HCN, CH4, and NH3 in
particular are expected to affect the spectral signatures and thermal profiles
HD 189733b and other, relatively cool, close-in transiting exoplanets. We
examine the sensitivity of our results to the assumed temperature structure and
eddy diffusion coefficientss and discuss further observational consequences of
these models.Comment: 40 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication in Astrophysical
Journa
Mineralogy of volcanic rocks in Gusev Crater, Mars: Reconciling Mössbauer, Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer, and Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer spectra
Complete sets of mineral abundances for relatively unaltered volcanic or volcaniclastic rocks in Gusev Crater have been determined by modeling Mössbauer subspectral areas as mineral weight percentages, and combining those percentages with the proportions of iron-free minerals not detected by Mössbauer (normative plagioclase, apatite, and chromite, as calculated from Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) chemical analyses). Comparisons of synthetic thermal emission spectra calculated for these mineral modes with measured Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer (Mini-TES) spectra for the same rock classes show either good agreements or discrepancies that we attribute to sodic plagioclase compositions or unmodeled sulfate, glass, or pigeonite. The normative compositions of olivine, pyroxene, and feldspar calculated from APXS data are consistent with spectroscopic constraints on mineral compositions. Systematic variations between olivine abundances in APXS norms (which sample tens of micrometers depth) and olivine proportions measured by Mössbauer (which sample hundreds of micrometers depth) support the hypothesis that dissolution of olivine by acidic fluids has occurred on weathered rock surfaces
Model of the complex of Parathyroid hormone-2 receptor and Tuberoinfundibular peptide of 39 residues
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We aim to propose interactions between the parathyroid hormone-2 receptor (PTH2R) and its ligand the tuberoinfundibular peptide of 39 residues (TIP39) by constructing a homology model of their complex. The two related peptides parathyroid hormone (PTH) and parathyroid hormone related protein (PTHrP) are compared with the complex to examine their interactions.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>In the model, the hydrophobic N-terminus of TIP39 is buried in a hydrophobic part of the central cavity between helices 3 and 7. Comparison of the peptide sequences indicates that the main discriminator between the agonistic peptides TIP39 and PTH and the inactive PTHrP is a tryptophan-phenylalanine replacement. The model indicates that the smaller phenylalanine in PTHrP does not completely occupy the binding site of the larger tryptophan residue in the other peptides. As only TIP39 causes internalisation of the receptor and the primary difference being an aspartic acid in position 7 of TIP39 that interacts with histidine 396 in the receptor, versus isoleucine/histidine residues in the related hormones, this might be a trigger interaction for the events that cause internalisation.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>A model is constructed for the complex and a trigger interaction for full agonistic activation between aspartic acid 7 of TIP39 and histidine 396 in the receptor is proposed.</p
The Insertion and Transport of Anandamide in Synthetic Lipid Membranes Are Both Cholesterol-Dependent
International audienceBackground: Anandamide is a lipid neurotransmitter which belongs to a class of molecules termed the endocannabinoids involved in multiple physiological functions. Anandamide is readily taken up into cells, but there is considerable controversy as to the nature of this transport process (passive diffusion through the lipid bilayer vs. involvement of putative proteic transporters). This issue is of major importance since anandamide transport through the plasma membrane is crucial for its biological activity and intracellular degradation. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the involvement of cholesterol in membrane uptake and transport of anandamide.Methodology/Principal Findings: Molecular modeling simulations suggested that anandamide can adopt a shape that is remarkably complementary to cholesterol. Physicochemical studies showed that in the nanomolar concentration range, anandamide strongly interacted with cholesterol monolayers at the air-water interface. The specificity of this interaction was assessed by: i) the lack of activity of structurally related unsaturated fatty acids (oleic acid and arachidonic acid at 50 nM) on cholesterol monolayers, and ii) the weak insertion of anandamide into phosphatidylcholine or sphingomyelin monolayers. In agreement with these data, the presence of cholesterol in reconstituted planar lipid bilayers triggered the stable insertion of anandamide detected as an increase in bilayer capacitance. Kinetics transport studies showed that pure phosphatidylcholine bilayers were weakly permeable to anandamide. The incorporation of cholesterol in phosphatidylcholine bilayers dose-dependently stimulated the translocation of anandamide.Conclusions/Significance: Our results demonstrate that cholesterol stimulates both the insertion of anandamide into synthetic lipid monolayers and bilayers, and its transport across bilayer membranes. In this respect, we suggest that besides putative anandamide protein-transporters, cholesterol could be an important component of the anandamide transport machinery. Finally, this study provides a mechanistic explanation for the key regulatory activity played by membrane cholesterol in the responsiveness of cells to anandamide
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