2,271 research outputs found
Modelling the local and global cloud formation on HD 189733b
Context. Observations suggest that exoplanets such as HD 189733b form clouds
in their atmospheres which have a strong feedback onto their thermodynamical
and chemical structure, and overall appearance. Aims. Inspired by mineral cloud
modelling efforts for Brown Dwarf atmospheres, we present the first spatially
varying kinetic cloud model structures for HD 189733b. Methods. We apply a
2-model approach using results from a 3D global radiation-hydrodynamic
simulation of the atmosphere as input for a detailed, kinetic cloud formation
model. Sampling the 3D global atmosphere structure with 1D trajectories allows
us to model the spatially varying cloud structure on HD 189733b. The resulting
cloud properties enable the calculation of the scattering and absorption
properties of the clouds. Results. We present local and global cloud structure
and property maps for HD 189733b. The calculated cloud properties show
variations in composition, size and number density of cloud particles which are
strongest between the dayside and nightside. Cloud particles are mainly
composed of a mix of materials with silicates being the main component. Cloud
properties, and hence the local gas composition, change dramatically where
temperature inversions occur locally. The cloud opacity is dominated by
absorption in the upper atmosphere and scattering at higher pressures in the
model. The calculated 8{\mu}m single scattering Albedo of the cloud particles
are consistent with Spitzer bright regions. The cloud particles scattering
properties suggest that they would sparkle/reflect a midnight blue colour at
optical wavelengths.Comment: Accepted for publication (A&A) - 21/05/2015 (Low Resolution Maps
Ionization in atmospheres of brown dwarfs and extrasolar planets III. Breakdown conditions for mineral clouds
Electric discharges were detected directly in the cloudy atmospheres of Earth, Jupiter, and Saturn, are debatable for Venus, and indirectly inferred for Neptune and Uranus in our solar system. Sprites (and other types of transient luminous events) have been detected only on Earth, and are theoretically predicted for Jupiter, Saturn, and Venus. Cloud formation is a common phenomenon in ultra-cool atmospheres such as in brown dwarf and extrasolar planetary atmospheres. Cloud particles can be expected to carry considerable charges which may trigger discharge events via small-scale processes between individual cloud particles (intra-cloud discharges) or large-scale processes between clouds (inter-cloud discharges). We investigate electrostatic breakdown characteristics, like critical field strengths and critical charge densities per surface, to demonstrate under which conditions mineral clouds undergo electric discharge events which may trigger or be responsible for sporadic X-ray emission. We apply results from our kinetic dust cloud formation model that is part of the Drift-Phoenix model atmosphere simulations. We present a first investigation of the dependence of the breakdown conditions in brown dwarf and giant gas exoplanets on the local gas-phase chemistry, the effective temperature, and primordial gas-phase metallicity. Our results suggest that different intra-cloud discharge processes dominate at different heights inside mineral clouds: local coronal (point discharges) and small-scale sparks at the bottom region of the cloud where the gas density is high, and flow discharges and large-scale sparks near, and maybe above, the cloud top. The comparison of the thermal degree of ionization and the number density of cloud particles allows us to suggest the efficiency with which discharges will occur in planetary atmospheres.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe
A comparison of chemistry and dust cloud formation in ultracool dwarf model atmospheres
The atmospheres of substellar objects contain clouds of oxides, iron,
silicates, and other refractory condensates. Water clouds are expected in the
coolest objects. The opacity of these `dust' clouds strongly affects both the
atmospheric temperature-pressure profile and the emergent flux. Thus any
attempt to model the spectra of these atmospheres must incorporate a cloud
model. However the diversity of cloud models in atmospheric simulations is
large and it is not always clear how the underlying physics of the various
models compare. Likewise the observational consequences of different modeling
approaches can be masked by other model differences, making objective
comparisons challenging. In order to clarify the current state of the modeling
approaches, this paper compares five different cloud models in two sets of
tests. Test case 1 tests the dust cloud models for a prescribed L, L--T, and
T-dwarf atmospheric (temperature T, pressure p, convective velocity
vconv)-structures. Test case 2 compares complete model atmosphere results for
given (effective temperature Teff, surface gravity log g). All models agree on
the global cloud structure but differ in opacity-relevant details like grain
size, amount of dust, dust and gas-phase composition. Comparisons of synthetic
photometric fluxes translate into an modelling uncertainty in apparent
magnitudes for our L-dwarf (T-dwarf) test case of 0.25 < \Delta m < 0.875 (0.1
< \Delta m M 1.375) taking into account the 2MASS, the UKIRT WFCAM, the Spitzer
IRAC, and VLT VISIR filters with UKIRT WFCAM being the most challenging for the
models. (abr.)Comment: 22 pages, 17 figures, MNRAS 2008, accepted, (minor grammar/typo
corrections
Omaha Unemployment Feasibility Study: Final Report
The research reported here was designed to test the feasibility of a practical approach to the reduction of unemployment, particularly among Negroes.
The need for the particular kind of emphasis used in this approach was recently stated by the director of the U.S. Employment Service in pointing out the need to obtain more understanding of the things that make the community tick, that keep it from solving its problems, and that lead to the discovery of the real barriers to coordination..
Did Fomalhaut, HR 8799, and HL Tauri Form Planets via the Gravitational Instability? Placing Limits on the Required Disk Masses
Disk fragmentation resulting from the gravitational instability has been
proposed as an efficient mechanism for forming giant planets. We use the planet
Fomalhaut b, the triple-planetary system HR 8799, and the potential protoplanet
associated with HL Tau to test the viability of this mechanism. We choose the
above systems since they harbor planets with masses and orbital characteristics
favored by the fragmentation mechanism. We do not claim that these planets must
have formed as the result of fragmentation, rather the reverse: if planets can
form from disk fragmentation, then these systems are consistent with what we
should expect to see. We use the orbital characteristics of these recently
discovered planets, along with a new technique to more accurately determine the
disk cooling times, to place both lower and upper limits on the disk surface
density--and thus mass--required to form these objects by disk fragmentation.
Our cooling times are over an order of magnitude shorter than those of Rafikov
(2005),which makes disk fragmentation more feasible for these objects. We find
that the required mass interior to the planet's orbital radius is ~0.1 Msun for
Fomalhaut b, the protoplanet orbiting HL Tau, and the outermost planet of HR
8799. The two inner planets of HR 8799 probably could not have formed in situ
by disk fragmentation.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure, accepted for publication in ApJ
Design and implementation of a personnel database system for Indonesian Naval Officers
The objective of this thesis is to provide a software
tool to support the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel
and Staff Function of the Indonesian Navy in making
decisions with fast, timely, relevant, up-to-date and
accurate information regarding Personnel Management
activities.
A database design is proposed including the logical
and physical phases and an implementation of a personnel
database prototype is undertaken on a microcomputer using
dBase II.http://archive.org/details/designimplementa00ariyMajor, Indonesian MarinesApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited
Comparison of cloud models for Brown Dwarfs
A test case comparison is presented for different dust cloud model approaches
applied in brown dwarfs and giant gas planets. We aim to achieve more
transparency in evaluating the uncertainty inherent to theoretical modelling.
We show in how far model results for characteristic dust quantities vary due to
different assumptions. We also demonstrate differences in the spectral energy
distributions resulting from our individual cloud modelling in 1D substellar
atmosphere simulationsComment: 5 pages, Proceeding to "Exoplantes: Detection, Formation, Dynamics",
eds. Ferraz-Mello et
WASP-39b: exo-Saturn with patchy cloud composition, moderate metallicity, and underdepleted S/O
WASP-39b is one of the first extrasolar giant gas planets that has been
observed within the JWST ERS program. Fundamental properties that may enable
the link to exoplanet formation differ amongst retrieval methods, for example
metallicity and mineral ratios.
In this work, the formation of clouds in the atmosphere of WASP-39b is
explored to investigate how inhomogeneous cloud properties (particle sizes,
material composition, opacity) may be for this intermediately warm gaseous
exoplanet. WASP-39b's atmosphere has a comparable day-night temperature median
with sufficiently low temperatures that clouds may form globally. The presence
of clouds on WASP-39b can explain observations without resorting to a high (>
100x solar) metallicity atmosphere for a reduced vertical mixing efficiency.
The assessment of mineral ratios shows an under-depletion of S/O due to
condensation compared to C/O, Mg/O, Si/O, Fe/O ratios. Vertical patchiness due
to heterogeneous cloud composition challenges simple cloud models. An equal
mixture of silicates and metal oxides is expected to characterise the cloud
top. Further, optical properties of Fe and Mg silicates in the mid-infrared
differ significantly which will impact the interpretation of JWST observations.
We conclude that WASP-39b's atmosphere contains clouds and the underdepletion
of S/O by atmospheric condensation processes suggest the use of sulphur gas
species as a possible link to primordial element abundances. Over-simplified
cloud models do not capture the complex nature of mixed-condensate clouds in
exoplanet atmospheres. The clouds in the observable upper atmosphere of
WASP-39b are a mixture of different silicates and metal oxides. The use of
constant particles sizes and/or one-material cloud particles alone to interpret
spectra may not be sufficient to capture the full complexity available through
JWST observations.Comment: 21 pages, 18 figures, submitted to A&A on 22. November 2022, in
review since 8. December 202
Infrared spectra of TiO2 clusters for hot Jupiter atmospheres
Context. Clouds seem unavoidable in cool and dense environments, and hence,
are necessary to explain observations of exoplanet atmospheres, most recently
of WASP 96b with JWST. Understanding the formation of cloud condensation nuclei
in non-terrestrial environments is therefore crucial to develop accurate models
to interpret present and future observations. Aims. The goal of the paper is to
support observations with infrared spectra for (TiO2)N clusters in order to
study cloud formation in exoplanet atmospheres. Methods. Vibrational
frequencies are derived from quantum-chemical calculations for 123
(TiO2)-clusters and their isomers, and line-broadening mechanisms are
evaluated. Cluster spectra are calculated for several atmospheric levels for
two example exoplanet atmospheres (WASP 121b-like and WASP 96b-like) to
identify possible spectral fingerprints for cloud formation. Results.
Rotational motion of and transitions in the clusters cause significant line
broadening, so that individual vibrational lines are broadened beyond the
spectral resolution of the medium resolution mode of the JWST mid-infrared
instrument MIRI at R = 3000. However, each individual cluster isomer exhibits a
"fingerprint" IR spectrum. In particular, larger (TiO2)-clusters have
distinctly different spectra from smaller clusters. Morning and evening
terminator for the same planet can exhibit different total absorbances due to
different cluster sizes being more abundant. Conclusions. The largest
(TiO2)-clusters are not necessarily the most abundant (TiO2)-clusters in the
high-altitude regions of ultra-hot Jupiters, and the different cluster isomers
will contribute to the local absorbance. Planets with a considerable day-night
asymmetry will be most suitable to search for (TiO2)-cluster isomers in order
to improve cloud formation modelling.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in A&
A Review of Noncommutative Field Theories
We present a brief review of selected topics in noncommutative field theories
ranging from its revival in string theory, its influence on quantum field
theories, its possible experimental signatures and ending with some
applications in gravity and emergent gravity.Comment: Talk presented at the XIV Mexican School on Particles and Fields,
Morelia, Mexico, November 9-11, 2010; 8 pages. V2 reference adde
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