THE COMPOSITIONAL DIVERSITY OF EXTRASOLAR TERRESTRIAL PLANETS. I. IN SITU SIMULATIONS

Journal Article · Tue Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 2010 · Astrophysical Journal

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/715/2/1050· OSTI ID:21450916

Bond, Jade C; Lauretta, Dante S ^[1]

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1. Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, 1629 East University Boulevard, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States)

Extrasolar planet host stars have been found to be enriched in key planet-building elements. These enrichments have the potential to drastically alter the composition of material available for terrestrial planet formation. Here, we report on the combination of dynamical models of late-stage terrestrial planet formation within known extrasolar planetary systems with chemical equilibrium models of the composition of solid material within the disk. This allows us to determine the bulk elemental composition of simulated extrasolar terrestrial planets. A wide variety of resulting planetary compositions are found, ranging from those that are essentially 'Earth like', containing metallic Fe and Mg silicates, to those that are dominated by graphite and SiC. This shows that a diverse range of terrestrial planets may exist within extrasolar planetary systems.

• OSTI ID: 21450916
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 715, Issue 2; Other Information: DOI: 10.1088/0004-637X/715/2/1050; ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTROPHYSICS
COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
GRAPHITE
IRON SILICATES
MAGNESIUM SILICATES
PLANETS
SATELLITES
SILICON CARBIDES
SIMULATION
STARS
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
CARBIDES
CARBON
CARBON COMPOUNDS
ELEMENTS
IRON COMPOUNDS
MAGNESIUM COMPOUNDS
MINERALS
NONMETALS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
SILICATES
SILICON COMPOUNDS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS