A radiative-convective equilibrium model for young giant exoplanets: Application to beta Pictoris b
Abstract
We developed a radiative-convective equilibrium model for young giant exoplanets. Input parameters are the planet's surface gravity, effective temperature and elemental composition. Under the additional assumption of thermochemical equilibrium, the model predicts the equilibrium temperature profile and mixing ratio profiles of the most important gases. Opacity sources include the H2-He collision-induced absorption and molecular lines from H2O, CO, CH4, NH3, VO, TiO, Na and K. Line opacity is modeled using k-correlated coefficients pre-calculated over a fixed pressure-temperature grid. Cloud absorption can be added above the expected condensation level (e.g. iron or silicates) with given scale height and optical depth at some reference wavelength. Scattering is not included at the present stage. Model predictions will be compared with the existing photometric measurements of planet Beta Pictoris b in the J,H,K,L and M bands (Lagrange et al. 2009; Quanz et al. 2010; Bonnefoy et al. 2011, 2013). This model will be used to interpret future photometric and spectroscopic observations of exoplanets with SPHERE, mounted at the VLT with first light expected in mid-2014.
- Publication:
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AAS/Division for Planetary Sciences Meeting Abstracts #45
- Pub Date:
- October 2013
- Bibcode:
- 2013DPS....4520909B