| 1. |
- Meier Valdes, E., et al.
(författare)
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Investigating the visible phase-curve variability of 55 Cnc e
- 2023
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 677
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. 55 Cnc e is an ultra-short period super-Earth transiting a Sun-like star. Previous observations in the optical range detected a time-variable flux modulation that is phased with the planetary orbital period, whose amplitude is too large to be explained by reflected light and thermal emission alone. Aims. The goal of the study is to investigate the origin of the variability and timescale of the phase-curve modulation in 55 Cnc e. To this end, we used the CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite (CHEOPS), whose exquisite photometric precision provides an opportunity to characterise minute changes in the phase curve from one orbit to the next. Methods. CHEOPS observed 29 individual visits of 55 Cnc e between March 2020 and February 2022. Based on these observations, we investigated the different processes that could be at the origin of the observed modulation. In particular, we built a toy model to assess whether a circumstellar torus of dust driven by radiation pressure and gravity might match the observed flux variability timescale. Results. We find that the phase-curve amplitude and peak offset of 55 Cnc e do vary between visits. The sublimation timescales of selected dust species reveal that silicates expected in an Earth-like mantle would not survive long enough to explain the observed phase-curve modulation. We find that silicon carbide, quartz, and graphite are plausible candidates for the circumstellar torus composition because their sublimation timescales are long. Conclusions. The extensive CHEOPS observations confirm that the phase-curve amplitude and offset vary in time. We find that dust could provide the grey opacity source required to match the observations. However, the data at hand do not provide evidence that circumstellar material with a variable grain mass per unit area causes the observed variability. Future observations with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) promise exciting insights into this iconic super-Earth.
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| 2. |
- Lethuillier, A., et al.
(författare)
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Cometary dust analogues for physics experiments
- 2022
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Ingår i: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press. - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 515:3, s. 3420-3438
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The CoPhyLab (Cometary Physics Laboratory) project is designed to study the physics of comets through a series of earth-based experiments. For these experiments, a dust analogue was created with physical properties comparable to those of the non-volatile dust found on comets. This ‘CoPhyLab dust’ is planned to be mixed with water and CO2 ice and placed under cometary conditions in vacuum chambers to study the physical processes taking place on the nuclei of comets. In order to develop this dust analogue, we mixed two components representative for the non-volatile materials present in cometary nuclei. We chose silica dust as a representative for the mineral phase and charcoal for the organic phase, which also acts as a darkening agent. In this paper, we provide an overview of known cometary analogues before presenting measurements of eight physical properties of different mixtures of the two materials and a comparison of these measurements with known cometary values. The physical properties of interest are particle size, density, gas permeability, spectrophotometry, and mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties. We found that the analogue dust that matches the highest number of physical properties of cometary materials consists of a mixture of either 60 per cent/40 per cent or 70 per cent/30 per cent of silica dust/charcoal by mass. These best-fit dust analogue will be used in future CoPhyLab experiments.
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| 3. |
- Wurz, P., et al.
(författare)
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Particles and Photons as Drivers for Particle Release from the Surfaces of the Moon and Mercury
- 2022
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Ingår i: Space Science Reviews. - : Springer. - 0038-6308 .- 1572-9672. ; 218:3
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Moon and Mercury are airless bodies, thus they are directly exposed to the ambient plasma (ions and electrons), to photons mostly from the Sun from infrared range all the way to X-rays, and to meteoroid fluxes. Direct exposure to these exogenic sources has important consequences for the formation and evolution of planetary surfaces, including altering their chemical makeup and optical properties, and generating neutral gas exosphere. The formation of a thin atmosphere, more specifically a surface bound exosphere, the relevant physical processes for the particle release, particle loss, and the drivers behind these processes are discussed in this review.
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| 4. |
- Szabo, P. S., et al.
(författare)
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Experimental Insights Into Space Weathering of Phobos : Laboratory Investigation of Sputtering by Atomic and Molecular Planetary Ions
- 2020
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Ingår i: Journal of Geophysical Research - Planets. - : AMER GEOPHYSICAL UNION. - 2169-9097 .- 2169-9100. ; 125:12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Investigating the space weathering of the Martian moon Phobos represents an important step toward understanding the development from its origin to its present-day appearance. Depending on Phobos' orbital position, its surface is continuously sputtered by the solar wind and planetary ions that originate in the Martian atmosphere. Based on Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution measurements, it has been proposed that sputtering by planetary O+ and O-2(+) ions dominates in the Martian tail region, where the planet mostly shadows Phobos from the solar wind. In these models, uncertainties for sputtering yield inputs still exist due to the lack of sufficient analog experiments. Therefore, sputtering measurements with O+, O-2(+), C+, and CO2+ ions between 1 and 5 keV were performed using augite samples as Phobos analogs. The experimental results for O+ irradiations show smaller mass changes than predicted by SDTrimSP simulations, which probably can be attributed to O implantation enabled by the Fe content of the target. Sputtering with O-2(+) and CO2+ in the low keV range shows no deviations in the sputtering yields attributable to molecular effects. Therefore, CO2+ ions will most likely be negligible for the sputtering of Phobos according to the current understanding of ion fluxes on the Martian moon. Ultimately, our experiments suggest that the sputtering contribution on Phobos by O ions is about 50% smaller than previously assumed. This does not change the qualitative outcome from previous modeling stating that planetary O ions are by far the dominant sputtering contribution on Phobos in the Martian tail region.
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