arXiv subjects

Apurva V. Oza

Publications and source records attributed to Apurva V. Oza.

23 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2019

Linking the evolution of terrestrial interiors and an early outgassed atmosphere to astrophysical observations

A terrestrial planet is molten during formation and may remain so if subject to intense insolation or tidal forces. Observations continue to favour the detection and characterisation of hot planets, potentially with large outgassed atmospheres. We aim to determine the radius of hot Earth-like planets with large outgassed atmospheres and explore differences between molten and solid silicate planets and their influence on the mass-radius relationship and transmission and emission spectra. An interior-atmosphere model, combined with static structure calculations, tracks the evolving radius of a rocky mantle that is outgassing CO$_2$ and H$_2$O. Synthetic emission and transmission spectra are generated for CO$_2$ and H$_2$O dominated atmospheres. Atmospheres dominated by CO$_2$ suppress the outgassing of H$_2$O to a greater extent than previously realised, as previous studies have applied an erroneous relationship between volatile mass and partial pressure. We therefore predict more H$_2$O can be retained by the interior during the later stages of magma ocean crystallisation. Furthermore, formation of a lid at the surface can tie outgassing of H$_2$O to the efficiency of heat transport through the lid, rather than the atmosphere's radiative timescale. Contraction of the mantle as it solidifies gives $\sim5\%$ radius decrease, which can partly be offset by addition of a relatively light species to the atmosphere. We conclude that a molten silicate mantle can increase the radius of a terrestrial planet by around $5\%$ compared to its solid counterpart, or equivalently account for a $13\%$ decrease in bulk density. An outgassing atmosphere can perturb the total radius according to its speciation. Atmospheres of terrestrial planets around M-stars that are dominated by CO$_2$ or H$_2$O can be distinguished by observing facilities with extended wavelength coverage (e.g., JWST).

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2019

Sodium and Potassium Signatures of Volcanic Satellites Orbiting Close-in Gas Giant Exoplanets

Extrasolar satellites are generally too small to be detected by nominal searches. By analogy to the most active body in the Solar System, Io, we describe how sodium (Na I) and potassium (K I) $\textit{gas}$ could be a signature of the geological activity venting from an otherwise hidden exo-Io. Analyzing $\sim$ a dozen close-in gas giants hosting robust alkaline detections, we show that an Io-sized satellite can be stable against orbital decay below a planetary tidal $\mathcal{Q}_p \lesssim 10^{11}$. This tidal energy is focused into the satellite driving a $\sim 10^{5 \pm 2}$ higher mass loss rate than Io's supply to Jupiter's Na exosphere, based on simple atmospheric loss estimates. The remarkable consequence is that several exo-Io column densities are on average $\textit{more than sufficient}$ to provide the $\sim$ 10$^{10 \pm 1}$ Na cm$^{-2}$ required by the equivalent width of exoplanet transmission spectra. Furthermore, the benchmark observations of both Jupiter's extended ($\sim 1000$ R$_J$) Na exosphere and Jupiter's atmosphere in transmission spectroscopy yield similar Na column densities that are purely exogenic in nature. As a proof of concept, we fit the "high-altitude" Na at WASP 49-b with an ionization-limited cloud similar to the observed Na profile about Io. Moving forward, we strongly encourage time-dependent ingress and egress monitoring along with spectroscopic searches for other volcanic volatiles.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2018

The origin and fate of O$_2$ in Europa's ice: an atmospheric perspective

The early prediction and subsequent detection of an O$_2$ atmosphere on Europa, coupled with the discovery that Europa has an ocean under its ice mantle, has made this moon a prime astrobiologic target, soon to be visited by the JUICE and Europa Clipper spacecraft. In spite of the considerable number of observational, modeling, and laboratory efforts, understanding the physics leading to the observed morphology of Europa's near surface O$_2$ atmosphere has been problematic. This is the case as the observed emissions depend on the local incident plasma ion flux, the local temperature and composition of the regolith, as well as on the near surface electron temperature and density. Here we rely heavily on earlier reviews briefly summarizing the observational, laboratory and simulation efforts. Although it is agreed that radiolysis of the surface ice by the incident Jovian plasma is the ultimate source of observed O$_2$, a recent, simple model of thermal desorption from a regolith permeated with O$_2$ has changed the usual paradigm. This suggests that the observed orbital dependence of the local source of the near-surface O$_2$ atmosphere is due to thermal release of O$_2$ likely trapped on the ice grains at dangling bonds with a smaller contribution due to direct sputtering. This could also impact our understanding of the suggestion that the radiolytic products in Europa's regolith might be a source of oxidants for its underground ocean.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2018

On the orbital variability of Ganymede's atmosphere

Ganymede's atmosphere is produced by radiative interactions with its surface, sourced by the Sun and the Jovian plasma. The sputtered and thermally desorbed molecules are tracked in our Exospheric Global Model (EGM), a 3-D parallelized collisional model. This program was developed to reconstruct the formation of the upper atmosphere/exosphere of planetary bodies interacting with solar photon flux and magnetospheric and/or the solar wind plasmas. Here, we describe the spatial distribution of the H$_2$O and O$_2$ components of Ganymede's atmosphere, and their temporal variability along Ganymede's rotation around Jupiter. In particular, we show that Ganymede's O$_2$ atmosphere is characterized by time scales of the order of Ganymede's rotational period with Jupiter's gravity being a significant driver of the spatial distribution of the heaviest exospheric components. Both the sourcing and the Jovian gravity are needed to explain some of the characteristics of the observed aurora emissions. As an example, the O$_2$ exosphere should peak at the equator with systematic maximum at the dusk equator terminator. The sputtering rate of the H$_2$O exosphere should be maximum on the leading hemisphere because of the shape of the open/close field lines boundary and displays some significant variability with longitude.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2018

Dusk Over Dawn O$_2$ Asymmetry in Europa's Near-Surface Atmosphere

The evolution of Europa's water-product exosphere over its 85-hour day, based on current models, has not been shown to exhibit any diurnal asymmetries. Here we simulate Europa's exosphere using a 3-D Monte Carlo routine including, for the first time, the role of Europa's rotation on the evolution of exospheric molecules throughout the orbit. We focus on O$_2$, sputtered by a trailing hemisphere source with a temperature-dependence under isotropic plasma conditions. We find that the O$_2$ component, while global, is not homogenous in Europa local time. Rather, the O$_2$ accumulates at the dusk hemisphere. When rotation is explicitly excluded, no diurnal asymmetries exist. We find that the assumed thermal-dependence on the O$_2$ source is critical for a diurnal asymmetry: the diurnal surface temperature profile is imprinted on to the near-surface O$_2$ atmosphere, due to the small hop times of the non-adsorbing O$_2$ effectively rotating with Europa. Altogether, our simulations conclude that the dusk-over-dawn asymmetry is driven by Europa's day-night O$_2$ cycle synchronized with Europa's orbital period based on our model assumptions on O$_2$ production and loss. This conclusion is in agreement with the recent understanding that a non-adsorbing, rotating O$_2$ source peaking at noon will naturally accumulate from dawn-to-dusk, should the O$_2$ lifetime be sufficiently long compared to the orbital period. Lastly we compare hemispherically-averaged dusk-over-dawn ratios to the recently observed oxygen emission data by the Hubble Space Telescope. We find that while the simulations are globally consistent with brighter oxygen emission at dusk than at dawn, the orbital evolution of the asymmetries in our simulations can be improved by ameliorating the O$_2$ source & loss rates, and possibly adsorption onto the regolith.

astro-ph.EP↗