arXiv subjects

Emeline Bolmont

Publications and source records attributed to Emeline Bolmont.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

Does magnetic field modify tidal dynamics in the convective envelope of Solar mass stars?

The energy dissipation of wave-like tidal flows in the convective envelope of low-mass stars is one of the key physical mechanisms that shape the orbital and rotational dynamics of short-period planetary systems. Tidal flows, and the excitation, propagation, and dissipation of tidally-induced inertial waves can be modified by stellar magnetic fields (e.g., Wei 2016, 2018, Lin and Ogilvie 2018). It is thus important to assess for which stars, at which location of their internal structure, and at which phase of their evolution, one needs to take into account the effects of magnetic fields on tidal waves. Using scaling laws that provide the amplitude of dynamo-generated magnetic fields along the rotational evolution of these stars (e.g., Christensen et al. 2009, Brun et al. 2015), combined with detailed grids of stellar rotation models (e.g., Amard et al. 2016), we examine the influence of a magnetic field on tidal forcing and dissipation near the tachocline of solar-like stars. We show that full consideration of magnetic fields is required to compute tidal dissipation, but not necessarily for tidal forcing.

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arXiv2018

Tidal heating in multilayer planets: Application to the TRAPPIST-1 system

TRAPPIST-1 (Gillon et al. 2017) is an extremely compact planetary system: seven earth-sized planets orbit at distances lower than 0.07 AU around one of the smallest M-dwarf known in the close neighborhood of the Sun (with a mass of less than 0.09 $M_\odot$). With 3 planets within the classical habitable zone, this system represents an interesting observational target for future instruments such as the JWST (e.g. Barstow & Irwin 2016). As the planets are close-in, tidal interactions play a crucial role in the evolution of the system by controlling both orbital configurations and rotational states of the planets. For the closest planets, the associated tidal dissipation could have an influence on their internal evolution and potentially on their climate and habitability Turbet et al. (2018). Following (Tobie et al. 2005), we build multilayer models of the internal structure of the TRAPPIST-1 planets accounting for the mass and radius of Grimm et al. (2018), then we compute the tidal response and estimate the tidal heat flux of each planet as well as the profile of tidal heating with depth. Finally, we compare our results to the homogeneous model of Efroimsky (2012) and assess the impact heating rate on the thermal state of each layer of the planet.

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arXiv2018

Constraining the environment and habitability of TRAPPIST-1

The planetary system of TRAPPIST-1, discovered in 2016-2017, is a treasure-trove of information. Thanks to a combination of observational techniques, we have estimates of the radii and masses of the seven planets of this very exotic system. With three planets within the traditional Habitable Zone limits, it is one of the best constrained system of astrobiological interest. I will review here the theoretical constraints we can put on this system by trying to reconstruct its history: its atmospheric evolution which depends on the luminosity evolution of the dwarf star, and its tidal dynamical evolution. These constraints can then be used as hypotheses to assess the habitability of the outer planets of the system with a Global Climate Model.

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arXiv2018

Planetary tidal interactions and the rotational evolution of low-mass stars. The Pleiades' anomaly

The surface angular velocity evolution of low-mass stars is now globally understood and the main physical mechanisms involved in it are observationally quite constrained. Additionally, recent observations showed anomalies in the rotation period distribution of open clusters main sequence early K-type stars that cannot be reproduced by current angular momentum evolution model. In this work, we study the parameter space of star-planet system's configurations to investigate if including the tidal star-planet interaction in angular momentum evolution models could reproduce these rotation period distribution's anomalies. To study this effect, we use a parametric angular momentum evolution model that allows for core-envelope decoupling and angular momentum extraction by magnetized stellar wind that we coupled to an orbital evolution code where we take into account the torque due to the tides raised on the star by the planet. We explore different stellar and planetary configurations (stellar mass from 0.5 to 1.0 $\rm M_{\odot}$ and planetary mass from 10 $\rm M_{\oplus}$ to 13 $\rm M_{\rm jup}$) to study their effect on the planetary orbital and stellar rotational evolution. The stellar angular momentum is the most impacted by the star-planet interaction when the planet is engulfed during the early main sequence phase. Thus, if a close-in Jupiter mass planet is initially located around 50\% of the stellar corotation radius, a kink in the rotational period distribution opens around late and early K-type stars during the early main sequence phase. Tidal star-planet interactions can create a kink in the rotation period distribution of low-mass stars, which could possibly account for unexpected scatter seen in the rotational period distribution of young stellar clusters.

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arXiv2018

Early 2017 observations of TRAPPIST-1 with $\textit{Spitzer}$

The recently detected TRAPPIST-1 planetary system, with its seven planets transiting a nearby ultracool dwarf star, offers the first opportunity to perform comparative exoplanetology of temperate Earth-sized worlds. To further advance our understanding of these planets' compositions, energy budgets, and dynamics, we are carrying out an intensive photometric monitoring campaign of their transits with the $\textit{Spitzer Space Telescope}$. In this context, we present 60 new transits of the TRAPPIST-1 planets observed with $\textit{Spitzer}$/IRAC in February and March 2017. We combine these observations with previously published $\textit{Spitzer}$ transit photometry and perform a global analysis of the resulting extensive dataset. This analysis refines the transit parameters and provides revised values for the planets' physical parameters, notably their radii, using updated properties for the star. As part of our study, we also measure precise transit timings that will be used in a companion paper to refine the planets' masses and compositions using the transit timing variations method. TRAPPIST-1 shows a very low level of low-frequency variability in the IRAC 4.5-$μ$m band, with a photometric RMS of only 0.11$\%$ at a 123-s cadence. We do not detect any evidence of a (quasi-)periodic signal related to stellar rotation. We also analyze the transit light curves individually, to search for possible variations in the transit parameters of each planet due to stellar variability, and find that the $\textit{Spitzer}$ transits of the planets are mostly immune to the effects of stellar variations. These results are encouraging for forthcoming transmission spectroscopy observations of the TRAPPIST-1 planets with the $\textit{James Webb Space Telescope}$.

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arXiv2017

Habitability in Brown Dwarf Systems

The very recent discovery of planets orbiting very low mass stars sheds light on these exotic objects. Planetary systems around low-mass stars and brown dwarfs are very different from our solar system: the planets are expected to be much closer than Mercury, in a layout that could resemble the system of Jupiter and its moons. The recent discoveries point in that direction with, for example, the system of Kepler-42 and especially the system of TRAPPIST-1 which has seven planets in a configuration very close to the moons of Jupiter. Low-mass stars and brown dwarfs are thought to be very common in our neighborhood and are thought to host many planetary systems. The planets orbiting in the habitable zone of brown dwarfs (and very low-mass stars) represent one of the next challenges of the following decades: they are the only planets of the habitable zone whose atmosphere we will be able to probe (e.g. with the JWST).

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arXiv2017

Studying tidal effects in planetary systems with Posidonius. A N-body simulator written in Rust

Planetary systems with several planets in compact orbital configurations such as TRAPPIST-1 are surely affected by tidal effects. Its study provides us with important insight about its evolution. We developed a second generation of a N-body code based on the tidal model used in Mercury-T, re-implementing and improving its functionalities using Rust as programming language (including a Python interface for easy use) and the WHFAST integrator. The new open source code ensures memory safety, reproducibility of numerical N-body experiments, it improves the spin integration compared to Mercury-T and allows to take into account a new prescription for the dissipation of tidal inertial waves in the convective envelope of stars. Posidonius is also suitable for binary system simulations with evolving stars.

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arXiv2017

Modelling climate diversity, tidal dynamics and the fate of volatiles on TRAPPIST-1 planets

TRAPPIST-1 planets are invaluable for the study of comparative planetary science outside our Solar System and possibly habitability. First, we derive from N-body simulations possible planetary evolution scenarios, and show that each of the planets are likely to be in synchronous rotation. We then use a 3-D Global Climate Model to explore the possible climates of cool planets of the TRAPPIST-1 system. In particular, we look at the conditions required for cool planets to prevent possible volatile species to be lost by permanent condensation, irreversible burying or photochemical destruction. We also explore the resilience of the same volatiles (when in condensed phase) to a runaway greenhouse process. We find that background atmospheres made of N2, CO or O2 are resistant to atmospheric collapse. However, it should be difficult for TRAPPIST-1 planets to accumulate significant greenhouse gases like CO2, CH4, or NH3. CO2 can easily condense on the nightside, forming glaciers that would flow toward the substellar region. A complete CO2 ice cover is possible on TRAPPIST-1g and h only, although CO2 ice deposits could be gravitationally unstable and get buried beneath the water ice shell in geologically short timescales. Given TRAPPIST-1 planets large EUV irradiation (at least 1000x Titan's flux), CH4 and NH3 should be photodissociated rapidly and thus be hard to accumulate in the atmosphere. Photochemical hazes could then sedimentate and form a surface layer of tholins. Regarding habitability, we confirm that few bars of CO2 would suffice to warm the surface of TRAPPIST-1f and g above the melting point of water. We also show that TRAPPIST-1e is a remarkable candidate for surface habitability. If the planet is today synchronous and abundant in water, then it should always sustain surface liquid water at least in the substellar region, whatever the atmosphere considered.

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arXiv2017

Tidal dissipation in rotating low-mass stars and implications for the orbital evolution of close-in planets I. From the PMS to the RGB at solar metallicity

Star-planet interactions must be taken into account in stellar models to understand the dynamical evolution of close-in planets. The dependence of the tidal interactions on the structural and rotational evolution of the star is of peculiar importance and should be correctly treated. We quantify how tidal dissipation in the convective envelope of rotating low-mass stars evolves from the pre-main sequence up to the red-giant branch depending on the initial stellar mass. We investigate the consequences of this evolution on planetary orbital evolution. We couple the tidal dissipation formalism described in Mathis (2015) to the stellar evolution code STAREVOL and apply it to rotating stars with masses between 0.3 and 1.4 M$_\odot$. In addition, we generalize the work of Bolmont & Mathis (2016) by following the orbital evolution of close-in planets using the new tidal dissipation predictions for advanced phases of stellar evolution. On the PMS the evolution of tidal dissipation is controlled by the evolution of the internal structure of the contracting star. On the MS it is strongly driven by the variation of surface rotation that is impacted by magnetized stellar winds braking. The main effect of taking into account the rotational evolution of the stars is to lower the tidal dissipation strength by about four orders of magnitude on the main-sequence, compared to a normalized dissipation rate that only takes into account structural changes. The evolution of the dissipation strongly depends on the evolution of the internal structure and rotation of the star. From the pre-main sequence up to the tip of the red-giant branch, it varies by several orders of magnitude, with strong consequences for the orbital evolution of close-in massive planets. These effects are the strongest during the pre-main sequence, implying that the planets are mainly sensitive to the star's early history.

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arXiv2017

Tidal dissipation in rotating low-mass stars and implications for the orbital evolution of close-in massive planets. II. Effect of stellar metallicity

Observations of hot Jupiter type exoplanets suggest that their orbital period distribution depends on the metallicity of their host star. We investigate here whether the impact of the stellar metallicity on the evolution of the tidal dissipation inside the convective envelope of rotating stars and its resulting effect on the planetary migration might be a possible explanation for this observed statistical trend. We use a frequency-averaged tidal dissipation formalism coupled to an orbital evolution code and to rotating stellar evolution models to estimate the effect of a change of stellar metallicity on the evolution of close-in planets. We consider here two different stellar masses: 0.4 and 1.0 $M_{\odot}$ evolving from the early pre-main sequence phase up to the red giant branch. We show that the metallicity of a star has a strong effect on the stellar parameters which in turn strongly influence the tidal dissipation in the convective region. While on the pre-main sequence the dissipation of a metal poor Sun-like star is higher than the dissipation of a metal rich Sun-like star, on the main sequence it is the opposite. However, for the $0.4~M_{\odot}$ star, the dependence of the dissipation with metallicity is much less visible. Using an orbital evolution model, we show that changing the metallicity leads to different orbital evolutions (e.g., planets migrate farther out from an initially fast rotating metal rich star). By using this model, we qualitatively reproduced the observational trends of the population of hot Jupiters with the metallicity of their host stars. However, more steps are needed to improve our model to try to quantitatively fit our results to the observations. Namely, we need to improve the treatment of the rotation evolution in the orbital evolution model and ultimately we need to consistently couple of the orbital model to the stellar evolution model.

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arXiv2017

A seven-planet resonant chain in TRAPPIST-1

The TRAPPIST-1 system is the first transiting planet system found orbiting an ultra-cool dwarf star. At least seven planets similar to Earth in radius and in mass were previously found to transit this host star. Subsequently, TRAPPIST-1 was observed as part of the K2 mission and, with these new data, we report the measurement of an 18.77 d orbital period for the outermost planet, TRAPPIST-1h, which was unconstrained until now. This value matches our theoretical expectations based on Laplace relations and places TRAPPIST-1h as the seventh member of a complex chain, with three-body resonances linking every member. We find that TRAPPIST-1h has a radius of 0.727 Earth radii and an equilibrium temperature of 173 K. We have also measured the rotational period of the star at 3.3 d and detected a number of flares consistent with a low-activity, middle-aged, late M dwarf.

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arXiv2017

The full spectral radiative properties of Proxima Centauri

The discovery of Proxima b, a terrestrial temperate planet, presents the opportunity of studying a potentially habitable world in optimal conditions. A key aspect to model its habitability is to understand the radiation environment of the planet in the full spectral domain. We characterize the X-rays to mid-IR radiative properties of Proxima with the goal of providing the top-of-atmosphere fluxes on the planet. We also aim at constraining the fundamental properties of the star. We employ observations from a large number of facilities and make use of different methodologies to piece together the full spectral energy distribution of Proxima. In the high-energy domain, we pay particular attention to the contribution by rotational modulation, activity cycle, and flares so that the data provided are representative of the overall radiation dose received by the atmosphere of the planet. We present the full spectrum of Proxima covering 0.7 to 30000 nm. The integration of the data shows that the top-of-atmosphere average XUV irradiance on Proxima b is 0.293 W m^-2, i.e., nearly 60 times higher than Earth, and that the total irradiance is 877+/-44 W m^-2, or 64+/-3% of the solar constant but with a significantly redder spectrum. We also provide laws for the XUV evolution of Proxima corresponding to two scenarios. Regarding the fundamental properties of Proxima, we find M=0.120+/-0.003 Msun, R=0.146+/-0.007 Rsun, Teff=2980+/-80 K, and L=0.00151+/-0.00008 Lsun. In addition, our analysis reveals a ~20% excess in the 3-30 micron flux of the star that is best interpreted as arising from warm dust in the system. The data provided here should be useful to further investigate the current atmospheric properties of Proxima b as well as its past history, with the overall aim of firmly establishing the habitability of the planet.

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arXiv2017

Seven temperate terrestrial planets around the nearby ultracool dwarf star TRAPPIST-1

One focus of modern astronomy is to detect temperate terrestrial exoplanets well-suited for atmospheric characterisation. A milestone was recently achieved with the detection of three Earth-sized planets transiting (i.e. passing in front of) a star just 8% the mass of the Sun 12 parsecs away. Indeed, the transiting configuration of these planets with the Jupiter-like size of their host star - named TRAPPIST-1 - makes possible in-depth studies of their atmospheric properties with current and future astronomical facilities. Here we report the results of an intensive photometric monitoring campaign of that star from the ground and with the Spitzer Space Telescope. Our observations reveal that at least seven planets with sizes and masses similar to the Earth revolve around TRAPPIST-1. The six inner planets form a near-resonant chain such that their orbital periods (1.51, 2.42, 4.04, 6.06, 9.21, 12.35 days) are near ratios of small integers. This architecture suggests that the planets formed farther from the star and migrated inward. The seven planets have equilibrium temperatures low enough to make possible liquid water on their surfaces.

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arXiv2017

What can the programming language Rust do for astrophysics?

The astrophysics community uses different tools for computational tasks such as complex systems simulations, radiative transfer calculations or big data. Programming languages like Fortran, C or C++ are commonly present in these tools and, generally, the language choice was made based on the need for performance. However, this comes at a cost: safety. For instance, a common source of error is the access to invalid memory regions, which produces random execution behaviors and affects the scientific interpretation of the results. In 2015, Mozilla Research released the first stable version of a new programming language named Rust. Many features make this new language attractive for the scientific community, it is open source and it guarantees memory safety while offering zero-cost abstraction. We explore the advantages and drawbacks of Rust for astrophysics by re-implementing the fundamental parts of Mercury-T, a Fortran code that simulates the dynamical and tidal evolution of multi-planet systems.

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arXiv2016

Effect of the rotation, tidal dissipation history and metallicity of stars on the evolution of close-in planets

Since 1995, numerous close-in planets have been discovered around low-mass stars (M to A-type stars). These systems are susceptible to be tidally evolving, in particular the dissipation of the kinetic energy of tidal flows in the host star may modify its rotational evolution and also shape the orbital architecture of the surrounding planetary system. Recent theoretical studies have shown that the amplitude of the stellar dissipation can vary over several orders of magnitude as the star evolves, and that it also depends on the stellar mass and rotation. We present here one of the first studies of the dynamics of close-in planets orbiting low-mass stars (from $0.6~M_\odot$ to $1.2~M_\odot$) where we compute the simultaneous evolution of the star's structure, rotation and tidal dissipation in its external convective envelope. We demonstrate that tidal friction due to the stellar dynamical tide, i.e. tidal inertial waves (their restoring force is the Coriolis acceleration) excited in the convection zone, can be larger by several orders of magnitude than the one of the equilibrium tide currently used in celestial mechanics. This is particularly true during the Pre Main Sequence (PMS) phase and to a lesser extent during the Sub Giant (SG) phase. Numerical simulations show that only the high dissipation occurring during the PMS phase has a visible effect on the semi-major axis of close-in planets. We also investigate the effect of the metallicity of the star on the tidal evolution of planets. We find that the higher the metallicity of the star, the higher the dissipation and the larger the tidally-induced migration of the planet.

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arXiv2016

Water loss from Earth-sized planets in the habitable zones of ultracool dwarfs: Implications for the planets of TRAPPIST-1

Ultracool dwarfs (UCD; $T_{\rm eff}<\sim3000~$K) cool to settle on the main sequence after $\sim$1 Gyr. For brown dwarfs, this cooling never stops. Their habitable zone (HZ) thus sweeps inward at least during the first Gyr of their lives. Assuming they possess water, planets found in the HZ of UCDs have experienced a runaway greenhouse phase too hot for liquid water prior to entering the HZ. It has been proposed that such planets are desiccated by this hot early phase and enter the HZ as dry worlds. Here we model the water loss during this pre-HZ hot phase taking into account recent upper limits on the XUV emission of UCDs and using 1D radiation-hydrodynamic simulations. We address the whole range of UCDs but also focus on the planets recently found around the $0.08~M_\odot$ dwarf TRAPPIST-1. Despite assumptions maximizing the FUV-photolysis of water and the XUV-driven escape of hydrogen, we find that planets can retain significant amounts of water in the HZ of UCDs, with a sweet spot in the $0.04$-$0.06~M_\odot$ range. We also studied the TRAPPIST-1 system using observed constraints on the XUV-flux. We find that TRAPPIST-1b and c may have lost as much as 15 Earth Oceans and planet d -- which might be inside the HZ -- may have lost less than 1 Earth Ocean. Depending on their initial water contents, they could have enough water to remain habitable. TRAPPIST-1 planets are key targets for atmospheric characterization and could provide strong constraints on the water erosion around UCDs.

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arXiv2016

The habitability of Proxima Centauri b. I. Irradiation, rotation and volatile inventory from formation to the present

Proxima b is a planet with a minimum mass of 1.3 MEarth orbiting within the habitable zone (HZ) of Proxima Centauri, a very low-mass, active star and the Sun's closest neighbor. Here we investigate a number of factors related to the potential habitability of Proxima b and its ability to maintain liquid water on its surface. We set the stage by estimating the current high-energy irradiance of the planet and show that the planet currently receives 30 times more EUV radiation than Earth and 250 times more X-rays. We compute the time evolution of the star's spectrum, which is essential for modeling the flux received over Proxima b's lifetime. We also show that Proxima b's obliquity is likely null and its spin is either synchronous or in a 3:2 spin-orbit resonance, depending on the planet's eccentricity and level of triaxiality. Next we consider the evolution of Proxima b's water inventory. We use our spectral energy distribution to compute the hydrogen loss from the planet with an improved energy-limited escape formalism. Despite the high level of stellar activity we find that Proxima b is likely to have lost less than an Earth ocean's worth of hydrogen before it reached the HZ 100-200 Myr after its formation. The largest uncertainty in our work is the initial water budget, which is not constrained by planet formation models. We conclude that Proxima b is a viable candidate habitable planet.

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arXiv2016

The habitability of Proxima Centauri b II. Possible climates and Observability

Radial velocity monitoring has found the signature of a $M \sin i = 1.3$~M$_\oplus$ planet located within the Habitable Zone (HZ) of Proxima Centauri \citep{Anglada16}. Despite a hotter past and an active host star the planet Proxima~b could have retained enough volatiles to sustain surface habitability \citep{Ribas2016}. Here we use a 3D Global Climate Model (GCM) to simulate Proxima b's atmosphere and water cycle for its two likely rotation modes (1:1 and 3:2 spin-orbit resonances) while varying the unconstrained surface water inventory and atmospheric greenhouse effect. We find that a broad range of atmospheric compositions allow surface liquid water. On a tidally-locked planet with sufficient surface water inventory, liquid water is always present, at least in the substellar region. With a non-synchronous rotation, this requires a minimum greenhouse warming ($\sim$10~mbar of CO$_2$ and 1~bar of N$_2$). If the planet is dryer, $\sim$0.5~bar/1.5~bars of CO$_2$ (respectively for asynchronous/synchronous rotation) suffice to prevent the trapping of any arbitrary small water inventory into polar/nightside ice caps. We produce reflection/emission spectra and phase curves for the simulated climates. We find that atmospheric characterization will be possible by direct imaging with forthcoming large telescopes. The angular separation of $7 λ/D$ at 1~$μ$m (with the E-ELT) and a contrast of $\sim$10$^{-7}$ will enable high-resolution spectroscopy and the search for molecular signatures, including H$_2$O, O$_2$, and CO$_2$. The observation of thermal phase curves can be attempted with JWST, thanks to a contrast of $2\times10^{-5}$ at 10~$μ$m. Proxima~b will also be an exceptional target for future IR interferometers. Within a decade it will be possible to image Proxima~b and possibly determine whether this exoplanet's surface is habitable.

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