arXiv subjects

I. Baraffe

Publications and source records attributed to I. Baraffe.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2015

Fingering convection and cloudless models for cool brown dwarf atmospheres

This work aims to improve the current understanding of the atmospheres of brown dwarfs, especially cold ones with spectral type T and Y, whose modeling is a current challenge. Silicate and iron clouds are believed to disappear at the photosphere at the L/T transition, but cloudless models fail to reproduce correctly the spectra of T dwarfs, advocating for the addition of more physics, e.g. other types of clouds or internal energy transport mechanisms. We use a one-dimensional (1D) radiative/convective equilibrium code ATMO to investigate this issue. This code includes both equilibrium and out-of-equilibrium chemistry and solves consistently the PT structure. Included opacity sources are H2-H2, H2-He, H2O, CO, CO2, CH4, NH3, K, Na, and TiO, VO if they are present in the atmosphere. We show that the spectra of Y dwarfs can be accurately reproduced with a cloudless model if vertical mixing and NH3 quenching are taken into account. T dwarf spectra still have some reddening in e.g. J - H compared to cloudless models. This reddening can be reproduced by slightly reducing the temperature gradient in the atmosphere. We propose that this reduction of the stabilizing temperature gradient in these layers, leading to cooler structures, is due to the onset of fingering convection, triggered by the destabilizing impact of condensation of very thin dust.

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arXiv2015

New evolutionary models for pre-main sequence and main sequence low-mass stars down to the hydrogen-burning limit

We present new models for low-mass stars down to the hydrogen-burning limit that consistently couple atmosphere and interior structures, thereby superseding the widely used BCAH98 models. The new models include updated molecular linelists and solar abundances, as well as atmospheric convection parameters calibrated on 2D/3D radiative hydrodynamics simulations. Comparison of these models with observations in various colour-magnitude diagrams for various ages shows significant improvement over previous generations of models. The new models can solve flaws that are present in the previous ones, such as the prediction of optical colours that are too blue compared to M dwarf observations. They can also reproduce the four components of the young quadruple system LkCa 3 in a colour-magnitude diagram with one single isochrone, in contrast to any presently existing model. In this paper we also highlight the need for consistency when comparing models and observations, with the necessity of using evolutionary models and colours based on the same atmospheric structures.

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arXiv2014

Planetary internal structures

This chapter reviews the most recent advancements on the topic of terrestrial and giant planet interiors, including Solar System and extrasolar objects. Starting from an observed mass-radius diagram for known planets in the Universe, we will discuss the various types of planets appearing in this diagram and describe internal structures for each type. The review will summarize the status of theoretical and experimental works performed in the field of equation of states (EOS) for materials relevant to planetary interiors and will address the main theoretical and experimental uncertainties and challenges. It will discuss the impact of new EOS on interior structures and bulk composition determination. We will discuss important dynamical processes which strongly impact the interior and evolutionary properties of planets (e.g plate tectonics, semiconvection) and describe non standard models recently suggested for our giant planets. We will address the case of short-period, strongly irradiated exoplanets and critically analyse some of the physical mechanisms which have been suggested to explain their anomalously large radius.

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arXiv2013

The UM, a fully--compressible, non--hydrostatic, deep atmosphere GCM, applied to hot Jupiters

We are adapting the Global Circulation Model (GCM) of the UK Met Office, the so--called Unified Model (UM), for the study of hot Jupiters. In this work we demonstrate the successful adaptation of the most sophisticated dynamical core, the component of the GCM which solves the equations of motion for the atmosphere, available within the UM, ENDGame (Even Newer Dynamics for General atmospheric modelling of the environment). Within the same numerical scheme ENDGame supports solution to the dynamical equations under varying degrees of simplification. We present results from a simple, shallow (in atmospheric domain) hot Jupiter model (SHJ), and a more realistic (with a deeper atmosphere) HD 209458b test case. For both test cases we find that the large--scale, time--averaged (over the 1200 days prescribed test period), dynamical state of the atmosphere is relatively insensitive to the level of simplification of the dynamical equations. However, problems exist when attempting to reproduce the results for these test cases derived from other models. For the SHJ case the lower (and upper) boundary intersects the dominant dynamical features of the atmosphere meaning the results are heavily dependent on the boundary conditions. For the HD 209458b test case, when using the more complete dynamical models, the atmosphere is still clearly evolving after 1200 days, and in a transient state. Solving the complete (deep atmosphere and non--hydrostatic) dynamical equations allows exchange between the vertical and horizontal momentum of the atmosphere, via Coriolis and metric terms. Subsequently, interaction between the upper atmosphere and the deeper more slowly evolving (radiatively inactive) atmosphere significantly alters the results, and acts over timescales longer than 1200 days.

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arXiv2013

Using the UM dynamical cores to reproduce idealised 3D flows

We demonstrate that both the current (New Dynamics), and next generation (ENDGame) dynamical cores of the UK Met Office global circulation model, the UM, reproduce consistently, the long-term, large-scale flows found in several published idealised tests. The cases presented are the Held-Suarez test, a simplified model of Earth (including a stratosphere), and a hypothetical tidally locked Earth. Furthermore, we show that using simplifications to the dynamical equations, which are expected to be justified for the physical domains and flow regimes we have studied, and which are supported by the ENDGame dynamical core, also produces matching long-term, large-scale flows. Finally, we present evidence for differences in the detail of the planetary flows and circulations resulting from improvements in the ENDGame formulation over New Dynamics.

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arXiv2013

The effect of episodic accretion on the phase transition of CO and CO_2 in low-mass star formation

We study the evaporation and condensation of CO and CO_2 during the embedded stages of low-mass star formation by using numerical simulations. We focus on the effect of luminosity bursts, similar in magnitude to FUors and EXors, on the gas-phase abundance of CO and CO_2 in the protostellar disk and infalling envelope. The evolution of a young protostar and its environment is followed based on hydrodynamical models using the thin-disk approximation, coupled with a stellar evolution code and phase transformations of CO and CO_2. The accretion and associated luminosity bursts in our model are caused by disk gravitational fragmentation followed by quick migration of the fragments onto the forming protostar. We found that bursts with luminosity on the order of 100-200 L_sun can evaporate CO ices in part of the envelope. The typical freeze-out time of the gas-phase CO onto dust grains in the envelope (a few kyr) is much longer than the burst duration (100-200 yr). This results in an increased abundance of the gas-phase CO in the envelope long after the system has returned into a quiescent stage. In contrast, luminosity bursts can evaporate CO_2 ices only in the disk, where the freeze-out time of the gas-phase CO_2 is comparable to the burst duration. We thus confirm that luminosity bursts can leave long-lasting traces in the abundance of gas-phase CO in the infalling envelope, enabling the detection of recent bursts as suggested by previous semi-analytical studies.

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arXiv2012

Scenarios to explain extreme Be depletion in solar-like stars: accretion or rotation effects ?

Studies of beryllium abundance in large samples of solar-type stars show a small fraction of extremely beryllium-deficient stars, which challenges our current understanding of light element depletion in these stars. We suggest two possible scenarios that may explain this high level of Be depletion: early accretion and rotational mixing. We show that in both cases, the conditions required to reach the observed level of Be depletion are quite extreme, which explains the very small fraction of detected Be outliers. We suggest that substantial Be depletion can be obtained in stars if they were fast rotators in the past, with high initial rotational velocities and short disc lifetimes. Our analysis suggests that rotational mixing may not be efficient enough to deplete Be in less than 10 Myr. Consequently, the detection of strongly Be-deficient stars in clusters younger than $\sim$ 10 Myr may provide a genuine signature of accretion process and the proof that some protostars may undergo many extreme bursts of accretion during their embedded phases of evolution.

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arXiv2011

Towards a new generation of multi-dimensional stellar evolution models: development of an implicit hydrodynamic code

This paper describes the first steps of development of a new multidimensional time implicit code devoted to the study of hydrodynamical processes in stellar interiors. The code solves the hydrodynamical equations in spherical geometry and is based on the finite volume method. Radiation transport is taken into account within the diffusion approximation. Realistic equation of state and opacities are implemented, allowing the study of a wide range of problems characteristic of stellar interiors. We describe in details the numerical method and various standard tests performed to validate the method. We present preliminary results devoted to the description of stellar convection. We first perform a local simulation of convection in the surface layers of a A-type star model. This simulation is used to test the ability of the code to address stellar conditions and to validate our results, since they can be compared to similar previous simulations based on explicit codes. We then present a global simulation of turbulent convective motions in a cold giant envelope, covering 80% in radius of the stellar structure. Although our implicit scheme is unconditionally stable, we show that in practice there is a limitation on the time step which prevent the flow to move over several cells during a time step. Nevertheless, in the cold giant model we reach a hydro CFL number of 100. We also show that we are able to address flows with a wide range of Mach numbers (10^-3 < Ms< 0.5), which is impossible with an anelastic approach. Our first developments are meant to demonstrate that the use of an implicit scheme applied to a stellar evolution context is perfectly thinkable and to provide useful guidelines to optimise the development of an implicit multi-D hydrodynamical code.

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arXiv2010

Understanding exoplanet formation, structure and evolution in 2010

In this short review, we summarize our present understanding (and non-understanding) of exoplanet formation, structure and evolution, in the light of the most recent discoveries. Recent observations of transiting massive brown dwarfs seem to remarkably confirm the predicted theoretical mass-radius relationship in this domain. This mass-radius relationship provides, in some cases, a powerful diagnostic to distinguish planets from brown dwarfs of same mass, as for instance for Hat-P-20b. If confirmed, this latter observation shows that planet formation takes place up to at least 8 Jupiter masses. Conversely, observations of brown dwarfs down to a few Jupiter masses in young, low-extinction clusters strongly suggest an overlapping mass domain between (massive) planets and (low-mass) brown dwarfs, i.e. no mass edge between these two distinct (in terms of formation mechanism) populations. At last, the large fraction of heavy material inferred for many of the transiting planets confirms the core-accretion scenario as been the dominant one for planet formation.

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arXiv2010

The effect of magnetic activity on low-mass stars in eclipsing binaries

In recent years, analyses of eclipsing binary systems have unveiled differences between the observed fundamental properties of low-mass stars and those predicted by stellar structure models. Particularly, radius and effective temperatures computed from models are ~ 5-10% lower and ~ 3-5% higher than observed, respectively. These discrepancies have been attributed to different factors, notably to the high levels of magnetic activity present on these stars. In this paper, we test the effect of magnetic activity both on models and on the observational analysis of eclipsing binaries using a sample of such systems with accurate fundamental properties. Regarding stellar models, we have found that unrealistically high spot coverages need to be assumed to reproduce the observations. Tests considering metallicity effects and missing opacities on models indicate that these are not able to explain the radius discrepancies observed. With respect to the observations, we have tested the effect of several spot distributions on the light curve analysis. Our results show that spots cause systematic deviations on the stellar radii derived from light curve analysis when distributed mainly over the stellar poles. Assuming the existence of polar spots, overall agreement between models and observations is reached when ~ 35% spot coverage is considered on stellar models. Such spot coverage induces a systematic deviation in the radius determination from the light curve analysis of ~ 3% and is also compatible with the modulations observed on the light curves of these systems. Finally, we have found that the effect of activity or rotation on convective transport in partially radiative stars may also contribute to explain the differences seen in some of the systems with shorter orbital periods.

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arXiv2010

The physical properties of extrasolar planets

Tremendous progress in the science of extrasolar planets has been achieved since the discovery of a Jupiter orbiting the nearby Sun-like star 51 Pegasi in 1995. Theoretical models have now reached enough maturity to predict the characteristic properties of these new worlds, mass, radius, atmospheric signatures, and can be confronted with available observations. We review our current knowledge of the physical properties of exoplanets, internal structure and composition, atmospheric signatures, including expected biosignatures for exo-Earth planets, evolution, and the impact of tidal interaction and stellar irradiation on these properties for the short-period planets. We discuss the most recent theoretical achievements in the field and the still pending questions. We critically analyse the different solutions suggested to explain abnormally large radii of a significant fraction of transiting exoplanets. Special attention is devoted to the recently discovered transiting objects in the overlapping mass range between massive planets and low-mass brown dwarfs, stressing the ambiguous nature of these bodies, and we discuss the possible observable diagnostics to identify these two distinct populations. We also review our present understanding of planet formation and critically examine the different suggested formation mechanisms. We expect the present review to provide the basic theoretical background to capture the essential of the physics of exoplanet formation, structure and evolution, and the related observable signatures.

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arXiv2009

Episodic accretion at early stages of evolution of low mass stars and brown dwarfs: a solution for the observed luminosity spread in HR diagrams?

We present evolutionary models for young low mass stars and brown dwarfs taking into account episodic phases of accretion at early stages of the evolution, a scenario supported by recent large surveys of embedded protostars. An evolution including short episodes of vigorous accretion ($\mdot \ge 10^{-4} \msolyr$) followed by longer quiescent phases ($\mdot < 10^{-6} \msolyr$) can explain the observed luminosity spread in HR diagrams of star forming regions at ages of a few Myr, for objects ranging from a few Jupiter masses to a few tenths of a solar mass. The gravitational contraction of these accreting objects strongly departs from the standard Hayashi track at constant $\te$. The best agreement with the observed luminosity scatter is obtained if most of the accretion shock energy is radiated away. The obtained luminosity spread at 1 Myr in the HR diagram is equivalent to what can be misinterpreted as a $\sim$ 10 Myr age spread for non-accreting objects. We also predict a significant spread in radius at a given $\te$, as suggested by recent observations. These calculations bear important consequences on our understanding of star formation and early stages of evolution and on the determination of the IMF for young ($\le$ a few Myr) clusters. Our results also show that the concept of a stellar birthline for low-mass objects has no valid support.

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arXiv2009

Accuracy of stellar parameters of exoplanet-host stars determined from asteroseismology

In the context of the space-based mission CoRoT, devoted to asteroseismology and search for planet transits, we analyse the accuracy of fundamental stellar parameters (mass, radius, luminosity) that can be obtained from asteroseismological data.} Our work is motivated by the large uncertainties on planetary radius determination of transiting planets which are mainly due to uncertainties on the stellar parameters. Our goal is to analyse uncertainties of fundamental stellar parameters for a given accuracy of oscillation frequency determination. We generate grids of equilibrium models of stars and compute their pulsation spectra based on a linear nonadiabatic stability analysis. Using differents methods of comparison of oscillation mode spectra, we derive uncertainties on fundamental stellar parameters and analyse the effect of varying the number of considered modes.} The limits obtained depend strongly on the adapted method to compare spectra. We find a degeneracy in the stellar parameter solutions, up to a few % in mass (from less than 1% to more than 7% depending on the method used and the number of considered modes), luminosity (from 2% to more than 10%) or radius (from less than 1% to 3%), for a given pulsation spectrum.

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arXiv2009

Structure and evolution of the first CoRoT exoplanets: Probing the Brown Dwarf/Planet overlapping mass regime

We present detailed structure and evolution calculations for the first transiting extrasolar planets discovered by the space-based CoRoT mission. Comparisons between theoretical and observed radii provide information on the internal composition of the CoRoT objects. We distinguish three different categories of planets emerging from these discoveries and from previous ground-based surveys: (i) planets explained by standard planetary models including irradiation, (ii) abnormally bloated planets and (iii) massive objects belonging to the overlapping mass regime between planets and brown dwarfs. For the second category, we show that tidal heating can explain the relevant CoRoT objects, providing non-zero eccentricities. We stress that the usual assumption of a quick circularization of the orbit by tides, as usually done in transit light curve analysis, is not justified a priori, as suggested recently by Levrard et al. (2009), and that eccentricity analysis should be carefully redone for some observations. Finally, special attention is devoted to CoRoT-3b and to the identification of its very nature: giant planet or brown dwarf ? The radius determination of this object confirms the theoretical mass-radius predictions for gaseous bodies in the substellar regime but, given the present observational uncertainties, does not allow an unambiguous identification of its very nature. This opens the avenue, however, to an observational identification of these two distinct astrophysical populations, brown dwarfs and giant planets, in their overlapping mass range, as done for the case of the 8 Jupiter-mass object Hat-P-2b. (abridged)

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arXiv2009

The initial mass function of the rich young cluster NGC 1818 in the Large Magellanic Cloud

We use deep Hubble Space Telescope photometry of the rich, young (~20-45 Myr-old) star cluster NGC 1818 in the Large Magellanic Cloud to derive its stellar mass function (MF) down to ~0.15 Msun. This represents the deepest robust MF thus far obtained for a stellar system in an extragalactic, low-metallicity ([Fe/H]~-0.4 dex) environment. Combining our results with the published MF for masses above 1.0 Msun, we obtain a complete present-day MF. This is a good representation of the cluster's initial MF (IMF), particularly at low masses, because our observations are centred on the cluster's uncrowded half-mass radius. Therefore, stellar and dynamical evolution of the cluster will not have affected the low-mass stars significantly. The NGC 1818 IMF is well described by both a lognormal and a broken power-law distribution with slopes of Gamma=0.46+/-0.10 and Gamma~-1.35 (Salpeter-like) for masses in the range from 0.15 to 0.8 Msun and greater than 0.8 Msun, respectively. Within the uncertainties, the NGC 1818 IMF is fully consistent with both the Kroupa solar-neighbourhood and the Chabrier lognormal mass distributions.

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arXiv2008

The mass-radius relationship from solar-type stars to terrestrial planets: a review

In this review, we summarize our present knowledge of the behaviour of the mass-radius relationship from solar-type stars down to terrestrial planets, across the regime of substellar objects, brown dwarfs and giant planets. Particular attention is paid to the identification of the main physical properties or mechanisms responsible for this behaviour. Indeed, understanding the mechanical structure of an object provides valuable information about its internal structure, composition and heat content as well as its formation history. Although the general description of these properties is reasonably well mastered, disagreement between theory and observation in certain cases points to some missing physics in our present modelling of at least some of these objects. The mass-radius relationship in the overlaping domain between giant planets and low-mass brown dwarfs is shown to represent a powerful diagnostic to distinguish between these two different populations and shows once again that the present IAU distinction between these two populations at a given mass has no valid foundation.

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arXiv2008

On the evolutionary status of short period cataclysmic variables

(Abridged) We present high-speed, three-colour photometry of seven short period (Porb <= 95 mins) eclipsing CVs from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We determine the system parameters via a parametrized model of the eclipse fitted to the observed lightcurve by chi2 minimization. Three out of seven of the systems possess brown dwarf donor stars and are believed to have evolved past the orbital period minimum. This is in line with predictions that 40-70 per cent of CVs should have evolved past the orbital period minimum. Therefore, the main result of our study is that the missing population of post-period minimum CVs has finally been identified. The donor star masses and radii are, however, inconsistent with model predictions; the donor stars are approximately 10 per cent larger than expected across the mass range studied here. One explanation for the discrepancy is enhanced angular momentum loss (e.g. from circumbinary discs), however the mass-transfer rates, as deduced from white dwarf effective temperatures, are not consistent with enhanced angular momentum loss. We show it is possible to explain the large donor radii without invoking enhanced angular momentum loss by a combination of geometrical deformation and the effects of starspots due to strong rotation and expected magnetic activity. Choosing unambiguously between these different solutions will require independent estimates of the mass-transfer rates in short period CVs.

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arXiv2008

Fifteen new T dwarfs discovered in the UKIDSS Large Area Survey

We present the discovery of fifteen new T2.5-T7.5 dwarfs (with estimated distances between ~24-93pc, identified in the first three main data releases of the UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey. This brings the total number of T dwarfs discovered in the Large Area Survey (to date) to 28. These discoveries are confirmed by near infrared spectroscopy, from which we derive spectral types on the unified scheme of Burgasser et al. (2006). Seven of the new T dwarfs have spectral types of T2.5-T4.5, five have spectral types of T5-T5.5, one is a T6.5p, and two are T7-7.5. We assess spectral morphology and colours to identify T dwarfs in our sample that may have non-typical physical properties (by comparison to solar neighbourhood populations). The colours of the full sample of LAS T dwarfs show a possible trend to bluer Y-J with decreasing effective temperature beyond T8. By accounting for the main sources of incompleteness (selection, follow-up and spatial) as well as the effects of unresolved binarity and Malmquist bias, we estimate that there are 17+-4 >=T4 dwarfs in the J<=19 volume of the LAS second data release. Comparing this to theoretical predictions is most consistent with a sub-stellar mass function exponent alpha between -1.0 and 0. This is consistent with the latest 2MASS/SDSS constraint (which is based on lower number statistics), and is significantly lower than the alpha~1.0 suggested by L dwarf field populations, possibly a result of the lower mass range probed by the T dwarf class.

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