Title:  Atmospheres of lava planets: a case study for K2-141b

Abstract: 

In this talk, I will present recently published findings on the lava planet K2-141 b. For the first time, optical and infrared phase variation has been detected for a lava planet. This rocky world orbits its host star every 6.7 hours leading to high dayside surface temperatures of more than 2000 K. The temperatures on the daysides of such highly irradiated planets are then hot enough to melt their surfaces, which should lead to tenuous rock vapor atmospheres outgassed from surface magma oceans. Previous studies of ultra-short-period planets (USPs) have made surprising discoveries like the measurement of an offset hotspot in the thermal phase curve of 55 Cancri e (which may indicate a thick atmosphere has survived), and a high Bond albedo for Kepler-10b, which suggests the presence of unusually reflective lava on its surface. The interpretation of the collected Spitzer and K2 data of
K2-141 b sheds new light on these benchmark USPs. In the near future, JWST will deliver unprecedented observations of K2-141 b and other highly irradiated rocky exoplanets. This will enable the first direct detections of rock vapor atmospheres and their compositions.

Host:  Brianna Zawadzki

This hybrid event will be held in Davey 538 and available to watch via Zoom if you can't make it in person.  Please email CEHW-SEMINAR-QUESTIONS@lists.psu.edu to register to get the Zoom link.