Origin and Evolution of the Polar Planets

极地行星的起源和演化

• 批准号: 2306391
• 负责人: Sarah Millholland
• 金额: $ 50.66万
• 依托单位: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-08-01 至 2026-07-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2306391&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Origin; Evolution; Polar; Planets

Many planets around distant stars have been found with strange orbits characterized by large differences between the axis of host star rotation and the orbit of the planet. A team led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology will explore the origins of these planets. The work will yield predictions that are testable with observations by the James Webb Space Telescope. The team will undergo on-site visits to local high schools and middle schools in the Boston metropolitan area, with a focus on the most diverse and economically disadvantaged districts using a portable planetarium system to give engaging astronomy presentations that allow students to experience the wonders of a dark sky without having to travel to a professional planetarium or a remote location. The educational program will be focused on Solar System objects, nearby stars, and planets. The visits will broaden students’ perspectives about Earth’s cosmic context and inspire students to pursue STEM subjects in college.A sizable fraction of the polar planets are warm Neptune- or super-Neptune-sized planets orbiting cool stars. These polar Neptunes share a variety of distinguishing characteristics: moderately eccentric and polar orbits, locations in or near the so-called hot Neptune desert, puffy atmospheres that show evidence for mass loss in many cases, and evidence for exterior massive companion planets in many cases. The team will perform a comprehensive theoretical analysis of the polar to fully understand the origins of both their orbital and physical properties. Analysis will follow the long-term orbital evolution of planets to see whether resonance can explain present-day orbital properties after gigayears of evolution that follow an initial resonance encounter. The team will study the response of the planets’ interiors and atmospheres to tidal heating to explain present-day observations and will couple the orbital and interior models together to derive holistic constraints on the polar Neptunes’ origins and long-term evolution. The work will yield predictions that are testable with atmospheric observations.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

发现遥远恒星周围的许多行星的奇怪轨道的特征是宿主恒星旋转轴与行星轨道之间的差异很大。马萨诸塞州理工学院领导的团队将探索这些星球的起源。这项工作将产生可通过詹姆斯·韦伯太空望远镜观察的预测。该团队将在波士顿大都会地区对当地高中和中学进行现场访问，重点是使用便携式天文馆系统，以最多样化和经济困扰的地区来进行引人入胜的天文学演示，使学生能够体验到黑暗的天空而无需前往专业的Planetarium或远程位置。该教育计划将集中在恒星和行星附近的太阳系对象上。访问将扩大学生对地球宇宙背景的看法，并激发学生在大学中追求STEM学科。极地行星的相当一部分是温暖的海王星或超新型行星，绕着旋转的酷星。这些极地海王星具有各种独特的特征：中度怪异和极性轨道，所谓的热海王星沙漠中或附近的位置，许多情况下显示出质量损失的证据的浮肿大气以及许多情况下外部大型伴侣行星的证据。团队将对极地进行全面的理论分析，以充分了解其轨道和物理特性的起源。分析将遵循行星的长期轨道演变，以查看共振是否可以解释遵循初始共振遇到的演变后的当今轨道特性。该小组将研究行星内部和气氛对潮汐加热的反应，以解释当今的观察结果，并将轨道和内部模型融合在一起，以对极地海王星的起源和长期进化产生整体约束。这项工作将产生可通过大气观察结果进行测试的预测。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并通过使用基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的影响审查标准来评估，被认为是宝贵的支持。