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The mass of gas giant planets: Is Saturn a failed gas giant?

Helled, Ravit (2023). The mass of gas giant planets: Is Saturn a failed gas giant? Astronomy and Astrophysics, 675:L8.

Abstract

The formation history of giant planets inside and outside the Solar System remains unknown. We suggest that runaway gas accretion is initiated only at a mass of ∼100 M$_{⊕}$ and that this mass corresponds to the transition to a gas giant, a planet whose composition is dominated by hydrogen and helium. Delayed runaway accretion (by a few million years) and having it occurring at higher masses is likely a result of an intermediate stage of efficient heavy-element accretion (at a rate of ∼10$^{−5}$ M$_{⊕}$ yr$^{−1}$) that provides sufficient energy to hinder rapid gas accretion. This may imply that Saturn has never reached the stage of runaway gas accretion and that it is a “failed giant planet”. The transition to a gas giant planet above Saturn’s mass naturally explains the differences between the bulk metallicities and internal structures of Jupiter and Saturn. The mass at which a planet transitions to a gas giant planet strongly depends on the exact formation history and birth environment of the planet, which are still not well constrained for our Solar System. In terms of giant exoplanets, the occurrence of runaway gas accretion at planetary masses greater than Saturn’s can explain the transitions in the mass-radius relations of observed exoplanets and the high metallicity of intermediate-mass exoplanets.

Additional indexing

Item Type:Journal Article, refereed, original work
Communities & Collections:07 Faculty of Science > Institute for Computational Science
Dewey Decimal Classification:530 Physics
Scopus Subject Areas:Physical Sciences > Astronomy and Astrophysics
Physical Sciences > Space and Planetary Science
Uncontrolled Keywords:Space and Planetary Science, Astronomy and Astrophysics
Language:English
Date:1 July 2023
Deposited On:02 Feb 2024 17:38
Last Modified:31 Oct 2024 02:35
Publisher:EDP Sciences
ISSN:0004-6361
OA Status:Hybrid
Free access at:Publisher DOI. An embargo period may apply.
Publisher DOI:https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202346850
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