Protostars and Planets VI, Heidelberg, July 15-20, 2013
Poster 2K099
Ab initio simulations for material properties inside Jupiter
French, Martin (Institut für Physik, Universität Rostock)
Becker, Andreas (Institut für Physik, Universität Rostock)
Lorenzen, Winfried (Institut für Physik, Universität Rostock)
Nettelmann, Nadine (Institut für Physik, Universität Rostock)
Bethkenhagen, Mandy (Institut für Physik, Universität Rostock)
Wicht, Johannes (Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung)
Redmer, Ronald (Institut für Physik, Universität Rostock)
Abstract:
The behavior of warm dense matter is of paramount importance for interior and dynamo models for
solar and extrasolar giant planets. For instance, nonmetal-to-metal transitions (e.g. metallization in
hydrogen), demixing phenomena (in H-He or C-N-O-H mixtures), and new exotic phases (e.g. with
proton conduction in water and ammonia) may occur at high pressures and elevated temperatures.
These effects have to be taken into account consistently in corresponding planetary models. Therefore,
we apply ab initio molecular dynamics simulations based on finite-temperature density functional
theory to calculate thermophysical properties of warm dense matter. In particular we determine the
equation of state (thermal and caloric), material (sound velocity, specific heat) and transport properties
(electrical and thermal conductivity, viscosity, diffusion coefficient) along the adiabat of Jupiter, i.e.
from ambient conditions up to the multi-megabar range [1,2]. This ab initio data set can be used
as input in future interior (structure) and dynamo models (magnetic fields, flow dynamics) for this
planet. Similar data sets can also be compiled for interior conditions of other solar giant planets so that
important problems such as the size of planetary cores necessary for the accretion of gaseous (H/He)
or icy (C-N-O hydrides) envelopes, the origin, location and stability of layer boundaries, or the source
of an excess (e.g. Saturn) or deficit luminosity (e.g. Uranus) can be studied. The increasing sample of
extrasolar planets poses new questions that can be addressed based on such ab initio data sets, e.g.
to explain the wide range of radii for planets with similar mass.
[1] N. Nettelmann, A. Becker, B. Holst, R. Redmer, Astrophys. J. 750, 52 (2012).
[2] M. French, A. Becker, W. Lorenzen, N. Nettelmann, M. Bethkenhagen,
J. Wicht, R. Redmer, Astrophys. J. Suppl. Ser. 202, 5 (2012).
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