New studies made public in the highly regarded journal Nature have uncovered some truly captivating features of sub-Neptunes. These characteristics accentuate their ability to hold water, a critical element for planetary habitability. Carnegie’s Eric Gannt, Institute de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP), and UCLA scientists were behind the study. They investigated, for instance, how an interaction between a young planet’s atmosphere and its primitive magma ocean can create large quantities of water.
Sub-Neptunes are common Dr. Wm. They are thought to be composed primarily of rocky material, but wrapped in massive atmospheres that are mostly hydrogen. To put that in context, these planets are the most common type of exoplanet in the Milky Way. To date, scientists have discovered more than 6,000 exoplanets. The resulting study demonstrates that sub-Neptunes are ideal candidates for testing theories to destruction. These planets would aid in understanding how rocky planets obtained their water.
To simulate conditions similar to what one would expect to find on young planets, the researchers recreated the processes of water formation in space. In order to do this, they squeezed and heated planetary analog materials to core conditions using a laser and the tips of two diamonds. In our experiments, we squeezed samples to pressures nearly 600,000 times that of Earth’s atmosphere. After that, we subjected them to extreme thermal conditions exceeding over 4,000 degrees Celsius!
It was through these simulations that the scientists discovered a surprising interaction. For a young planet, the atmosphere could dissolve enough hydrogen to significantly impact its magma ocean. The result of this process is the creation of clean, breathable water, essential for maintaining life as we know it.
“The presence of [liquid water] is considered critical for planetary habitability,” – Anat Shahar.
Miozzi noted, “Our work provided the first experimental evidence of two critical processes from early planetary evolution.” The results mark an important breakthrough in our knowledge of the very first steps of rocky planet formation and evolution.
“This work demonstrates that large quantities of water are created as a natural consequence of planet formation. It represents a major step forward in how we think about the search for distant worlds capable of hosting life,” – Anat Shahar.
The study underlines just how crucial water is when it comes to maintaining a habitable environment on a planetary scale. Water is the very basis for life. This fact, combined with their findings, renders the research highly applicable for scientists studying which exoplanets may have conditions to support life.
“Our rapidly increasing knowledge about the vast diversity of exoplanets has enabled us to envision new details about the earliest stages of rocky planet formation and evolution,” – Francesca Miozzi.