Super-Earths: A New Class of Planetary Bodies

Abstract

Super-Earths, a class of planetary bodies with masses ranging from a few Earth-masses to slightly smaller than Uranus, have recently found a special place in the exoplanetary science. Being slightly larger than a typical terrestrial planet, super-Earths may have physical and dynamical characteristics similar to those of Earth whereas unlike terrestrial planets, they are relatively easier to detect. Because of their sizes, super-Earths can maintain moderate atmospheres and possibly dynamic interiors with plate tectonics. They also seem to be more common around low-mass stars where the habitable zone is in closer distances. This article presents a review of the current state of research on super-Earths, and discusses the models of the formation, dynamical evolution, and possible habitability of these objects. Given the recent advances in detection techniques, the detectability of super-Earths is also discussed, and a review of the prospects of their detection in the habitable zones of low-mass stars is presented.

A (non-technical) review of the literature on the current state ofresearch on super-Earths. The topics include observation, formation, dynamical evolution, habitability, composition, interior dynamics, magnetic field, atmosphere, and propsect of detection. The article has 44 pages, 27 figures, and 203 references. It has been accepted for publication in the journal Contemporary Physics (2011)

References in corpus (40)

• Direct Imaging of Multiple Planets Orbiting the Star HR 8799
• Optical Images of an Exosolar Planet 25 Light Years from Earth
• DHP Framework: Digital Health Passports Using Blockchain -- Use case on international tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Mass-Radius Relationships for Solid Exoplanets
• Constraining the Age-Activity Relation for Cool Stars: The SDSS DR5 Low-Mass Star Spectroscopic Sample
• Habitable planets around the star Gl 581?
• Planet formation around stars of various masses: The snow line and the frequency of giant planets
• Towards planetesimals: dense chondrule clumps in the protoplanetary nebula
• Migration and the formation of systems of hot super-Earths and Neptunes
• Microlens OGLE-2005-BLG-169 Implies Cool Neptune-Like Planets are Common
• The HARPS search for southern extra-solar planets XI. Super-Earths (5 & 8 M_Earth) in a 3-planet system
• Detailed Models of super-Earths: How well can we infer bulk properties?
• The Two Modes of Gas Giant Planet Formation
• A Massive Core in Jupiter Predicted From First-Principles Simulations
• Inevitability of Plate Tectonics on Super-Earths
• The Atmospheric Signatures of Super-Earths: How to Distinguish Between Hydrogen-Rich and Hydrogen-Poor Atmospheres
• Radius and Structure models for the First Super-Earth Planet
• Ocean Planet or Thick Atmosphere: On the Mass-Radius Relationship for Solid Exoplanets with Massive Atmospheres
• Exotic Earths: Forming Habitable Worlds with Giant Planet Migration
• Ranges of Atmospheric Mass and Composition of Super Earth Exoplanets
• Formation of Jupiter using opacities based on detailed grain physics
• Fragmentation of gravitationally unstable gaseous protoplanetary disks with radiative transfer
• Observable Consequences of Planet Formation Models in Systems with Close-in Terrestrial Planets
• On the Mass of CoRoT-7b
• A Hybrid N-body--Coagulation Code for Planet Formation
• Five Kepler target stars that show multiple transiting exoplanet candidates
• On the formation of terrestrial planets in hot-Jupiter systems
• The opacity of grains in protoplanetary atmospheres
• Rapid Formation of Icy Super-Earths and the Cores of Gas Giant Planets
• Formation and structure of the three Neptune-mass planets system around HD69830
• Migration of Gas Giant Planets in Gravitationally Unstable Disks
• Gravitational Instabilities in Gaseous Protoplanetary Disks and Implications for Giant Planet Formation
• Rapid Formation of Super-Earths around M Dwarf Stars
• Planet formation around stars of various masses: Hot super-Earths
• The effect of type I migration on the formation of terrestrial planets in hot-Jupiter systems
• Transit Timing Variations for Inclined and Retrograde Exoplanetary Systems
• On the Detection of (Habitable) Super-Earths Around Low-Mass Stars Using Kepler and Transit Timing Variation Method
• The MEarth project: searching for transiting habitable super-Earths around nearby M-dwarfs
• Experiments on the Photophoretic Motion of Chondrules and Dust Aggregates - Indications for the Transport of Matter in Protoplanetary Disks
• A Region Void of Irregular Satellites Around Jupiter

Cited by in corpus (8)

• Planet formation in Binaries
• The blue sky of GJ3470b: the atmosphere of a low-mass planet unveiled by ground-based photometry
• A tidally destructed massive planet as the progenitor of the two light planets around the sdB star KIC 05807616
• In hot water: effects of temperature-dependent interiors on the radii of water-rich super-Earths
• The Formation and Dynamics of Super-Earth Planets
• Can GJ 876 host four planets in resonance?
• Forming Different Planetary Systems
• Generalized three body problem and the instability of the core-halo objects in binary systems