A generalized bayesian inference method for constraining the interiors of super Earths and sub-Neptunes
arXiv:1609.03908 · doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201628708
Abstract
We aim to present a generalized Bayesian inference method for constraining interiors of super Earths and sub-Neptunes. Our methodology succeeds in quantifying the degeneracy and correlation of structural parameters for high dimensional parameter spaces. Specifically, we identify what constraints can be placed on composition and thickness of core, mantle, ice, ocean, and atmospheric layers given observations of mass, radius, and bulk refractory abundance constraints (Fe, Mg, Si) from observations of the host star's photospheric composition. We employed a full probabilistic Bayesian inference analysis that formally accounts for observational and model uncertainties. Using a Markov chain Monte Carlo technique, we computed joint and marginal posterior probability distributions for all structural parameters of interest. We included state-of-the-art structural models based on self-consistent thermodynamics of core, mantle, high-pressure ice, and liquid water. Furthermore, we tested and compared two different atmospheric models that are tailored for modeling thick and thin atmospheres, respectively. First, we validate our method against Neptune. Second, we apply it to synthetic exoplanets of fixed mass and determine the effect on interior structure and composition when (1) radius, (2) atmospheric model, (3) data uncertainties, (4) semi-major axes, (5) atmospheric composition (i.e., a priori assumption of enriched envelopes versus pure H/He envelopes), and (6) prior distributions are varied. Our main conclusions are: [...]
Astronomy & Astrophysics, 597, A37, 17 pages, 11 figures
References in corpus (14)
- Mass-Radius Relationships for Solid Exoplanets
- Most 1.6 Earth-Radius Planets are not Rocky
- On the radiative equilibrium of irradiated planetary atmospheres
- Atmospheric Retrieval for Super-Earths: Uniquely Constraining the Atmospheric Composition with Transmission Spectroscopy
- Planetary population synthesis coupled with atmospheric escape: a statistical view of evaporation
- Can we constrain interior structure of rocky exoplanets from mass and radius measurements?
- Detailed Models of super-Earths: How well can we infer bulk properties?
- Stellar Abundances in the Solar Neighborhood: The Hypatia Catalog
- The Mass of Kepler-93b and The Composition of Terrestrial Planets
- Ocean Planet or Thick Atmosphere: On the Mass-Radius Relationship for Solid Exoplanets with Massive Atmospheres
- A generalized bayesian inference method for constraining the interiors of super Earths and sub-Neptunes
- Critical core mass for enriched envelopes: the role of H2O condensation
- Planet Hunters VII. Discovery of a New Low-Mass, Low-Density Planet (PH3 c) Orbiting Kepler-289 with Mass Measurements of Two Additional Planets (PH3 b and d)
- Convection and Mixing in Giant Planet Evolution