Simulated Phase-dependent Spectra of Terrestrial Aquaplanets in M Dwarf Systems

Abstract

Orbital phase-dependent variations in thermal emission and reflected stellar energy spectra can provide meaningful constraints on the climate states of terrestrial extrasolar planets orbiting M dwarf stars. Spatial distributions of water vapor, clouds, and surface ice are controlled by climate. In turn, water, in each of its thermodynamic phases, imposes significant modulations to thermal and reflected planetary spectra. Here we explore these characteristic spectral signals, based on 3D climate simulations of Earth-sized aquaplanets orbiting M dwarf stars near the habitable zone. By using 3D models, we can self-consistently predict surface temperatures and the location of water vapor, clouds, and surface ice in the climate system. Habitable zone planets in M dwarf systems are expected to be in synchronous rotation with their host star and thus present distinct differences in emitted and reflected energy fluxes depending on the observed hemisphere. Here we illustrate that icy, temperate, and incipient runaway greenhouse climate states exhibit phase-dependent spectral signals that enable their characterization.

arXiv comment54 pages, 12 figures, please grab the published article for your reading pleasure

References in corpus (42)

• Habitable Zones Around Main-Sequence Stars: New Estimates
• A map of the day-night contrast of the extrasolar planet HD 189733b
• Most 1.6 Earth-Radius Planets are not Rocky
• Evolutionary models for low-mass stars and brown dwarfs: uncertainties and limits at very young ages
• Equatorial superrotation on tidally locked exoplanets
• Stabilizing Cloud Feedback Dramatically Expands the Habitable Zone of Tidally Locked Planets
• Transitions in the cloud composition of hot Jupiters
• The habitability of Proxima Centauri b II. Possible climates and Observability
• Strong Dependence of the Inner Edge of the Habitable Zone on Planetary Rotation Rate
• Probabilistic Mass-Radius Relationship for Sub-Neptune-Sized Planets
• Stellar Diameters and Temperatures III. Main Sequence A, F, G, & K Stars: Additional high-precision measurements and empirical relations
• The inner edge of the habitable zone for synchronously rotating planets around low-mass stars using general circulation models
• 3D climate modeling of close-in land planets: Circulation patterns, climate moist bistability and habitability
• HELIOS-K: An Ultrafast, Open-source Opacity Calculator for Radiative Transfer
• Habitable Moist Atmospheres On Terrestrial Planets Near the Inner Edge Of the Habitable Zone Around M-dwarfs
• Modelling climate diversity, tidal dynamics and the fate of volatiles on TRAPPIST-1 planets
• The Effect of Host Star Spectral Energy Distribution and Ice-Albedo Feedback on the Climate of Extrasolar Planets
• Atmospheric dynamics of Earth-like tidally locked aquaplanets
• K-H_2 Quasi-molecular absorption detected in the T-dwarf epsilon Indi Ba
• Exploring the climate of Proxima B with the Met Office Unified Model
• Habitable Climate Scenarios for Proxima Centauri b With a Dynamic Ocean
• Demarcating circulation regimes of synchronously rotating terrestrial planets within the habitable zone
• Thermal phase curves of nontransiting terrestrial exoplanets 1. Characterizing atmospheres
• The Runaway Greenhouse: implications for future climate change, geoengineering and planetary atmospheres
• Suppression of the water ice and snow albedo feedback on planets orbiting red dwarf stars and the subsequent widening of the habitable zone
• Constraints on Climate and Habitability for Earth-like Exoplanets Determined from a General Circulation Model
• Habitability of planets on eccentric orbits: the limits of the mean flux approximation
• Temperature Structure and Atmospheric Circulation of Dry, Tidally Locked Rocky Exoplanets
• Detecting and Constraining N${}_2$ Abundances in Planetary Atmospheres Using Collisional Pairs
• Deciphering thermal phase curves of dry, tidally locked terrestrial planets
• The atmospheric circulation and climate of terrestrial planets orbiting Sun-like and M-dwarf stars over a broad range of planetary parameters
• Thermal Phases of Earth-Like Planets: Estimating Thermal Inertia from Eccentricity, Obliquity, and Diurnal Forcing
• Climates of Warm Earth-like Planets I: 3-D Model Simulations
• NIR-Driven Moist Upper Atmospheres of Synchronously Rotating Temperate Terrestrial Exoplanets
• Ocean Dynamics and the Inner Edge of the Habitable Zone for Tidally Locked Terrestrial Planets
• Spectrum-driven Planetary Deglaciation Due to Increases in Stellar Luminosity
• The Effect of Orbital Configuration on the Possible Climates and Habitability of Kepler-62f
• Habitability of waterworlds: runaway greenhouses, atmospheric expansion and multiple climate states of pure water atmospheres
• Stratosphere circulation on tidally locked ExoEarths
• Climate Modeling of a Potential ExoVenus
• Hydrohalite Salt-albedo Feedback Could Cool M-dwarf Planets
• Aquaplanet Models on Eccentric Orbits: Effects of Rotation Rate on Observables

Cited by in corpus (21)

• Persistence of Flare-Driven Atmospheric Chemistry on Rocky Habitable Zone Worlds
• Atmospheric Regimes and Trends on Exoplanets and Brown Dwarfs
• The TRAPPIST-1 Habitable Atmosphere Intercomparison (THAI). Part II: Moist Cases -- The Two Waterworlds
• Habitability and Spectroscopic Observability of Warm M-dwarf Exoplanets Evaluated with a 3D Chemistry-Climate Model
• The TRAPPIST-1 Habitable Atmosphere Intercomparison (THAI). Part III: Simulated Observables -- The return of the spectrum
• Clouds will likely prevent the detection of water vapor in JWST transmission spectra of terrestrial exoplanets
• A Scaling for Atmospheric Heat Redistribution on Tidally-Locked Rocky Planets
• Dim Prospects for Transmission Spectra of Ocean Earths Around M Stars
• Nitrogen Dioxide Pollution as a Signature of Extraterrestrial Technology
• Water Condensation Zones around Main Sequence Stars
• The First Habitable Zone Earth-sized Planet from TESS. III: Climate States and Characterization Prospects for TOI-700 d
• The TRAPPIST-1 JWST Community Initiative
• The Effect of Land Fraction and Host Star Spectral Energy Distribution on the Planetary Albedo of Terrestrial Worlds
• Small Sensitivity of the Simulated Climate of Tidally Locked Aquaplanets to Model Resolution
• Phase Modeling of the TRAPPIST-1 Planetary Atmospheres
• Hurricane genesis is favorable on terrestrial exoplanets orbiting late-type M dwarf stars
• Hurricanes on tidally locked terrestrial planets: Fixed surface temperature experiments
• Impact of Planetary Parameters on Water Clouds Microphysics
• Fundamental Challenges to Remote Sensing of Exo-Earths
• From Global Climate Models (GCMs) to Exoplanet Spectra with the Global Emission Spectra (GlobES)
• The climates and thermal emission spectra of prime nearby temperate rocky exoplanet targets