The effect of a small amount of hydrogen in the atmosphere of ultrahot magma-ocean planets: atmospheric composition and escape

Abstract

Here we investigate how small amounts of hydrogen (much smaller than the mass of the exoplanet) above a magma ocean on a rocky exoplanet may modify the atmospheric chemistry and atmospheric escape.We use a chemical model of a magma ocean coupled to a gas equilibrium code. An energy-limited model is used to compute atmospheric escape. The composition of the vapor above a magma ocean is drastically modified by hydrogen, even for very modest amounts of H ($\ll 10^{-6}$ planetary mass). Hydrogen consumes much of the O${}_2$(g), which, in turn, promotes the evaporation of metals and metal oxides (SiO, Mg, Na, K, Fe) from the magma ocean. Vast amounts of H${}_2$O are produced by the same process. At high hydrogen pressures, new hydrogenated species such as SiH${}_4$ form in the atmosphere. In all cases, H, H${}_2$, and H${}_2$O are the dominant nonmetal-bearing volatile species. Sodium is the dominant atmospheric metal-bearing species at T$<$ 2000K and low H content, whereas Fe is dominant at high H content and low temperature, while SiO predominates at T>3000 K. We find that the atmospheric Mg/Fe, Mg/Si, and Na/Si ratios deviate from those in the underlying planet and from the stellar composition. As such, their determination may constrain the planet's mantle composition and H content. As the presence of hydrogen promotes the evaporation of silicate mantles, it is conceivable that some high-density, irradiated exoplanets may have started life as hydrogen-bearing planets and that part of their silicate mantle evaporated (up to a few $10\%$ of Si, O, and Fe) and was subsequently lost owing to the reducing role of H. Even very small amounts of H can alter the atmospheric composition and promote the evaporation to space of heavy species derived from the molten silicate mantle of rocky planets.

Accepted for publication in A&A

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