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Cloud and Gas Ionisation in Atmosphere of Gas-Giant Planets

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 April 2014

Ch. Helling ,
M. Jardine ,
C. Stark ,
P. Rimmer  and
D. Diver
Ch. Helling
Affiliation:
SUPA, School of Physics & Astronomy, University of St Andrews, North Haugh, St Andrews, KY16 9SS, UK email: ch@leap2010.eu
M. Jardine
Affiliation:
SUPA, School of Physics & Astronomy, University of St Andrews, North Haugh, St Andrews, KY16 9SS, UK email: ch@leap2010.eu
C. Stark
Affiliation:
SUPA, School of Physics & Astronomy, University of St Andrews, North Haugh, St Andrews, KY16 9SS, UK email: ch@leap2010.eu
P. Rimmer
Affiliation:
SUPA, School of Physics & Astronomy, University of St Andrews, North Haugh, St Andrews, KY16 9SS, UK email: ch@leap2010.eu
D. Diver
Affiliation:
SUPA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
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Abstract

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The steady increase of the sample of know extrasolar planets broadens our knowledge and at the same time, reveals our lack of understanding. Habitability is a wide expression, needing planet formation theory and microphysics of cloud formation at the same time. The habitability of a planet depends, amongst other things, on how much radiation reached the ground and how much of potentially dangerous radiation is absorbed on the way through the atmosphere. For this, we need to understand cloud formation and it's impact on the atmosphere.

We have studied the formation of mineral clouds on planetary atmospheres by a kinetic approach which allows us to predict the size distribution and material composition of the cloud particles. With these results we show that mineral cloud particles can be electrically charged and at which point inside a cloud charge separation will cause an electric field breakdown. Such streamer processes result in an extreme increase of the local number of free charges. Given the strong magnetic field in Brown Dwarfs and maybe in giant gas planets, these charges will than be accelerated upward out of the atmosphere where they become detectable as radio emission.

Keywords

giant planets - atmosphereexoplanet atmospherecloud formation
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 8 , Symposium S293: Formation, Detection, and Characterization of Extrasolar Habitable Planets , August 2012 , pp. 292 - 296
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2014 

References

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