Powered by Indico
v3.2.3
A significant fraction of super-Earths and sub-Neptunes are thought to experience an extreme loss of volatiles because of atmospheric evaporation in the early stages of their life. Though the mechanisms behind the extreme mass loss are not fully understood, two contenders have been widely discussed: photoevaporation from X-ray and ultraviolet irradiation and core powered mass loss. In this talk, I will discuss the new model of Modirrousta-Galian & Korenaga (2023), suggesting that both mechanisms occur but with different timescales and that atmospheric evaporation can be classified under three regimes. This talk will summarize by explaining why the next step in exoplanetary science is to incorporate more realistic formational and geophysical modeling, and how such models could be tested through observations.
Darius Modirrousta-Galian is a postdoctoral associate at Yale University, Connecticut, USA. He specializes in exoplanets, X-ray and ultraviolet-induced atmospheric evaporation, atmospheric modeling, interior modeling, and large population simulations. He earned his BSc in Astrophysics and MSc in Planetary Science from University College London in 2017 and 2018, and his PhD in Physics from the University of Palermo, Italy, in 2022. He is currently working with Prof. Jun Korenaga to model the redox evolution of the Hadean Earth.