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Article
Tidal Limits to Planetary Habitability
The Astrophysical Journal Letters (2009)
  • Rory Barnes, University of Washington
  • Brian Jackson, University of Arizona
  • Richard Greenberg, University of Arizona
  • Sean N. Raymond
Abstract
The habitable zones (HZs) of main-sequence stars have traditionally been defined as the range of orbits that intercept the appropriate amount of stellar flux to permit surface water on a planet. Terrestrial exoplanets discovered to orbit M stars in these zones, which are close-in due to decreased stellar luminosity, may also undergo significant tidal heating. Tidal heating may span a wide range for terrestrial exoplanets and may significantly affect conditions near the surface. For example, if heating rates on an exoplanet are near or greater than that on Io (where tides drive volcanism that resurfaces the planet at least every 1 Myr) and produce similar surface conditions, then the development of life seems unlikely. On the other hand, if the tidal heating rate is less than the minimum to initiate plate tectonics, then CO2 may not be recycled through subduction, leading to a runaway greenhouse that sterilizes the planet. These two cases represent potential boundaries to habitability and are presented along with the range of the traditional HZ for main-sequence, low-mass stars. We propose a revised HZ that incorporates both stellar insolation and tidal heating. We apply these criteria to GJ 581 d and find that it is in the traditional HZ, but its tidal heating alone may be insufficient for plate tectonics.
Keywords
  • astrobiology,
  • planetary systems,
  • stars: individual (GJ 581),
  • stars: low-mass,
  • brown dwarfs
Publication Date
July 20, 2009
Publisher Statement
This document was originally published by IOP Publishing in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. Copyright restrictions may apply. doi: 10.1088/0004-637X/700/1/L30
Citation Information
Rory Barnes, Brian Jackson, Richard Greenberg and Sean N. Raymond. "Tidal Limits to Planetary Habitability" The Astrophysical Journal Letters Vol. 700 Iss. 1 (2009)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/brian_jackson/26/