Habitability of Super-Earths: Gliese 581c and 581d

Authors: W. von Bloh, C. Bounama, M. Cuntz, S. Franck

(Submitted on 19 Dec 2007)

Abstract: The unexpected diversity of exoplanets includes a growing number of super-Earth planets, i.e. exoplanets with masses smaller than 10 Earth masses and a similar chemical and mineralogical composition as Earth.

We present a thermal evolution model for super-Earth planets to identify the sources and sinks of atmospheric carbon dioxide. The photosynthesis-sustaining habitable zone (pHZ) is determined by the limits of biological productivity on the planetary surface. We apply our model to calculate the habitability of the two super-Earths in the Gliese 581 system.

The super-Earth Gl 581c is clearly outside the pHZ, while Gl 581d is at the outer edge of the pHZ, and therefore could at least harbor some primitive forms of life.

Comments: 3 pages, 1 figure; submitted to: Exoplanets: Detection, Formation and Dynamics, IAU Symposium 249, eds. Y.S. Sun and S. Ferraz-Mello (San Francisco: Astr. Soc. Pac.)

Subjects: Astrophysics (astro-ph)

Cite as: arXiv:0712.3219v1 [astro-ph]

Submission history

From: Manfred Cuntz [view email]

[v1] Wed, 19 Dec 2007 20:14:26 GMT (136kb)

http://arxiv.org/abs/0712.3219