Image Details

Choose export citation format:

Reflation: Redox-Driven Atmospheric Inflation as Tracer of Super-Earth Geochemistry

  • Authors: Lorenzo Cesario, Tim Lichtenberg, Mara Attia, Harrison Nicholls, Imre Kisvárdai, Quentin Changeat

Lorenzo Cesario et al 2026 The Astrophysical Journal Letters 1007 .

  • Provider: AAS Journals

Caption: Figure 3.

Sensitivity of the reflation mechanism on mantle oxidation state, atmospheric escape efficiency, planetary semimajor axis, and initial hydrogen inventory. Reflation events occur most strongly at mantle oxidation state fO2 ∼ IW, escape efficiency η ∼ 10−4 to 10−3, semimajor axis a ≲ 0.05 au, and initial hydrogen inventory ≳ 5 Earth oceans. The sensitivity matrices display the minimum normalized bulk density that is achieved across three projections of the simulation ensemble. We show a range of redox states (x-axis) and respective simulation parameters (y-axis). For example, among all simulations with a mantle redox state of IW + 0 and semimajor axis of 0.02 au in the middle panel (which includes all variability of escape efficiency and hydrogen inventory), the most reflated case reached an underdensity of ρbulk 58% relative to its postformation bulk density ρbulk,0.

Other Images in This Article
Copyright and Terms & Conditions

Additional terms of reuse