Robert A. Marcus et al. 2010 ApJ 712 L73 doi:10.1088/2041-8205/712/1/L73
Robert A. Marcus1, Dimitar Sasselov1, Lars Hernquist1 and Sarah T. Stewart2
Show affiliationsThe detailed interior structure models of super-Earth planets show that there is degeneracy in the possible bulk compositions of a super-Earth at a given mass and radius, determined via radial velocity and transit measurements, respectively. In addition, the upper and lower envelopes in the mass-radius relationship, corresponding to pure ice planets and pure iron planets, respectively, are not astrophysically well motivated with regard to the physical processes involved in planet formation. Here we apply the results of numerical simulations of giant impacts to constrain the lower bound in the mass-radius diagram that could arise from collisional mantle stripping of differentiated rocky/iron planets. We provide a very conservative estimate for the minimum radius boundary for the entire mass range of large terrestrial planets. This envelope is a readily testable prediction for the population of planets to be discovered by the Kepler mission.
Issue 1 (2010 March 20)
Received 2009 August 21, accepted for publication 2010 February 11
Published 2010 March 3
Robert A. Marcus et al. 2010 ApJ 712 L73
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