Uranus and Neptune are reinterpreted as magma-ocean giants with hydrogen-rich interiors rather than traditional ice giants, consistent with observations via three fit parameters each.
The Influences of Hydrogen-Silicate-Iron Miscibility on the Demographics of Sub-Neptunes and Super-Earths
5 Pith papers cite this work. Polarity classification is still indexing.
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Pith papers citing it
abstract
Models based on variable miscibility among hydrogen, molten silicate, and molten iron, coupled with atmospheric escape, can reproduce the observed occurrence density structure of sub-Neptunes and super-Earths in mass-radius space. The models are also consistent with the radius gap and the observed radius-period relationship exhibited by these planets. The degree of overlap between predicted and observed planetary occurrences suggests that hydrogen-silicate-iron miscibility may serve as a unifying concept for the formation and evolution of these planet classes. The well-defined equilibrium conditions at the boundary between supercritical magma oceans and the overlying hydrogen-rich envelopes are important features of the models. Planets formed with less than ~1 % hydrogen by mass develop discrete, terrestrial-like metallic cores, while those accreting greater hydrogen concentrations are predicted to have fully miscible interiors and no discrete metal cores. Hydrogen-silicate-iron miscibility provides an overarching explanation for the full range of sub-Neptune and super-Earth architectures based on the accreted hydrogen mass fraction and the phase equilibria governing silicate, iron metal, and H$_2$ miscibility.
fields
astro-ph.EP 5years
2026 5representative citing papers
An open-source GCE code with a 100x faster solver demonstrates that refractory ratios Mg/Si and Fe/Si control carbon partitioning and atmospheric properties in water-accreting sub-Neptunes.
Water-rich formation produces CH4- and CO2-rich atmospheres while water-poor formation produces carbon-depleted ones, with soot boosting methane; the H2O/CH4-MMW plane diagnoses formation environment for JWST targets.
Coupling Bern formation models with extended chemical equilibrium including S and N shows equilibration depletes atmospheric nitrogen, shifts C/O higher outside the ice line, generates Si species, and leaves sulfur abundances weakly dependent on formation location.
Hydrogen-silicate miscibility stores hydrogen in sub-Neptune interiors, resupplies escaping envelopes, delays contraction, matches young-planet observations, and enables a population test requiring 70-100 targets under 100 Myr.
citing papers explorer
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Ice Giants Revisited: Uranus and Neptune as Magma Ocean Worlds
Uranus and Neptune are reinterpreted as magma-ocean giants with hydrogen-rich interiors rather than traditional ice giants, consistent with observations via three fit parameters each.
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A New Global Chemical Equilibrium Code: Refractory Element Signatures in Super-Earths and Sub-Neptunes
An open-source GCE code with a 100x faster solver demonstrates that refractory ratios Mg/Si and Fe/Si control carbon partitioning and atmospheric properties in water-accreting sub-Neptunes.
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Atmospheric diversity of sub-Neptunes from formation with rock, water, and soot
Water-rich formation produces CH4- and CO2-rich atmospheres while water-poor formation produces carbon-depleted ones, with soot boosting methane; the H2O/CH4-MMW plane diagnoses formation environment for JWST targets.
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The Role of Formation Location in Shaping Sulfur-, Nitrogen-, and Carbon-Bearing Species in Super-Earth and Sub-Neptune Atmospheres
Coupling Bern formation models with extended chemical equilibrium including S and N shows equilibration depletes atmospheric nitrogen, shifts C/O higher outside the ice line, generates Si species, and leaves sulfur abundances weakly dependent on formation location.
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Testing the prevalence of hydrogen-silicate miscibility in young sub-Neptunes
Hydrogen-silicate miscibility stores hydrogen in sub-Neptune interiors, resupplies escaping envelopes, delays contraction, matches young-planet observations, and enables a population test requiring 70-100 targets under 100 Myr.