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On the Habitable Lifetime of Terrestrial Worlds with High Radionuclide Abundances
Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Submitted 5 Dec 2019
abstract compiled · 2026-09-23 · no language-model review
The authors' main claim Our analysis suggests that super-Earths with radionuclide abundances that are $\gtrsim 10^3$ times higher than Earth can host long-lived water oceans.
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The abstract, sentence by sentence
The presence of a liquid solvent is widely regarded as an essential prerequisite for habitability. We investigate the conditions under which worlds outside the habitable zones of stars are capable of supporting liquid solvents on their surface over geologically significant timescales via combined radiogenic and primordial heat. Our analysis suggests that super-Earths with radionuclide abundances that are $\gtrsim 10^3$ times higher than Earth can host long-lived water oceans. In contrast, the requirements for long-lived ethane oceans, which have been explored in the context of alternative biochemistries, are less restrictive: relative radionuclide abundances of $\gtrsim 10^2$ could be sufficient. We find that this class of worlds might be detectable ($10\sigma$ detection over $\sim 10$ days integration time at $12.8$ $\mu$m) in principle by the James Webb Space Telescope at distances of $\sim 10$ pc if their ages are $\lesssim 1$ Gyr.
background contribution method result interpretation main claim
| # | sentence | role | the authors' own work | states the main conclusion | strength |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| s0 | The presence of a liquid solvent is widely regarded as an essential prerequisite for habitability. | background 1.00 | 0.03 | 0.02 | asserted 0.84 |
| s1 | We investigate the conditions under which worlds outside the habitable zones of stars are capable of supporting liquid solvents on their surface over geologically significant timescales via combined radiogenic and primordial heat. | contribution 1.00 | 0.84 | 0.07 | asserted 0.50 |
| s2 | Our analysis suggests that super-Earths with radionuclide abundances that are $\gtrsim 10^3$ times higher than Earth can host long-lived water oceans. | result 1.00 | 0.92 | 0.62 | hedged possibility 0.99 |
| s3 | In contrast, the requirements for long-lived ethane oceans, which have been explored in the context of alternative biochemistries, are less restrictive: relative radionuclide abundances of $\gtrsim 10^2$ could be sufficient. | result 1.00 | 0.75 | 0.11 | hedged possibility 0.97 |
| s4 | We find that this class of worlds might be detectable ($10\sigma$ detection over $\sim 10$ days integration time at $12.8$ $\mu$m) in principle by the James Webb Space Telescope at distances of $\sim 10$ pc if their ages are $\lesssim 1$ Gyr. | result 0.79 | 0.92 | 0.08 | speculative 0.57 |
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The paper
Original abstract
The presence of a liquid solvent is widely regarded as an essential prerequisite for habitability. We investigate the conditions under which worlds outside the habitable zones of stars are capable of supporting liquid solvents on their surface over geologically significant timescales via combined radiogenic and primordial heat. Our analysis suggests that super-Earths with radionuclide abundances that are $\gtrsim 10^3$ times higher than Earth can host long-lived water oceans. In contrast, the requirements for long-lived ethane oceans, which have been explored in the context of alternative biochemistries, are less restrictive: relative radionuclide abundances of $\gtrsim 10^2$ could be sufficient. We find that this class of worlds might be detectable ($10\sigma$ detection over $\sim 10$ days integration time at $12.8$ $\mu$m) in principle by the James Webb Space Telescope at distances of $\sim 10$ pc if their ages are $\lesssim 1$ Gyr.
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1 arXiv paper cite this in 4 sentences
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Cites it as support 1 paper
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Moreover, roughly Earth-sized and larger rogue worlds have the capacity to host liquid oceans on their surface (up to Gyr timescales) from a combination of primordial and radiogenic heat; this hydrosphere can be present in the surface [ref] or subsurface [ref] .
Chasing Nomadic Worlds: A New Class of Deep Space Missions · Introduction · 0.98
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