Can a Planetary System Survive a Host Star Supernova Explosion?

ORAL

Abstract

The recent search for extrasolar planets has brought a surprising discovery -- almost any star seems to have a planetary system around it. We know that massive stars end their lives in a violent supernova explosion, during which extremely large amount of energy (3x10 46J) is released by the star in a very short time. Can a planetary system survive such a violent event? Can a planet survive? Can planetary biosphere survive? In the current presentation we analyze, based on known physics, the effect of a supernova explosion on a planet orbiting such a star in its habitable zone. Our calculations show that even a small Earth-like planet is not destroyed mechanically nor thermally in such an explosion (and larger planets are even more stable). Nor is a planet kicked out of its orbit due to the momentum of exploding star shell or of due to star's radiation pressure. In some cases even a portion of a planetary biosphere (deep in planet's crust) can survive. However, if a star loses too much mass, a planet would leave. Also, if star's collapse is asymmetric then the star itself can leave the planetary system. The sequence of events during supernova explosion and how they influence such a planet is discussed in the presentation.

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Authors

  • Alexander Panin

    Utah Valley University

  • John Poate

    Brigham Young University, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Utah, USA, MV Systems, Inc., USA, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin fuer Materialien und Energie, Abteilung Silizium-Photovoltaik, Germany, Colorado School of Mines, Department of Physics, USA, Georgia Institute of Technology, Arizona State University, Physics Department of Babolsar University, Iran, Physics Department, New Mexico State University, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287-1604, USA, Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA, Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287-1504, USA, Colorado State University, University of Wisconsin, NSF ERC for Extreme Ultraviolet Science and Technology, Colorado State University, BYU-Provo, Michigan Technical University and Pierre Auger Collaboration, University of Colorado, Colorado School of Mines, Department of Physics, Colorado State University, Department of Physics, Cornell University, NASA, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, University of Massachusetss at Amherst, APS President, Harvard University, Society of Physics Students, Duke University, Computer Science, Brigham Young University, Chemistry \& Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, University of Arizona, University of Utah, Kansas State Univ., Bethel University, University of New Mexico, Stanford University, JILA, University of Colorado at Boulder, NIST, JILA, University of Colorado at Boulder, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, University of Denver, University of Colorado, Boulder, NREL, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287- 1604, USA, DU, ERI, Eleanor Roosevelt Institute (ERI), Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory, Utah State University, Center for Atmospheric and Space Sciences, Sciprint.org, University of Colorado at Boulder, JILA and University of Colorado, Kirchhoff Institute for Physics, University of Heidelberg, Utah Valley University, University of New South Wales, San Francisco State University, Weber State University, Cambridge University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Utah, Kansas State University, Columbia University, NY, University of Colorado/JILA, Vice-President for Research and Technology Transfer, Colorado School of Mines