2005/11/30 by Channon Visscher, K. Lodders, Katharina Lodders +2 · 9 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Physics and Astronomy · #Astro and Planetary Science #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Atmospheric Ozone and Climate #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/506245
published as Astrophys.J.648:1181-1195,2006 · 38 pages, 8 figures, accepted for Astrophysical Journal
arxiv created 2006/06/06 · openalex publication_date 2006/09/08 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
Thermochemical equilibrium and kinetic calculations are used to model sulfur and phosphorus chemistry in giant planets, brown dwarfs, and extrasolar giant planets (EGPs). The chemical behavior of individual S- and P-bearing gases and condensates is determined as a function of pressure, temperature, and metallicity. The results are independent of particular model atmospheres, and in principle, the equilibrium composition along the pressure-temperature profile of any object can be determined. Hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) is the dominant S-bearing gas throughout substellar atmospheres and approximately represents the atmospheric sulfur inventory. Silicon sulfide (SiS) is a potential tracer of weather in substellar atmospheres. Disequilibrium abundances of phosphine (PH 3 ) approximately representative of the total atmospheric phosphorus inventory are expected to be mixed upward into the observable atmospheres of giant planets and T dwarfs. In hotter objects, several P-bearing gases (e.g., P 2 , PH 3 , PH 2 , PH, and HCP) become increasingly important at high temperatures.