2015/09/09 by Artie P. Hatzes, Heike Rauer · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #History and Developments in Astronomy
paper · doi:10.1088/2041-8205/810/2/l25
openalex publication_date 2015/09/09 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
We present the mass–density relationship (log M − log ρ ) for objects with masses ranging from planets ( M ≈ 0.01 M Jup ) to stars ( M > 0.08 M ⊙ ). This relationship shows three distinct regions separated by a change in slope in the log M − log ρ plane. In particular, objects with masses in the range 0.3 M Jup –60 M Jup follow a tight linear relationship with no distinguishing feature to separate the low-mass end (giant planets) from the high-mass end (brown dwarfs). We propose a new definition of giant planets simply based on changes in the slope of the log M versus log ρ relationship. By this criterion, objects with masses less than ≈0.3 M Jup are low-mass planets, either icy or rocky. Giant planets cover the mass range 0.3 M Jup –60 M Jup . Analogous to the stellar main sequence, objects on the upper end of the giant planet sequence (brown dwarfs) can simply be referred to as "high-mass giant planets," while planets with masses near that of Jupiter can be called "low-mass giant planets."