Material Properties for the Interiors of Massive Giant Planets and Brown Dwarfs

TL;DR

This paper provides comprehensive thermodynamic and transport property data for the interiors of massive giant planets and brown dwarfs, derived from ab initio simulations, aiding understanding of their dynamics and magnetic fields.

Contribution

It offers the first extensive set of material and transport properties for massive giant planets and brown dwarfs based on ab initio simulations, filling a key data gap.

Findings

Properties are dominated by degenerate matter in massive objects.

Data includes heat capacities, conductivities, viscosities, and Love number $k_2$.

Results can inform dynamo models and internal dynamics studies.

Abstract

We present thermodynamic material and transport properties for the extreme conditions prevalent in the interiors of massive giant planets and brown dwarfs. They are obtained from extensive \textit{ab initio} simulations of hydrogen-helium mixtures along the isentropes of three representative objects. In particular, we determine the heat capacities, the thermal expansion coefficient, the isothermal compressibility, and the sound velocity. Important transport properties such as the electrical and thermal conductivity, opacity, and shear viscosity are also calculated. Further results for associated quantities including magnetic and thermal diffusivity, kinematic shear viscosity, as well as the static Love number $k_2$ and the equidistance are presented. In comparison to Jupiter-mass planets, the behavior inside massive giant planets and brown dwarfs is stronger dominated by degenerate matter. We discuss the implications on possible dynamics and magnetic fields of those massive objects. The consistent data set compiled here may serve as starting point to obtain material and transport properties for other substellar H-He objects with masses above one Jovian mass and finally may be used as input for dynamo simulations.