Diana Valencia

Last updated
Diana Valencia
Born1978
Bogota, Colombia
Education University of Toronto (BA, MSc)
Harvard University
Known forSuper-Earths, Mini-Neptunes
Scientific career
Fields Super-Earths, Mini-Neptunes
InstitutionsUniversity of Toronto, Scarborough
Doctoral advisor Richard J. O’Connell and Dimitar D. Sasselov

Diana Valencia (born 1978) is a Colombian planetary scientist and astrophysicist. She is an associate professor of Physics and Astrophysics, University of Toronto, Scarborough, and of Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of Toronto. [1] [2]

Contents

Valencia’s research characterizes planets with masses between gas giants and Earth’s. [3]

Biography

Diana Valencia immigrated from Colombia to Canada with her parents when she was studying a B.S. in Physics from University of Los Andes, Colombia. Though from a family of engineers, she intended to become a historian or economist in Colombia. Ultimately, she was influenced by her chemical engineer mother, despite her mother's misogynistic experiences in Colombia. [4] Once in Canada, she realized there were career opportunities for women in the sciences and earned a B.A., then M.S. in Physics at University of Toronto. Valencia was inspired to apply for post-graduate programs and was accepted into Harvard University as a doctoral student. [1] [5]

Selected academic work

In 2006, Valencia's first major publication, "Internal Structure of Massive Terrestrial Planets", proposed the first mass-radius relationship for rocky exoplanets that associated mass, radius, and internal structure of solid planets more massive than Earth. [6]

2007's publication, "Radius and Structure Models of the First Super-Earth Planet", recognized that exoplanets of different compositions would have different mass and radius measurements as quantified by degeneracy pressures, including exoplanets with iron cores, rocky mantles, and icy/liquid shells. [6]

Recognizing that human interest in the habitability of extra-solar planets drives much of their investigation, and that plate tectonics plays an important role in life on Earth, another 2007 publication, "Inevitability of Plate Tectonics on Super-Earths", was the first published investigation to propose that larger-massed terrestrial planets should experience plate tectonics due to thinner, weaker lithospheres and higher stresses. [7]

In 2013, "Bulk Composition of GJ 1214b and Other Sub-Neptunian Exoplanets", attempts to show an atmospheric exoplanet's composition was attained based on planetary mass and radius, and its evolution and internal characteristics. [8]

2018’s "Habitability from Tidally Induced Tectonics" introduced the mechanism of vertical recycling of carbon through a planet's volcanic activity and sequestered carbon onto, and with, the basaltic oceanic crust settling ("foundering") and re-entering the mantle. This heat-pipe tectonism is equivalent to Earth's plate tectonics, enabling carbon-silicate cycling, thereby maintaining Earth habitable for billions of years. [9]

"Can a Machine Learn the Outcome of Planetary Collisions?", published 2019, explores improved methods of predicting the outcome of planetary collisions thought to be important in the last stages of planet formation. This machine learning approach seems a promising avenue. The methodology identifies variables needing further investigation to build better predictive models as large ratio of target to impactor masses and low velocities. [10]

Recognition

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exoplanet</span> Planet outside the Solar System

An exoplanet or extrasolar planet is a planet outside the Solar System. The first possible evidence of an exoplanet was noted in 1917 but was not then recognized as such. The first confirmation of the detection occurred in 1992. A different planet, first detected in 1988, was confirmed in 2003. As of 7 November 2024, there are 5,787 confirmed exoplanets in 4,320 planetary systems, with 969 systems having more than one planet. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is expected to discover more exoplanets, and to give more insight into their traits, such as their composition, environmental conditions, and potential for life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terrestrial planet</span> Planet that is composed primarily of silicate rocks or metals

A terrestrial planet, telluric planet, or rocky planet, is a planet that is composed primarily of silicate, rocks or metals. Within the Solar System, the terrestrial planets accepted by the IAU are the inner planets closest to the Sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. Among astronomers who use the geophysical definition of a planet, two or three planetary-mass satellites – Earth's Moon, Io, and sometimes Europa – may also be considered terrestrial planets. The large rocky asteroids Pallas and Vesta are sometimes included as well, albeit rarely. The terms "terrestrial planet" and "telluric planet" are derived from Latin words for Earth, as these planets are, in terms of structure, Earth-like. Terrestrial planets are generally studied by geologists, astronomers, and geophysicists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rare Earth hypothesis</span> Hypothesis that complex extraterrestrial life is improbable and extremely rare

In planetary astronomy and astrobiology, the Rare Earth hypothesis argues that the origin of life and the evolution of biological complexity, such as sexually reproducing, multicellular organisms on Earth, and subsequently human intelligence, required an improbable combination of astrophysical and geological events and circumstances. According to the hypothesis, complex extraterrestrial life is an improbable phenomenon and likely to be rare throughout the universe as a whole. The term "Rare Earth" originates from Rare Earth: Why Complex Life Is Uncommon in the Universe (2000), a book by Peter Ward, a geologist and paleontologist, and Donald E. Brownlee, an astronomer and astrobiologist, both faculty members at the University of Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Habitable zone</span> Orbits where planets may have liquid surface water

In astronomy and astrobiology, the habitable zone (HZ), or more precisely the circumstellar habitable zone (CHZ), is the range of orbits around a star within which a planetary surface can support liquid water given sufficient atmospheric pressure. The bounds of the HZ are based on Earth's position in the Solar System and the amount of radiant energy it receives from the Sun. Due to the importance of liquid water to Earth's biosphere, the nature of the HZ and the objects within it may be instrumental in determining the scope and distribution of planets capable of supporting Earth-like extraterrestrial life and intelligence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ocean world</span> Planet containing a significant amount of water or other liquid

An ocean world, ocean planet or water world is a type of planet that contains a substantial amount of water in the form of oceans, as part of its hydrosphere, either beneath the surface, as subsurface oceans, or on the surface, potentially submerging all dry land. The term ocean world is also used sometimes for astronomical bodies with an ocean composed of a different fluid or thalassogen, such as lava, ammonia or hydrocarbons. The study of extraterrestrial oceans is referred to as planetary oceanography.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gliese 581c</span> Super-Earth exoplanet orbiting Gliese 581

Gliese 581c is an exoplanet orbiting within the Gliese 581 system. It is the second planet discovered in the system and the third in order from the star. With a mass about 6.8 times that of the Earth, it is classified as a super-Earth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gliese 581d</span> Contested super-Earth orbiting Gliese 581

Gliese 581d is a doubtful, and frequently disputed, exoplanet candidate orbiting within the Gliese 581 system, approximately 20.4 light-years away in the Libra constellation. It was the third planet claimed in the system and the fourth or fifth in order from the star. Multiple subsequent studies found that the planetary signal in fact originates from stellar activity, and thus the planet does not exist, but this remains disputed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super-Earth</span> Type of exoplanet

A Super-Earth or super-terran is a type of exoplanet with a mass higher than Earth's, but substantially below those of the Solar System's ice giants, Uranus and Neptune, which are 14.5 and 17 times Earth's, respectively. The term "super-Earth" refers only to the mass of the planet, and so does not imply anything about the surface conditions or habitability. The alternative term "gas dwarfs" may be more accurate for those at the higher end of the mass scale, although "mini-Neptunes" is a more common term.

This page describes exoplanet orbital and physical parameters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lava planet</span> Terrestrial planet with the surface covered by molten lava

A lava planet is a type of terrestrial planet, with a surface mostly or entirely covered by molten lava. Situations where such planets could exist include a young terrestrial planet just after its formation, a planet that has recently suffered a large collision event, or a planet orbiting very close to its star, causing intense irradiation and tidal forces to melt its surface.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kepler-62</span> K-type star in the constellation Lyra

Kepler-62 is a K-type main sequence star cooler and smaller than the Sun, located roughly 980 light-years from Earth in the constellation Lyra. It resides within the field of vision of the Kepler spacecraft, the satellite that NASA's Kepler Mission used to detect planets that may be transiting their stars. On April 18, 2013, it was announced that the star has five planets, two of which, Kepler-62e and Kepler-62f are within the star's habitable zone. The outermost, Kepler-62f, is likely a rocky planet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kepler-62e</span> Habitable-zone super-Earth planet orbiting Kepler-62

Kepler-62e is a super-Earth exoplanet discovered orbiting within the habitable zone of Kepler-62, the second outermost of five such planets discovered by NASA's Kepler spacecraft. Kepler-62e is located about 990 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Lyra. The exoplanet was found using the transit method, in which the dimming effect that a planet causes as it crosses in front of its star is measured. Kepler-62e may be a terrestrial or ocean-covered planet; it lies in the inner part of its host star's habitable zone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kepler-62f</span> Super-Earth orbiting Kepler-62

Kepler-62f is a super-Earth exoplanet orbiting within the habitable zone of the star Kepler-62, the outermost of five such planets discovered around the star by NASA's Kepler space telescope. It is located about 982 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Lyra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gas giant</span> Giant planet mainly composed of light elements

A gas giant is a giant planet composed mainly of hydrogen and helium. Jupiter and Saturn are the gas giants of the Solar System. The term "gas giant" was originally synonymous with "giant planet". However, in the 1990s, it became known that Uranus and Neptune are really a distinct class of giant planets, being composed mainly of heavier volatile substances. For this reason, Uranus and Neptune are now often classified in the separate category of ice giants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geodynamics of terrestrial exoplanets</span>

The discovery of extrasolar Earth-sized planets has encouraged research into their potential for habitability. One of the generally agreed requirements for a life-sustaining planet is a mobile, fractured lithosphere cyclically recycled into a vigorously convecting mantle, in a process commonly known as plate tectonics. Plate tectonics provide a means of geochemical regulation of atmospheric particulates, as well as removal of carbon from the atmosphere. This prevents a “runaway greenhouse” effect that can result in inhospitable surface temperatures and vaporization of liquid surface water. Planetary scientists have not reached a consensus on whether Earth-like exoplanets have plate tectonics, but it is widely thought that the likelihood of plate tectonics on an Earth-like exoplanet is a function of planetary radius, initial temperature upon coalescence, insolation, and presence or absence of liquid-phase surface water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Superhabitable world</span> Hypothetical type of planet or moon that may be better-suited for life than Earth

A superhabitable world is a hypothetical type of planet or moon that is better suited than Earth for the emergence and evolution of life. The concept was introduced in a 2014 paper by René Heller and John Armstrong, in which they criticized the language used in the search for habitable exoplanets and proposed clarifications. The authors argued that knowing whether a world is located within the star's habitable zone is insufficient to determine its habitability, that the principle of mediocrity cannot adequately explain why Earth should represent the archetypal habitable world, and that the prevailing model of characterization was geocentric or anthropocentric in nature. Instead, they proposed a biocentric approach that prioritized astrophysical characteristics affecting the abundance and variety of life on a world's surface.

Kepler-160 is a main-sequence star approximately the width of our Galactic arm away in the constellation Lyra, first studied in detail by the Kepler Mission, a NASA-led operation tasked with discovering terrestrial planets. The star, which is very similar to the Sun in mass and radius, has three confirmed planets and one unconfirmed planet orbiting it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exoplanet interiors</span> Exoplanet internal structure

Over the years, our ability to detect, confirm, and characterize exoplanets and their atmospheres has improved, allowing researchers to begin constraining exoplanet interior composition and structure. While most exoplanet science is focused on exoplanetary atmospheric environments, the mass and radius of a planet can tell us about a planet's density, and hence, its internal processes. The internal processes of a planet are partly responsible for its atmosphere, and so they are also a determining factor in a planet's capacity to support life.

References

  1. 1 2 Monsalve, Maria Mónica (10 February 2019). "Tres astrónomas colombianas que la están rompiendo". El Espectador (in Spanish). No. Ciencia. Bogota, Colombia: El Espectador. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  2. ↑ Valencia, Diana. "Dr". University of Toronto Scarborough Faculty. University of Toronto Scarborough. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  3. ↑ Valencia, Diana; Sasselov, Dimitar D.; O'Connell, Richard J. (10 February 2007). "Radius and Structure Models of the First Super-Earth Planet". The Astrophysical Journal. 656 (1): 545–551. arXiv: astro-ph/0610122 . Bibcode:2007ApJ...656..545V. doi:10.1086/509800. S2CID   17656317.
  4. ↑ Salazar, Isabel; Montoya, Carolina (19 February 2019). "Entrevista a Diana Valencia, astrofísica planetaria" (Live Television Interview). HoraPico (in Spanish). Bogota, Colombia: Republic of Colombia. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  5. ↑ Valencia, Diana. "Curriculum Vitae". University of Toronto Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics Directory Website. University of Toronto. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  6. 1 2 Valencia, Diana; O'Connell, Richard J.; Sasselov, Dimitar (April 2006). "Internal Structure of Massive Terrestrial Planets". Icarus. 181 (2): 545–554. arXiv: astro-ph/0511150 . Bibcode:2006Icar..181..545V. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2005.11.021. S2CID   118946944 . Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  7. ↑ Valencia, Diana; O'Connell, Richard J.; Sasselov, Dimitar D. (20 November 2007). "Inevitability of Plate Tectonics on Super-Earths". The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 670 (1): 45–48. arXiv: 0710.0699 . Bibcode:2007ApJ...670L..45V. doi:10.1086/524012. S2CID   9432267.
  8. ↑ Valencia, Diana; Guillot, Tristan; Parmentier, Vivien; Freedman, Richard S. (29 August 2013). "BULK COMPOSITION OF GJ 1214b AND OTHER SUB-NEPTUNE EXOPLANETS". The Astrophysical Journal. 775 (1): 10. arXiv: 1305.2629 . Bibcode:2013ApJ...775...10V. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/775/1/10. S2CID   73684175.
  9. ↑ Valencia, Diana; Tan, Vivian Yun Yan; Zajac, Zachary (20 April 2018). "Habitability from Tidally Induced Tectonics". The Astrophysical Journal. 857 (2): 106. arXiv: 1803.07040 . Bibcode:2018ApJ...857..106V. doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/aab767 . S2CID   73541914.
  10. ↑ Valencia, Diana; Paracha, Emaad; Jackson, Alan P. (29 August 2019). "Can a Machine Learn the Outcome of Planetary Collisions?". The Astrophysical Journal. 882 (1): 35. arXiv: 1902.04052 . Bibcode:2019ApJ...882...35V. doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/ab2bfb . S2CID   119390146.
  11. 1 2 "Sagan Postdoctoral Fellowship Recipients 2010 Postdoctoral Fellows". Sagan Postdoctoral Fellowship Recipients 2010 Postdoctoral Fellows. California Institute of Technology, National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  12. ↑ "Origins of Life Initiative". Origins of Life Initiative. The President and Fellows of Harvard College. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
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