title: Rocky core solubility in Jupiter and giant exoplanets.
abstract: Gas giants are believed to form by the accretion of hydrogen-helium gas around an initial protocore of rock and ice. The question of whether the rocky parts of the core dissolve into the fluid H-He layers following formation has significant implications for planetary structure and evolution. Here we use ab initio calculations to study rock solubility in fluid hydrogen, choosing MgO as a representative example of planetary rocky materials, and find MgO to be highly soluble in H for temperatures in excess of approximately 10,000 K, implying the potential for significant redistribution of rocky core material in Jupiter and larger exoplanets.
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
authors.forename: Hugh F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Burkhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Militzer