• ISSN 2097-1893
    • CN 10-1855/P

    气态巨行星内部结构研究进展

    Recent advances in the interior structure of the gas giants

    • 摘要: 木星和土星作为太阳系的气态巨行星,不仅占据了太阳系除太阳外总质量的90%以上,更持有了整个系统绝大部分的角动量,在太阳系早期历史中起着至关重要的作用. 二者形成过程中捕获了原行星盘中大量物质,其内部圈层结构和物质分布,本质上是太阳系早期物质相互作用、引力坍缩及后续热演化过程的共同塑造结果. 因此,对气态巨行星的内部结构的深入研究,可以为行星科学领域多个核心问题提供关键支撑,包括追溯原太阳星云的状态条件和演化历史、揭示太阳系行星的形成与演化机制、阐明系外巨行星的内部特征与演化规律等. 当前,气态巨行星内部结构研究主要依托重力场、磁场与大气性质等外部探测数据,通过行星结构模型构建、内部物态性质研究以及形状与重力场计算,开展多物理场联合反演分析. 近年来,朱诺号(Juno)和卡西尼号(Cassini)探测器分别对木星和土星开展近距离环绕探测,获取了前所未有的高精度重力场数据;与此同时,极端温压条件下氢、氦等物质的物态性质研究也在实验和理论研究方面取得关键突破. 基于上述科学背景与研究进展,本文首先回顾木星与土星的主要探测任务,继而围绕气态巨行星形状与重力场的理论计算、氢氦微观物态性质研究等核心环节展开叙述,系统梳理木星和土星内部结构的研究历程,并总结近年来具有代表性的前沿成果.

       

      Abstract: Jupiter and Saturn, as the gas giants of our solar system, account for over 90% of the total mass beyond the Sun and hold most of the system's angular momentum, playing a crucial role in the early history of the solar system. During their formation, these planets captured vast amounts of material from the protoplanetary disk. Their internal structure and interior composition are fundamentally affected by material interaction, gravitational collapse, and subsequent long-term thermal evolution. Exploring the interior structure of the gas giants provides critical insights into several core questions in planetary sciences, including the conditions and evolutionary history of the protosolar nebula, the formation and evolution mechanisms of solar system planets, and the interior structure and evolution history of giant exoplanets. Furthermore, comparative studies between Jupiter and Saturn reveal important differences in their internal dynamics and evolutionary pathways, offering valuable benchmarks for understanding giant planets both within and beyond our solar system. Current research on the interior structure of the gas giants primarily relies on external observational constraints such as gravity fields, magnetic fields, and atmospheric properties. However, inferring the interior structure from these constraints is inherently a highly degenerate inversion problem, depending on interior structural models, internal material properties, and calculations of planetary shape and gravity fields. Modern approaches increasingly integrate multiple physical constraints by combining gravity harmonics with magnetic field measurements and zonal wind profiles to reduce degeneracies in interior models. In recent years, the Juno and Cassini spacecraft have conducted close orbital explorations of Jupiter and Saturn, respectively, acquiring unprecedented high-precision gravity field data. Simultaneously, experimental and theoretical research on the physical properties of hydrogen and helium under extreme temperature and pressure conditions has achieved critical breakthroughs. With these in mind, this paper reviews the major exploration missions for Jupiter and Saturn and elaborates on the core aspects of interior modelling, such as theoretical calculations of planetary shapes and gravity fields, current knowledge of hydrogen/helium microphysical properties. The research progress on the internal structures of Jupiter and Saturn is also summarized, showing some representative frontier achievements.

       

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