What is the maximum radius of cold planets?

Planets have maximum radii close to that of Jupiter. Qualitatively, the reason for this maximum size is that, as one adds mass, the force of gravity becomes sufficiently strong to cause the radius to decrease. We show that this effect can be understood quantitatively using a simple variational principle very similar to that used to compute the size of the hydrogen atom.

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Publication Details

Journal
American Journal of Physics
Published
2025-10-23
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1119/5.0226963
Primary Topic
Astro and Planetary Science
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

What is the maximum radius of cold planets?

David Garfinkle, A. G. Rojo
American Journal of Physics
Astro and Planetary Science
article

What is the maximum radius of cold planets?

David Garfinkle, A. G. Rojo
article en

Abstract

Planets have maximum radii close to that of Jupiter. Qualitatively, the reason for this maximum size is that, as one adds mass, the force of gravity becomes sufficiently strong to cause the radius to decrease. We show that this effect can be understood quantitatively using a simple variational principle very similar to that used to compute the size of the hydrogen atom.

American Journal of PhysicsVol. 93(11)
Oakland University (US)
National Science Foundation
Openalex Percentile: Top 79%
Astro and Planetary Science
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What is the maximum radius of cold planets? — David Garfinkle, A. G. Rojo · American Journal of Physics (2025) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS