Sunjammer

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The atmospheric circulation of the super Earth GJ 1214b: Dependence on composition and metallicity

We present three-dimensional atmospheric circulation models of GJ 1214b, a 2.7 Earth-radius, 6.5 Earth-mass super Earth detected by the MEarth survey. Here we explore the planet's circulation as a function of atmospheric metallicity and atmospheric composition, modeling atmospheres with a low mean-molecular weight (i.e., H2-dominated) and a high mean-molecular weight (i.e. water- and CO2-dominated). We find that atmospheres with a low mean-molecular weight have strong day-night temperature variations at pressures above the infrared photosphere that lead to equatorial superrotation. For these atmospheres, the enhancement of atmospheric opacities with increasing metallicity lead to shallower atmospheric heating, larger day-night temperature variations and hence stronger superrotation. In comparison, atmospheres with a high mean-molecular weight have larger day-night and equator-to-pole temperature variations than low mean-molecular weight atmospheres, but differences in opacity structure and energy budget lead to differences in jet structure. The circulation of a water-dominated atmosphere is dominated by equatorial superrotation, while the circulation of a CO2-dominated atmosphere is instead dominated by high-latitude jets. By comparing emergent flux spectra and lightcurves for 50x solar and water-dominated compositions, we show that observations in emission can break the degeneracy in determining the atmospheric composition of GJ 1214b. The variation in opacity with wavelength for the water-dominated atmosphere leads to large phase variations within water bands and small phase variations outside of water bands. The 50x solar atmosphere, however, yields small variations within water bands and large phase variations at other characteristic wavelengths. These observations would be much less sensitive to clouds, condensates, and hazes than transit observations.Comment: 12 pages, 11 figures, 2 tables, accepted to Ap

High temperature condensate clouds in super-hot Jupiter atmospheres

Deciphering the role of clouds is central to our understanding of exoplanet atmospheres, as they have a direct impact on the temperature and pressure structure, and observational properties of the planet. Super-hot Jupiters occupy a temperature regime similar to low mass M-dwarfs, where minimal cloud condensation is expected. However, observations of exoplanets such as WASP-12b (Teq ~ 2500 K) result in a transmission spectrum indicative of a cloudy atmosphere. We re-examine the temperature and pressure space occupied by these super-hot Jupiter atmospheres, to explore the role of the initial Al- and Ti-bearing condensates as the main source of cloud material. Due to the high temperatures a majority of the more common refractory material is not depleted into deeper layers and would remain in the vapor phase. The lack of depletion into deeper layers means that these materials with relatively low cloud masses can become significant absorbers in the upper atmosphere. We provide condensation curves for the initial Al- and Ti-bearing condensates that may be used to provide quantitative estimates of the effect of metallicity on cloud masses, as planets with metal-rich hosts potentially form more opaque clouds because more mass is available for condensation. Increased metallicity also pushes the point of condensation to hotter, deeper layers in the planetary atmosphere further increasing the density of the cloud. We suggest that planets around metal-rich hosts are more likely to have thick refractory clouds, and discuss the implication on the observed spectra of WASP-12b.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS, 10 pages, 1 table, 5 figure

Unveiling Advanced Computational Applications in Quantum Computing: A Comprehensive Review

The field of advanced computing applications could experience a significant impact from quantum computing, which is a rapidly developing field with the potential to revolutionize numerous areas of science and technology. In this review, we explore into the various ways in which complex computational problems could be tackled by utilizing quantum computers, including machine learning, optimization, and simulation. One potential application of quantum computers is in machine learning, where they could be used to improve the accuracy and efficiency of algorithms. Complex optimization problems, such as those encountered in logistics and finance, can be addressed using quantum computers as well. Furthermore, the utilization of quantum computers could enable the simulation of intricate systems, such as molecules and materials, leading to significant applications in fields like Physics and Material Technology. Although quantum computers are currently in the early stages of development, they possess the potential to propel numerous areas of science and technology forward in a significant manner. Further research and development are needed to fully realize the potential of quantum computing in the field of advanced computing applications

Phase curves of WASP-33b and HD 149026b and a New Correlation Between Phase Curve Offset and Irradiation Temperature

We present new 3.6 and 4.5 $\mu m$ Spitzer phase curves for the highly irradiated hot Jupiter WASP-33b and the unusually dense Saturn-mass planet HD 149026b. As part of this analysis, we develop a new variant of pixel level decorrelation that is effective at removing intrapixel sensitivity variations for long observations (>10 hours) where the position of the star can vary by a significant fraction of a pixel. Using this algorithm, we measure eclipse depths, phase amplitudes, and phase offsets for both planets at 3.6 $\mu m$ and 4.5 $\mu m$. We use a simple toy model to show that WASP-33b's phase offset, albedo, and heat recirculation efficiency are largely similar to those of other hot Jupiters despite its very high irradiation. On the other hand, our fits for HD 149026b prefer a very high albedo and an unusually high recirculation efficiency. We also compare our results to predictions from general circulation models, and find that while neither are a good match to the data, the discrepancies for HD 149026b are especially large. We speculate that this may be related to its high bulk metallicity, which could lead to enhanced atmospheric opacities and the formation of reflective cloud layers in localized regions of the atmosphere. We then place these two planets in a broader context by exploring relationships between the temperatures, albedos, heat transport efficiencies, and phase offsets of all planets with published thermal phase curves. We find a striking relationship between phase offset and irradiation temperature--the former drops with increasing temperature until around 3400 K, and rises thereafter. Although some aspects of this trend are mirrored in the circulation models, there are notable differences that provide important clues for future modeling efforts

The Very Low Albedo of WASP-12b From Spectral Eclipse Observations with Hubble\textit{Hubble}

We present an optical eclipse observation of the hot Jupiter WASP-12b using the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on board the Hubble Space Telescope. These spectra allow us to place an upper limit of $A_g < 0.064$ (97.5% confidence level) on the planet's white light geometric albedo across 290--570 nm. Using six wavelength bins across the same wavelength range also produces stringent limits on the geometric albedo for all bins. However, our uncertainties in eclipse depth are $\sim$40% greater than the Poisson limit and may be limited by the intrinsic variability of the Sun-like host star --- the solar luminosity is known to vary at the $10^{-4}$ level on a timescale of minutes. We use our eclipse depth limits to test two previously suggested atmospheric models for this planet: Mie scattering from an aluminum-oxide haze or cloud-free Rayleigh scattering. Our stringent nondetection rules out both models and is consistent with thermal emission plus weak Rayleigh scattering from atomic hydrogen and helium. Our results are in stark contrast with those for the much cooler HD 189733b, the only other hot Jupiter with spectrally resolved reflected light observations; those data showed an increase in albedo with decreasing wavelength. The fact that the first two exoplanets with optical albedo spectra exhibit significant differences demonstrates the importance of spectrally resolved reflected light observations and highlights the great diversity among hot Jupiters.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, 1 table, published in ApJL, in pres

VLT FORS2 comparative transmission spectroscopy: Detection of Na in the atmosphere of WASP-39b from the ground

We present transmission spectroscopy of the warm Saturn-mass exoplanet WASP-39b made with the Very Large Telescope FOcal Reducer and Spectrograph (FORS2) across the wavelength range 411–810 nm. The transit depth is measured with a typical precision of 240 parts per million (ppm) in wavelength bins of 10 nm on a V = 12.1 mag star. We detect the sodium absorption feature (3.2σ) and find evidence of potassium. The ground-based transmission spectrum is consistent with Hubble Space Telescope (HST) optical spectroscopy, supporting the interpretation that WASP-39b has a largely clear atmosphere. Our results demonstrate the great potential of the recently upgraded FORS2 spectrograph for optical transmission spectroscopy, with which we obtained HST-quality light curves from the ground

Contemplation on new drug approvals by U.S. FDA, 2011-2015

Background: The U.S Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) is the world's leading drug regulatory authority. There are reports of more product pipelines in oncology therapy area. The objective of this study was to see the overall trends of new drug approvals by the U.S. FDA in last 5 years and find the therapeutic areas with higher new drug approvals.Methods: New drug approvals data obtained from publicly available databases of the U.S. FDA from 2011 through 2015. For the drug products identified, the drugs were classified into fourteen main Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) groups, single or combination products, New Drug Application (NDA) chemical types, review classification and approval date.Results: There were 182 new drugs approved from 2011 through 2015 by the U.S. FDA with a mean of 36.4 approvals per year. Out of these 182 new drug approvals, 149 (81.87%) approvals were for new molecular entity (NME) and 33 (18.13%) for biologics license application (BLA). There were more number of new drug approvals in antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents (L) ATC group (n=66; 36.26% of total new drug approvals).Conclusions: For new drugs approved between 2011 and 2015, the U.S. FDA was first to approve majority of new drugs. There was upward trend of new drug approvals in antineoplastic therapeutic area

Drug lag for antineoplastic and immunomodulating agent approvals in India compared with the US and EU approvals

Background: There is a tremendous amount of research being conducted on development of new drugs for cancer therapies. The drug development of cancer therapies has dramatically increased over the past few decades. The present study was undertaken to assess the drug lag for new antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents in India compared with that in the United States (US) or European Union (EU).Methods: The new drugs approved in the US, EU and India between 2011 and 2015 were identified and information was gathered primarily from the websites of regulatory agencies of the three regions. For the drug products identified, the drugs were classified into fourteen main Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) groups, review classification and approval date. We assessed the absolute and relative drug lag for new antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents approved in the three regions (with the ATC code L).Results: Of the 67 new antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents, 63 (94.02%) were approved in the United States, 58 (86.56%) in the European Union and 18 (26.86%) in India. The US was the first to approve 59 (88.05%) out of the 67 new antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents, the EU was the first to approve 7 (10.44%) and India was the first to approve 1 (1.49%). The median approval lag for India (18.36 months) was higher as compared to the United States (0 month) and European Union (6.02 months).Conclusions: This study confirms that India lag behind the US and EU regions in terms of total number of new drug approvals for antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents. There is a substantial approval delay in India compared to the US and EU regions. Further detailed analyses are necessary to find the reasons and impacts of drug lag for new antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents in India