Atmospheric circulation of hot Jupiters: insensitivity to initial conditions

The ongoing characterization of hot Jupiters has motivated a variety of circulation models of their atmospheres. Such models must be integrated starting from an assumed initial state, which is typically taken to be a wind-free, rest state. Here, we investigate the sensitivity of hot-Jupiter atmospheric circulation models to initial conditions. We consider two classes of models--shallow-water models, which have proven successful at illuminating the dynamical mechanisms at play on these planets, and full three-dimensional models similar to those being explored in the literature. Models are initialized with zonal jets, and we explore a variety of different initial jet profiles. We demonstrate that, in both classes of models, the final, equilibrated state is independent of initial condition--as long as frictional drag near the bottom of the domain and/or interaction with a specified planetary interior are included so that the atmosphere can adjust angular momentum over time relative to the interior. When such mechanisms are included, otherwise identical models initialized with vastly different initial conditions all converge to the same statistical steady state. In some cases, the models exhibit modest time variability; this variability results in random fluctuations about the statistical steady state, but we emphasize that, even in these cases, the statistical steady state itself does not depend on initial conditions. Although the outcome of hot-Jupiter circulation models depend on details of the radiative forcing and frictional drag, aspects of which remain uncertain, we conclude that the specification of initial conditions is not a source of uncertainty, at least over the parameter range explored in most current models.Comment: Revised version; accepted and published. 16 pages, 16 figure

Effects of Initial Flow on Close-In Planet Atmospheric Circulation

We use a general circulation model to study the three-dimensional (3-D) flow and temperature distributions of atmospheres on tidally synchronized extrasolar planets. In this work, we focus on the sensitivity of the evolution to the initial flow state, which has not received much attention in 3-D modeling studies. We find that different initial states lead to markedly different distributions-even under the application of strong forcing (large day-night temperature difference with a short "thermal drag time") that may be representative of close-in planets. This is in contrast with the results or assumptions of many published studies. In general, coherent jets and vortices (and their associated temperature distributions) characterize the flow, and they evolve differently in time, depending on the initial condition. If the coherent structures reach a quasi- stationary state, their spatial locations still vary. The result underlines the fact that circulation models are currently unsuitable for making quantitative predictions (e.g., location and size of a "hot spot") without better constrained, and well posed, initial conditions.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal; 23 pages, 9 figures

The Role of Drag in the Energetics of Strongly Forced Exoplanet Atmospheres

In contrast to the Earth, where frictional heating is typically negligible, we show that drag mechanisms could act as an important heat source in the strongly-forced atmospheres of some exoplanets, with the potential to alter the circulation. We modify the standard formalism of the atmospheric energy cycle to explicitly track the loss of kinetic energy and the associated frictional (re)heating, for application to exoplanets such as the asymmetrically heated "hot Jupiters" and gas giants on highly eccentric orbits. We establish that an understanding of the dominant drag mechanisms and their dependence on local atmospheric conditions is critical for accurate modeling, not just in their ability to limit wind speeds, but also because they could possibly change the energetics of the circulation enough to alter the nature of the flow. We discuss possible sources of drag and estimate the strength necessary to significantly influence the atmospheric energetics. As we show, the frictional heating depends on the magnitude of kinetic energy dissipation as well as its spatial variation, so that the more localized a drag mechanism is, the weaker it can be and still affect the circulation. We also use the derived formalism to estimate the rate of numerical loss of kinetic energy in a few previously published hot Jupiter models with and without magnetic drag and find it to be surprisingly large, at 5-10% of the incident stellar irradiation.Comment: 25 pages, 3 figures, 1 table, ApJ accepted; minor revision

Keeping old buildings green with relevant technology: A case study of UNESCO World Heritage Center, Nærøyfjordområdet

Master thesis in Climate Change Management 2021Today the building sector accounts for around 40% of all energy used and emits around 30% of global Green House Gas (GHG) emissions. Buildings play a large role in peoples lives as we spend around 90% of our lives inside buildings. In light of these facts it is important that comfort inside buildings is kept up to standards while still reducing energy usage in buildings. This can be done by implementing Building Management Systems (BMS) to control Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems in buildings. This study will look into the case of refurbishing a building in Aurland in Western Norway. The end goal of the project is to build a UNESCO World Heritage Center. The aim of the study is to recommend technical solutions for the building that will balance energy needs, CO2 emissions and costs. This aim can be split up into two main goals, that is finding a control method for the BMS and HVAC and then choosing the type of energy source used for the HVAC system. Three systems were studied, Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP), Water-Thermal Energy Production System (WEPS) and a conventional Electric boiler. Then several control methods were researched. The methodological part can be mainly split up to three parts. Simien was used to model the building and calculating its energy needs and efficiency. One Click LCA was used to perform a Life Cycle Assessment on the solutions and costs were estimated based on similar studies. Results showed that WEPS had the best performance based on energy usage and CO2 emissions followed shortly by the ASHP, The electrical boiler had by far the worst performance. However the electric boiler was by far the cheapest solution followed by ASHP and the the WEPS was the most expensive solution. The WEPS system was recommended for the project owner based on performance and practical pros and cons. The recommended control method for the BMS was based on research. Model Predictive Control (MPC) was the method that was chosen for this project. MPC outperforms all other control methods in most cases. MPC can reduce energy use from 15-20%.GE4-30

A General Circulation Model for Gaseous Exoplanets with Double-Gray Radiative Transfer

We present a new version of our code for modeling the atmospheric circulation on gaseous exoplanets, now employing a "double-gray" radiative transfer scheme, which self-consistently solves for fluxes and heating throughout the atmosphere, including the emerging (observable) infrared flux. We separate the radiation into infrared and optical components, each with its own absorption coefficient, and solve standard two-stream radiative transfer equations. We use a constant optical absorption coefficient, while the infrared coefficient can scale as a powerlaw with pressure. Here we describe our new code in detail and demonstrate its utility by presenting a generic hot Jupiter model. We discuss issues related to modeling the deepest pressures of the atmosphere and describe our use of the diffusion approximation for radiative fluxes at high optical depths. In addition, we present new models using a simple form for magnetic drag on the atmosphere. We calculate emitted thermal phase curves and find that our drag-free model has the brightest region of the atmosphere offset by ~12 degrees from the substellar point and a minimum flux that is 17% of the maximum, while the model with the strongest magnetic drag has an offset of only ~2 degrees and a ratio of 13%. Finally, we calculate rates of numerical loss of kinetic energy at ~15% for every model except for our strong-drag model, where there is no measurable loss; we speculate that this is due to the much decreased wind speeds in that model.Comment: 29 pages, 12 figures, 2 tables, submitted to Ap

General circulation modelling of close-in extrasolar giant planets

PhDA large fraction of the extrasolar planets detected so far are giant planets that have such short orbital periods (a few days) that they are thought to be tidally-synchronised with the host star. Such orbits lead to permanent day/night sides on the planets and provide a forcing condition for atmospheric dynamics that is not present in the Solar System. The main subject of this thesis is to model the atmospheric dynamics of these close-in extrasolar giant planets, using an accurate three-dimensional general circulation model (GCM). Using the GCM, the primitive equations are numerically solved, with idealised forcing represented by Newtonian relaxation. A large number of simulations is performed to thoroughly explore the relevant physical and numerical parameter space. First, it is found that different initial flow states lead to markedly different flow and temperature distributions. This result is in contrast with the results or assumptions of many published studies, and underlines the fact that circulation models are currently unsuitable for quantitative predictions without better constrained, and well-posed, initial conditions. Second, the effects of artificial viscosity – particularly in relation to the thermal relaxation timescale – are studied. It is demonstrated that using a large range of thermal time scales, including very short ones ( 1 h), as is common in the literature, leads to dominant noise and/or excessively dissipated fields. Finally, variations of the strength of thermal forcing are studied. Distinct stationary or oscillatory states are identified for different sets of forcing parameters. In addition, multiple long lasting states are observed for a given forcing. Most of the states are characterised by a low number ( 4) of large-scale vortices and planetary waves, which exhibit a periodic time variability. The spatiotemporal variability can be important for observational studies, and provides a strong argument for making repeated measurements of a given planet.European Union Fellowshi

Coupled evolutions of the stellar obliquity, orbital distance, and planet's radius due to the Ohmic dissipation induced in a diamagnetic hot Jupiter around a magnetic T Tauri star

We revisit the calculation of the Ohmic dissipation in a hot Jupiter presented in Laine et al. (2008) by considering more realistic interior structures, stellar obliquity, and the resulting orbital evolution. In this simplified approach, the young hot Jupiter of one Jupiter mass is modelled as a diamagnetic sphere with a finite resistivity, orbiting across tilted stellar magnetic dipole fields in vacuum. Since the induced Ohmic dissipation occurs mostly near the planet's surface, we find that the dissipation is unable to significantly expand the young hot Jupiter. Nevertheless, the planet inside a small co-rotation orbital radius can undergo orbital decay by the dissipation torque and finally overfill its Roche lobe during the T Tauri star phase. The stellar obliquity can evolve significantly if the magnetic dipole is parallel/anti-parallel to the stellar spin. Our results are validated by the general torque-dissipation relation in the presence of the stellar obliquity. We also run the fiducial model in Laine et al. (2008) and find that the planet's radius is sustained at a nearly constant value by the Ohmic heating, rather than being thermally expanded to the Roche radius as suggested by the authors.Comment: about 40 pages, 10 figures, Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa

Gravity Waves on Hot Extrasolar Planets: I. Propagation and Interaction with the Background

We study the effects of gravity waves, or g-modes, on hot extrasolar planets. These planets are expected to possess stably-stratified atmospheres, which support gravity waves. In this paper, we review the derivation of the equation that governs the linear dynamics of gravity waves and describe its application to a hot extrasolar planet, using HD209458 b as a generic example. We find that gravity waves can exhibit a wide range of behaviors, even for a single atmospheric profile. The waves can significantly accelerate or decelerate the background mean flow, depending on the difference between the wave phase and mean flow speeds. In addition, the waves can provide significant heating (~100 to ~1000 K per planetary rotation), especially to the region of the atmosphere above about 10 scale heights from the excitation region. Furthermore, by propagating horizontally, gravity waves provide a mechanism for transporting momentum and heat from the dayside of a tidally locked planet to its nightside. We discuss work that needs to be undertaken to incorporate these effects in current atmosphere models of extrasolar planets.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal; 11 pages, 10 figures

Gliese 581g as a scaled-up version of Earth: atmospheric circulation simulations

We use three-dimensional simulations to study the atmospheric circulation on the first Earth-sized exoplanet discovered in the habitable zone of an M star. We treat Gliese 581g as a scaled-up version of Earth by considering increased values for the exoplanetary radius and surface gravity, while retaining terrestrial values for parameters which are unconstrained by current observations. We examine the long-term, global temperature and wind maps near the surface of the exoplanet --- the climate. The specific locations for habitability on Gliese 581g depend on whether the exoplanet is tidally-locked and how fast radiative cooling occurs on a global scale. Independent of whether the existence of Gliese 581g is confirmed, our study highlights the use of general circulation models to quantify the atmospheric circulation on potentially habitable, Earth-sized exoplanets, which will be the prime targets of exoplanet discovery and characterization campaigns in the next decade.Comment: Accepted by MNRAS. 15 pages, 13 figures. Sample movies of simulations are available at http://www.phys.ethz.ch/~kheng/fms