1,111 research outputs found
A Unified Theory for the Atmospheres of the Hot and Very Hot Jupiters: Two Classes of Irradiated Atmospheres
We highlight the importance of gaseous TiO and VO opacity on the highly
irradiated close-in giant planets. The atmospheres of these planets naturally
fall into two classes that are somewhat analogous to the M- and L-type dwarfs.
Those that are warm enough to have appreciable opacity due to TiO and VO gases
we term the ``pM Class'' planets, and those that are cooler we term ``pL
Class'' planets. We calculate model atmospheres for these planets, including
pressure-temperature profiles, spectra, and characteristic radiative time
constants. We show that pM Class planets have hot stratospheres 2000 K
and appear ``anomalously'' bright in the mid infrared secondary eclipse, as was
recently found for planets HD 149026b and HD 209458b. This class of planets
absorbs incident flux and emits thermal flux from high in their atmospheres.
Consequently, they will have large day/night temperature contrasts and
negligible phase shifts between orbital phase and thermal emission light
curves, because radiative timescales are much shorter than possible dynamical
timescales. The pL Class planets absorb incident flux deeper in the atmosphere
where atmospheric dynamics will more readily redistribute absorbed energy. This
will lead to cooler day sides, warmer night sides, and larger phase shifts in
thermal emission light curves. Around a Sun-like primary this boundary occurs
at 0.04-0.05 AU. The eccentric transiting planets HD 147506b and HD
17156b alternate between the classes. Thermal emission in the optical from pM
Class planets is significant red-ward of 400 nm, making these planets
attractive targets for optical detection. The difference in the observed
day/night contrast between ups Andromeda b (pM Class) and HD 189733b (pL Class)
is naturally explained in this scenario. (Abridged.)Comment: Accepted to the Astrophysical Journa
Atmospheric Sulfur Photochemistry on Hot Jupiters
We develop a new 1D photochemical kinetics code to address stratospheric
chemistry and stratospheric heating in hot Jupiters. Here we address optically
active S-containing species and CO2 at 1200 < T < 2000 K. HS (mercapto) and S2
are highly reactive species that are generated photochemically and
thermochemically from H2S with peak abundances between 1-10 mbar. S2 absorbs UV
between 240 and 340 nm and is optically thick for metallicities [SH] > 0 at T >
1200 K. HS is probably more important than S2, as it is generally more abundant
than S2 under hot Jupiter conditions and it absorbs at somewhat redder
wavelengths. We use molecular theory to compute an HS absorption spectrum from
sparse available data and find that HS should absorb strongly between 300 and
460 nm, with absorption at the longer wavelengths being temperature sensitive.
When the two absorbers are combined, radiative heating (per kg of gas) peaks at
100 microbars, with a total stratospheric heating of about 8 x 10^4 W/m^2 for a
jovian planet orbiting a solar-twin at 0.032 AU. Total heating is insensitive
to metallicity. The CO2 mixing ratio is a well-behaved quadratic function of
metallicity, ranging from 1.6 x 10^-8 to 1.6 x 10^-4 for -0.3 < [M/H] < 1.7.
CO2 is insensitive to insolation, vertical mixing, temperature (1200 < T <2000
K), and gravity. The photochemical calculations confirm that CO2 should prove a
useful probe of planetary metallicity.Comment: Astrophysical Journal Lett. in press; important revision includes
effect of updated thermodynamic data and a new opacity sourc
Resolving the Surfaces of Extrasolar Planets With Secondary Eclipse Light Curves
We present a method that employs the secondary eclipse light curves of
transiting extrasolar planets to probe the spatial variation of their thermal
emission. This technique permits an observer to resolve the surface of the
planet without the need to spatially resolve its central star. We evaluate the
feasibility of this technique for the HD 209458 system [..]. We consider two
representations of the planetary thermal emission; a simple model parameterized
by a sinusoidal dependence on longitude and latitude, as well as the results of
a three-dimensional dynamical simulation of the planetary atmosphere previously
published by Cooper & Showman. We find that observations of the secondary
eclipse light curve are most sensitive to a longitudinal offset in the
geometric and photometric centroids of the hemisphere of the planet visible
near opposition. To quantify this signal, we define a new parameter, the
``uniform time offset,'' which measures the time lag between the observed
secondary eclipse and that predicted by a planet with a uniform surface flux
distribution. We compare the predicted amplitude of this parameter for HD
209458 with the precision with which it could be measured with IRAC. We find
that IRAC observations at 3.6um a single secondary eclipse should permit
sufficient precision to confirm or reject the Cooper & Showman model of the
surface flux distribution for this planet. We quantify the signal-to-noise
ratio for this offset in the remaining IRAC bands (4.5um, 5.8um, and 8.0um),
and find that a modest improvement in photometric precision (as might be
realized through observations of several eclipse events) should permit a
similarly robust detection.Comment: AASTeX 5.2, 24 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ; v2:
clarifications, updated to version accepted by ApJ; v3: try to reduce spacin
Atmospheric Circulation of Eccentric Hot Neptune GJ436b
GJ436b is a unique member of the transiting extrasolar planet population
being one of the smallest and least irradiated and possessing an eccentric
orbit. Because of its size, mass and density, GJ436b could plausibly have an
atmospheric metallicity similar to Neptune (20-60 times solar abundances),
which makes it an ideal target to study the effects of atmospheric metallicity
on dynamics and radiative transfer in an extrasolar planetary atmosphere. We
present three-dimensional atmospheric circulation models that include realistic
non-gray radiative transfer for 1, 3, 10, 30, and 50 times solar atmospheric
metallicity cases of GJ436b. Low metallicity models (1 and 3 times solar) show
little day/night temperature variation and strong high-latitude jets. In
contrast, higher metallicity models (30 and 50 times solar) exhibit day/night
temperature variations and a strong equatorial jet. Spectra and light curves
produced from these simulations show strong orbital phase dependencies in the
50 times solar case and negligible variations with orbital phase in the 1 times
solar case. Comparisons between the predicted planet/star flux ratio from these
models and current secondary eclipse measurements support a high metallicity
atmosphere (30-50 times solar abundances) with disequilibrium carbon chemistry
at play for GJ436b. Regardless of the actual atmospheric composition of GJ436b,
our models serve to illuminate how metallicity influences the atmospheric
circulation for a broad range of warm extrasolar planets.Comment: 25 pages, 13 figure
Three-dimensional atmospheric circulation of hot Jupiters on highly eccentric orbits
Of the over 800 exoplanets detected to date, over half are on non-circular
orbits, with eccentricities as high as 0.93. Such orbits lead to time-variable
stellar heating, which has implications for the planet's atmospheric dynamical
regime. However, little is known about this dynamical regime, and how it may
influence observations. Therefore, we present a systematic study of hot
Jupiters on highly eccentric orbits using the SPARC/MITgcm, a model which
couples a three-dimensional general circulation model with a plane-parallel,
two-stream, non-grey radiative transfer model. In our study, we vary the
eccentricity and orbit-average stellar flux over a wide range. We demonstrate
that the eccentric hot Jupiter regime is qualitatively similar to that of
planets on circular orbits; the planets possess a superrotating equatorial jet
and exhibit large day-night temperature variations. We show that these
day-night heating variations induce momentum fluxes equatorward to maintain the
superrotating jet throughout its orbit. As the eccentricity and/or stellar flux
is increased, the superrotating jet strengthens and narrows, due to a smaller
Rossby deformation radius. For a select number of model integrations, we
generate full-orbit lightcurves and find that the timing of transit and
secondary eclipse viewed from Earth with respect to periapse and apoapse can
greatly affect what we see in infrared (IR) lightcurves; the peak in IR flux
can lead or lag secondary eclipse depending on the geometry. For those planets
that have large day-night temperature variations and rapid rotation rates, we
find that the lightcurves exhibit "ringing" as the planet's hottest region
rotates in and out of view from Earth. These results can be used to explain
future observations of eccentric transiting exoplanets.Comment: 20 pages, 18 figures, 2 tables; Accepted to Ap
Uranus evolution models with simple thermal boundary layers
The strikingly low luminosity of Uranus (Teff ~ Teq) constitutes a
long-standing challenge to our understanding of Ice Giant planets. Here we
present the first Uranus structure and evolution models that are constructed to
agree with both the observed low luminosity and the gravity field data. Our
models make use of modern ab initio equations of state at high pressures for
the icy components water, methane, and ammonia. Proceeding step by step, we
confirm that adiabatic models yield cooling times that are too long, even when
uncertainties in the ice:rock ratio (I:R) are taken into account. We then argue
that the transition between the ice/rock-rich interior and the H/He-rich outer
envelope should be stably stratified. Therefore, we introduce a simple thermal
boundary and adjust it to reproduce the low luminosity. Due to this thermal
boundary, the deep interior of the Uranus models are up to 2--3 warmer than
adiabatic models, necessitating the presence of rocks in the deep interior with
a possible I:R of solar. Finally, we allow for an equilibrium
evolution (Teff ~ Teq) that begun prior to the present day, which would
therefore no longer require the current era to be a "special time" in Uranus'
evolution. In this scenario, the thermal boundary leads to more rapid cooling
of the outer envelope. When Teff ~ Teq is reached, a shallow, subadiabatic zone
in the atmosphere begins to develop. Its depth is adjusted to meet the
luminosity constraint. This work provides a simple foundation for future Ice
Giant structure and evolution models, that can be improved by properly treating
the heat and particle fluxes in the diffusive zones.Comment: 13 pages, Accepted to Icaru
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