ArticleThis is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from EDP Sciences via the DOI in this record.We present highlights from a large set of simulations of a hot Jupiter atmosphere, nominally based on HD 209458b, aimed at exploring
both the evolution of the deep atmosphere, and the acceleration of the zonal flow or jet. We find the occurrence of a super-rotating
equatorial jet is robust to changes in various parameters, and over long timescales, even in the absence of strong inner or bottom
boundary drag. This jet is diminished in one simulation only, where we strongly force the deep atmosphere equator–to–pole temperature
gradient over long timescales. Finally, although the eddy momentum fluxes in our atmosphere show similarities with the proposed
mechanism for accelerating jets on tidally-locked planets, the picture appears more complex. We present tentative evidence for a jet
driven by a combination of eddy momentum transport and mean flow
