Atmospheric Circulation on Hot Jupiters: Modeling and Observable Signatures

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Scientific paper

Hot Jupiters are unlike any planets in our Solar System and yet one of the most common types of extrasolar planet discovered. These gas giants orbit their parent stars with periods of a few days. Expected to be tidally locked into synchronous rotation, hot Jupiters experience intense, asymmetric heating from stellar irradiation, such that day-night temperature contrasts could reach hundreds of degrees Kelvin. This unique state of radiative forcing, as well as the slow rotation rates of these planets, places hot Jupiters within a new regime of atmospheric circulation. Hot Jupiters have also been the first type of extrasolar planet with direct detections of their atmospheres, through measurements of emitted, reflected, and transmitted light. This thesis investigates observational methods to distinguish between various atmospheric models, observational signatures of potential atmospheric variability, and presents a three dimensional model with which to study hot Jupiter circulation patterns. First, we find that eclipse mapping is a technique that can be used to image the day sides of these planets and although this is beyond the ability of current instruments, it will be achievable with future missions, such as the James Webb Space Telescope. Second, we consider the signatures of large-scale atmospheric variability in measurements of secondary eclipses and thermal orbital phase curves. For various models we predict the amount of variation in eclipse depth, and the amplitudes and detailed shapes of phase curves. Lastly, we develop a three-dimensional model of hot Jupiter atmospheric dynamics with simplified forcing and adopt a set-up nearly identical to work by another group to facilitate code inter-comparison. Our results are broadly consistent with theirs, with a transonic flow and the hottest region of the atmosphere advected eastward of the substellar point. However, we note important differences and identify areas of concern for future modeling efforts.

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