Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Jan 2010
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010aas...21534906m&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #215, #349.06; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 42, p.531
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
The observed transit radii of many hot Jupiter exoplanets have been found to be unexpectedly large. Past studies proposed that tidal heating of hot Jupiter during circularization of their planet's orbit might warm the planet's interior, enlarging the radius, but for many inflated planets, estimates of current heating rates are insufficient. However, tidal heating rates for hot Jupiters may vary by orders of magnitude as their orbits evolve. To study the effects of such variable tidal heating, we applied a model that couples tidal and thermal evolution of hot Jupiters. We find the the inflation of a planet's radius may persist even after the heating rate becomes small, but this inflated state without heating is transient and often last a few hundred million years. Thus tidal heating via circularization of the planet's orbit may not be a sufficient explanation for all unexpectedly large radius planets. Although inflation by tidal heating may be short-lived, in some cases, planets may over-flow their Roche lobes and undergo significant mass loss. Evidence for such mass loss may be apparent in the distribution of orbital and physical properties of observed planets.
Fortney Jonathan J.
Jackson Bailey
Miller Neil
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