Theory of Extrasolar Giant Planet Transits
Abstract
We present a synthesis of physical effects influencing the observed lightcurve of an extrasolar giant planet (EGP) transiting its host star. The synthesis includes a treatment of Rayleigh scattering, cloud scattering, refraction, and molecular absorption of starlight in the EGP atmosphere. Of these effects, molecular absorption dominates in determining the transit-derived radius . Using a generic model for the atmosphere of EGP HD209458b, we perform a fit to the best available transit lightcurve data, and infer that this planet has a radius at a pressure of 1 bar, , equal to 94430 km. We predict that will be a function of wavelength of observation, with a robust prediction of variations of % at infrared wavelengths where HO opacity in the high EGP atmosphere dominates.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.astro-ph/0101024,
title = {Theory of Extrasolar Giant Planet Transits},
author = {W. B. Hubbard and J. J. Fortney and J. I. Lunine and A. Burrows and D. Sudarsky and P. A. Pinto},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:astro-ph/0101024},
year = {2009}
}
Comments
16 single-spaced pages in aastex LaTeX, with eight EPS graphics, accepted to the Astrophysical Journal, also available in two-column preprint format at http://jupiter.as.arizona.edu/~burrows/papers/HDtransit2