Related papers: Geodesic Transport Barriers in Jupiter's Atmospher…
Hot Jupiters have proven themselves to be a rich class of exoplanets which test our theories of planetary evolution and atmospheric dynamics under extreme conditions. Here, we present three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations and…
Because of their intense incident stellar irradiation and likely tidally locked spin states, hot Jupiters are expected to have wind speeds that approach or exceed the speed of sound. In this work we develop a theory to explain the magnitude…
We present the results of recent observations of phase-dependent variations in brightness designed to characterize the atmospheres of hot Jupiters. In particular, we focus on recent observations of the transiting planet HD 189733b at 8…
We have developed a pseudo two-dimensional model of a planetary atmosphere, which takes into account thermochemical kinetics, photochemistry, vertical mixing, and horizontal transport, the latter being modeled as a uniform zonal wind. We…
We study the feasibility of observationally constraining the rotation rate of hot Jupiters, planets that are typically assumed to have been tidally locked into synchronous rotation. We use a three-dimensional General Circulation Model to…
Hot Jupiters have been predicted to have a strong day/night temperature contrast and a hot spot shifted eastward of the substellar point. This was confirmed by numerous phase curve observations probing the longitudinal brightness variation…
In this paper, Jupiter's Great Red Spot (GRS) is used to determine properties of the Jovian atmosphere that cannot otherwise be found. These properties include the potential vorticity of the GRS and its neighboring jet streams, the shear…
Context. The tropospheric wind pattern in Jupiter consists of alternating prograde and retrograde zonal jets with typical velocities of up to 100 m/s around the equator. At much higher altitudes, in the ionosphere, strong auroral jets have…
The Jovian atmosphere contains a wide diversity of vortices, which have a large range of sizes, colors and forms in different dynamical regimes. The formation processes for these vortices is poorly understood, and aside from a few known,…
Through the process of thermal ionization, intense stellar irradiation renders Hot Jupiter atmospheres electrically conductive. Simultaneously, lateral variability in the irradiation drives the global circulation with peak wind speeds of…
The origin of warm Jupiters (gas giant planets with periods between 10 and 200 days) is an open question in exoplanet formation and evolution. We investigate a particular migration theory in which a warm Jupiter is coupled to a perturbing…
We present a new two-dimensional, bin-scheme microphysical model of cloud formation in the atmospheres of hot Jupiters that includes the effects of longitudinal gas and cloud transport. We predict cloud particle size distributions as a…
In recent years, a vast increase in spectroscopic observations of transiting exoplanets has for the first time allowed us to search for broad trends in their atmospheric properties. Analysis of these observations has revealed that, even for…
We present results from an atmospheric circulation study of nine hot Jupiters that comprise a large transmission spectral survey using the Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes. These observations exhibit a range of spectral behavior over…
Context. The atmosphere of exoplanets has been studied extensively in recent years, using numerical models to retrieve chemical composition, dynamical circulation or temperature from data. One of the best observational probes in…
The observed zonal winds at Jupiter's cloud tops have been shown to be closely linked to the asymmetric part of the planet's measured gravity field. However, other measurements suggest that in some latitudinal regions the flow below the…
We present an analysis of data about Saturn's atmosphere from Cassini's Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS), focusing on the meteorology of the features seen in the 5-micron spectral window. We present VIMS mosaics and discuss…
An essential component of planetary climatology is knowledge of the tropospheric temperature field and its variability. Previous studies of Jupiter hinted at periodic behavior that was non-seasonal, as well as dynamical relationships…
Gas giant planets are differentially rotating magnetic objects that have strong and complex interactions with their environment. In our Solar system, they interact with their numerous moons while exoplanets with very short orbital periods…
The observation of gaseous giant planets is of high scientific interest. Although they have been the targets of several spacecraft missions, there still remains a need for continuous ground-based observations. As their atmospheres present…