Evolution of Ohmically Heated Hot Jupiters

TL;DR

This paper models the thermal evolution of Hot Jupiters considering Ohmic dissipation, showing it can explain observed radius inflation and potential planetary evaporation, depending on atmospheric ionization and core mass.

Contribution

It provides the first comprehensive calculations linking Ohmic dissipation to radius inflation and planetary evaporation in Hot Jupiters.

Findings

Ohmic dissipation can account for observed radius anomalies.

Inflation correlates with atmospheric ionization levels.

Low-mass Hot Jupiters may evaporate, leaving rocky cores.

Abstract

We present calculations of thermal evolution of Hot Jupiters with various masses and effective temperatures under Ohmic dissipation. The resulting evolutionary sequences show a clear tendency towards inflated radii for effective temperatures that give rise to significant ionization of alkali metals in the atmosphere, compatible with the trend of the data. The degree of inflation shows that Ohmic dissipation, along with the likely variability in heavy element content can account for all of the currently detected radius anomalies. Furthermore, we find that in absence of a massive core, low-mass hot Jupiters can over-flow their Roche-lobes and evaporate on Gyr time-scales, possibly leaving behind small rocky cores.