The Effects of Kinematic MHD on the Atmospheric Circulation of Eccentric Hot Jupiters

TL;DR

This study models the atmospheric effects of magnetic fields on an eccentric hot Jupiter, revealing how magnetic interactions influence jet streams, wind patterns, and spectral features over its orbit.

Contribution

It is the first application of the kinematic MHD approach to an eccentric hot Jupiter, demonstrating the impact of magnetic fields on atmospheric dynamics and spectra.

Findings

Eccentric orbit enhances equatorial jet and causes phase-dependent thermal inversion.

Magnetic field strength scales with changes in atmospheric wind patterns.

Spectroscopic variability and Doppler broadening are affected by magnetic interactions.

Abstract

Hot Jupiters are typically considered to be tidally locked due to their short orbital periods. The extreme irradiation can result in atmospheric species becoming thermally ionized on the dayside, which then interact with the planet's magnetic field by resisting flow across magnetic field lines, shaping the atmospheric structure. However, an eccentric orbit results in temporally dependent irradiation and a non-permanent dayside, as the planet-star distance can change drastically during its orbit. In this paper, we present 3D atmospheric models of TOI-150b, an eccentric (e=0.26), Jupiter-mass 1.75 M_Jup planet whose equilibrium temperature varies from 1300K to 1700K. We conduct simulations for magnetic field strengths ranging from 0-30 Gauss using the kinematic magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) approach. When compared to simulations of the planet assuming a circular orbit, we find that the eccentric orbit results in a strengthened and narrowed equatorial jet, westward winds at mid-latitudes, and a phase-dependent thermal inversion. The strength and magnitude of these effects scale with the chosen global magnetic field strength. We also generate high-resolution (R=100,000) emission spectra to study net Doppler shifts and find inter-orbit spectroscopic variability at moderate magnetic field strengths, as well as decreased Doppler broadening as magnetic field strengths increase. This work represents the first time that the kinematic MHD approach has been applied to an eccentric hot Jupiter and highlights the importance of a locally calculated, temperature dependent magnetic drag prescription for predicting atmospheric structure and resulting spectra.