Under the magnifying glass: A combined 3D model applied to cloudy warm Saturn type exoplanets around M-dwarfs
arXiv:2410.17716 · doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202450753
Abstract
Warm Saturn type exoplanets orbiting M-dwarfs are particularly suitable for in-depth cloud characterisation through transmission spectroscopy due to their favourable stellar to planetary radius contrast. However, modelling cloud formation consistently within the 3D atmosphere remains computationally challenging. The aim is to explore the combined atmospheric and micro-physical cloud structure, and the kinetic gas-phase chemistry for the warm Saturn HATS0-6b orbiting an M-dwarf. A combined 3D cloudy atmosphere model is constructed by iteratively executing the 3D General Circulation Model (GCM) expeRT/MITgcm and a kinetic cloud formation model, each in its full complexity. Resulting cloud particle number densities, sizes, and compositions are used to derive the local cloud opacity which is then utilised in the next GCM iteration. The disequilibrium H/C/O/N gas-phase chemistry is calculated for each iteration to assess the resulting transmission spectrum in post-processing. The cloud opacity feedback causes a temperature inversion at the sub-stellar point and at the evening terminator at gas pressures higher than 0.01 bar. Furthermore, clouds cool the atmosphere between 0.01 bar and 10 bar, and narrow the equatorial wind jet. The transmission spectrum shows muted gas-phase absorption and a cloud particle silicate feature at approximately 10 micron. The combined atmosphere-cloud model retains the full physical complexity of each component and therefore enables a detailed physical interpretation with JWST NIRSpec and MIRI LRS observational accuracy. The model shows that warm Saturn type exoplanets around M-dwarfs are ideal candidates to search for limb asymmetries in clouds and chemistry, identify cloud particle composition by observing their spectral features, and identify the cloud-induced strong thermal inversion that arises on these planets specifically.
21 pages, 15 figures, Accepted by A&A
References in corpus (84)
- Array Programming with NumPy
- petitRADTRANS: a Python radiative transfer package for exoplanet characterization and retrieval
- A Steeper than Linear Disk Mass-Stellar Mass Scaling Relation
- Early Release Science of the exoplanet WASP-39b with JWST NIRSpec PRISM
- Early Release Science of the Exoplanet WASP-39b with JWST NIRSpec G395H
- Photochemically-produced SO in the atmosphere of WASP-39b
- Strong Dependence of the Inner Edge of the Habitable Zone on Planetary Rotation Rate
- ExoMol molecular line lists XXXV: a rotation-vibration line list for hot ammonia
- A Sub-Neptune Exoplanet with a Low-Metallicity Methane-Depleted Atmosphere and Mie-Scattering Clouds
- ExoMol molecular line lists - XVI: The rotation-vibration spectrum of hot HS
- HST hot-Jupiter transmission spectral survey: detection of potassium in WASP-31b along with a cloud deck and Rayleigh scattering
- Early Release Science of the exoplanet WASP-39b with JWST NIRISS
- Transmission spectral properties of clouds for hot Jupiter exoplanets
- ExoMol line lists XVIII. The high temperature spectrum of VO
- ExoMol line lists -- XXXIX. Ro-vibrational molecular line list for CO
- Retrieving scattering clouds and disequilibrium chemistry in the atmosphere of HR 8799e
- VULCAN: an Open-Source, Validated Chemical Kinetics Python Code for Exoplanetary Atmospheres
- The Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) on the James Webb Space Telescope II. Multi-object spectroscopy (MOS)
- Hubble Space Telescope Near-IR Transmission Spectroscopy of the Super-Earth HD 97658b
- The Very Low Albedo of an Extrasolar Planet: MOST Spacebased Photometry of HD 209458
- Early Release Science of the exoplanet WASP-39b with JWST NIRCam
- ExoMol line lists VII: The rotation-vibration spectrum of phosphine up to 1500 K
- Dust in Brown Dwarfs and Extra-solar Planets I. Chemical composition and spectral appearance of quasi-static cloud layers
- The Complete transmission spectrum of WASP-39b with a precise water constraint
- A hybrid line list for CH and hot methane continuum
- Consistent simulations of substellar atmospheres and non-equilibrium dust-cloud formation
- Pseudo 2D chemical model of hot Jupiter atmospheres: application to HD 209458b and HD 189733b
- Day-night cloud asymmetry prevents early oceans on Venus but not on Earth
- HATS-6b: A Warm Saturn Transiting an Early M Dwarf Star, and a Set of Empirical Relations for Characterizing K and M Dwarf Planet Hosts
- Beyond Equilibrium Temperature: How the Atmosphere/Interior Connection Affects the Onset of Methane, Ammonia, and Clouds in Warm Transiting Giant Planets
- SO2, silicate clouds, but no CH4 detected in a warm Neptune
- The MUSCLES Treasury Survey IV: Scaling Relations for Ultraviolet, Ca II K, and Energetic Particle Fluxes from M Dwarfs
- VLT FORS2 comparative transmission spectroscopy: Detection of Na in the atmosphere of WASP-39b from the ground
- Hydrogen Cyanide in Nitrogen-Rich Atmospheres of Rocky Exoplanets
- Optical constants of refractory oxides at high temperatures
- Transit Signatures of Inhomogeneous Clouds on Hot Jupiters: Insights From Microphysical Cloud Modeling
- The ARCiS framework for Exoplanet Atmospheres: Modelling Philosophy and Retrieval
- New Avenues for Thermal Inversions in hot Jupiters
- Vanadium oxide and a sharp onset of cold-trapping on a giant exoplanet
- The Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) on the James Webb Space Telescope IV. Capabilities and predicted performance for exoplanet characterization
- Detection of a Westward Hotspot Offset in the Atmosphere of a Hot Gas Giant CoRoT-2b
- The ARCiS framework for Exoplanet Atmospheres: The Cloud Transport Model
- A temperature inversion with atomic iron in the ultra-hot dayside atmosphere of WASP-189b
- Influence of Stellar Flares on the Chemical Composition of Exoplanets and Spectra
- The Influence of Host Star Spectral Type on Ultra-Hot Jupiter Atmospheres
- Atmospheric circulation of brown dwarfs and directly imaged exoplanets driven by cloud radiative feedback: global and equatorial dynamics
- Sparkling nights and very hot days on WASP-18b: the formation of clouds and the emergence of an ionosphere
- Optical and X-ray observations of stellar flares on an active M dwarf AD Leonis with Seimei Telescope, SCAT, NICER and OISTER
- Modeling the effects of inhomogeneous aerosols on the hot Jupiter Kepler-7b's atmospheric circulation
- Large Interferometer For Exoplanets (LIFE): V. Diagnostic potential of a mid-infrared space-interferometer for studying Earth analogs
- Simulating gas giant exoplanet atmospheres with Exo-FMS: Comparing semi-grey, picket fence and correlated-k radiative-transfer schemes
- Dust in Brown Dwarfs IV. Dust formation and driven turbulence on mesoscopic scales
- Bottom-up dust nucleation theory in oxygen-rich evolved stars I. Aluminium oxide clusters
- Detection of iron emission lines and a temperature inversion on the dayside of the ultra-hot Jupiter KELT-20b
- Mineral cloud and hydrocarbon haze particles in the atmosphere of the hot Jupiter JWST target WASP-43b
- TOI-3714 b and TOI-3629 b: Two gas giants transiting M dwarfs confirmed with HPF and NEID
- The Impact of Mixing Treatments on Cloud Modelling in 3D Simulations of Hot Jupiters
- Effects of Latent Heating on Atmospheres of Brown Dwarfs and Directly Imaged Planets
- Grid of pseudo-2D chemistry models for tidally locked exoplanets -- II. The role of photochemistry
- Extremely long convergence times in a 3D GCM simulation of the sub-Neptune Gliese 1214b
- Exoplanet weather and climate regimes with clouds and thermal ionospheres: A model grid study in support of large-scale observational campaigns
- Dust in brown dwarfs and extra-solar planets. VII. Cloud formation in diffusive atmospheres
- Aura-3D: A Three-dimensional Atmospheric Retrieval Framework for Exoplanet Transmission Spectra
- Characterisation of stellar activity of M dwarfs. I. Long-timescale variability in a large sample and detection of new cycles
- Photochemical hazes dramatically alter temperature structure and atmospheric circulation in 3D simulations of hot Jupiters
- Mineral snowflakes on exoplanets and brown dwarfs: Effects of micro-porosity, size distributions, and particle shape
- Stellar energetic particles in the magnetically turbulent habitable zones of TRAPPIST-1-like planetary systems
- A Mini-Chemical Scheme with Net Reactions for 3D GCMs II. 3D thermochemical modelling of WASP-39b and HD 189733b
- Modons on Tidally Synchronised Extrasolar Planets
- The Impact of Phase Equilibrium Cloud Models on GCM Simulations of GJ~1214b
- Clouds form on the hot Saturn JWST ERO target WASP-96b
- Impact of stellar flares on the chemical composition and transmission spectra of gaseous exoplanets orbiting M dwarfs
- A Temperature Trend for Clouds and Hazes in Exoplanets Atmospheres
- No evidence for radius inflation in hot Jupiters from vertical advection of heat
- Cloud Parameterizations and their Effect on Retrievals of Exoplanet Reflection Spectroscopy
- Modelling dynamically driven global cloud formation microphysics in the HAT-P-1b atmosphere
- Self-consistent atmosphere modeling with cloud formation for low-mass stars and exoplanets
- Revisiting fundamental properties of TiO nanoclusters as condensation seeds in astrophysical environments
- The energetic particle environment of a GJ 436 b-like planet
- The unusual M-dwarf Warm Jupiter TOI-1899~b: Refinement of orbital and planetary parameters
- Bottom-up dust nucleation theory in oxygen-rich evolved stars II. Magnesium and calcium aluminate clusters
- Dust in brown dwarfs and extra-solar planets. VIII. TiO seed formation: 3D Monte Carlo versus kinetic approach
- Vanadium oxide clusters in substellar atmospheres: A quantum chemical study
- The effect of thermal non-equilibrium on kinetic nucleation