Phase-curve observations of the ‘hot Jupiter’ exoplanet WASP-43b, made at mid-infrared wavelengths using JWST, provide evidence that fast winds limit the formation of methane on the cooler, cloudy nightside of the planet.
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References
Stevenson, K. B. et al. Thermal structure of an exoplanet atmosphere from phase-resolved emission spectroscopy. Science 346, 838–841 (2014). This paper presents the first spectroscopic phase curve of WASP-43b, obtained using the Hubble Space Telescope.
Murphy, M. M. et al. A lack of variability between repeated Spitzer phase curves of WASP-43b. Astron. J. 165, 107 (2023). This paper presents multiple Spitzer phase curves of WASP-43b.
Mendonça, J. M., Tsai, S.-M., Malik, M., Grimm, S. L. & Heng, K. Three-dimensional circulation driving chemical disequilibrium in WASP-43b. Astrophys. J. 869, 107 (2018). This paper examines the differences that atmospheric transport can make to the predicted chemistry of WASP-43b.
Venot, O. et al. Global chemistry and thermal structure models for the hot Jupiter WASP-43b and predictions for JWST. Astrophys. J. 890, 176 (2020). This paper gives predictions for equilibrium and disequilibrium chemistry on WASP-43b and presents synthetic observations.
Mendonça, J. M., Malik, M., Demory, B.-O. & Heng, K. Revisiting the phase curves of WASP-43b: confronting re-analyzed Spitzer data with cloudy atmospheres. Astron. J. 155, 150 (2018). This paper presents a reanalysis of Spitzer thermal phase curves for WASP-43b, compares them with a general circulation model incorporating clouds, and shows synthetic spectra at different phases.
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This is a summary of: Bell, T. J. et al. Nightside clouds and disequilibrium chemistry on the hot Jupiter WASP-43b. Nat. Astron. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-024-02230-x (2024).
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Nightside clouds form and winds drive disequilibrium chemistry on a hot Jupiter. Nat Astron (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-024-02231-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-024-02231-w
