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This week, GS Huize Wang will lead the discussion on "3D modeling of GJ1214b's atmosphere: formation of inhomogeneous high clouds and observational implications" by Charnay et. al. 2015. The paper and some additional information are attached. Huize's thoughts on the subject are:
The sub-Neptune Gliese 1214b has been one of the most exciting exoplanets for researchers. Knowing the mass and the radius of the planet, the density suggests that a significant fraction of the planet is made up of water. Besides, interestingly the planet has a largely featureless transit spectrum (radiation from star transmitted through the planet's atmosphere), obstructing our attempt to understand its atmosphere.
This paper uses GCM simulations to test a few possible scenarios of high and thick clouds, which might be responsible for the observed spectrum, and try to determine the planetary conditions required to match the observations. The cloud distribution is associated with the circulation features described in the other attached paper, where the authors focused on atmospheric dynamics. More precise observations, such as the coming James Webb Space Telescope, are required to better determine the atmospheric composition.
 | charnay_2015.pdf | 1.32 MB |
| charnay_verticalmixing.pdf | 2.14 MB |