The radiative and dynamical impact of clouds in the atmosphere of the hot Jupiter WASP-43 b

Abstract

Context. Hot Jupiters are tidally locked gaseous exoplanets that exhibit large day-night temperature contrasts. Their cooler nightsides are thought to host clouds, as has been suggested by numerous observations. However, the exact nature of these clouds, their spatial distribution, and their impact on atmospheric dynamics, thermal structure, and spectra is still unclear. Aims. We investigate the atmosphere of WASP-43 b, a short period hot Jupiter recently observed with James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), to understand the radiative and dynamical impact of clouds on the atmospheric circulation and thermal structure. We aim to understand the impact of different kinds of condensates potentially forming in WASP-43 b, with various sizes and atmospheric metallicities. Methods. We used a 3D global climate model (GCM) with a new temperature-dependent cloud model that includes radiative feedbacks coupled with hydrodynamical integrations to study the atmospheric properties of WASP-43 b. We produced observables from our GCM simulations and compared them to spectral phase curves from various observations to derive constraints on the atmospheric properties. Results. We show that clouds have a net warming effect, meaning that the greenhouse effect caused by clouds is stronger than the albedo cooling effect. We show that the radiative effect of clouds has various impacts on the dynamical and thermal structure of WASP-43 b. Depending on the type of condensates and their sizes, the radiative-dynamical feedback will modify the horizontal and vertical temperature gradient and reduce the wind speed. For super-solar metallicity atmospheres, fewer clouds form in the atmosphere, leading to a weaker feedback. Comparisons with spectral phase curves observed with HST, Spitzer, and JWST indicate that WASP-43 b's nightside is cloudy and rule out sub-micron Mg2SiO4 cloud particles as the main opacity source. Distinguishing between cloudy solarand cloudy super-solar-metallicity atmospheres is not straightforward, and further observations of both reflected light and thermal emission are needed.