Oscillations torsionnelles magnétohydrodynamiques auto-excitées dans les Jupiters chaudes
Hot Jupiters are exoplanets with unique features. Due to their proximity to their host stars, they show remarkable non-symmetry. This proximity with the star causes tidal locking, meaning one side of the planet is always exposed to intense radiation from its host and the other side is immersed in a perpetual night. This geometry means there is a difference of temperature ranging from 200 K up to 2000 K between the day and night side. This gradient in temperature induces zonal winds that can reach the order of 1 km/s to redistribute heat to the night side. The hot spot is the hottest spot of the planet and is a telltale of these strong winds. Observations and hydrodynamic numerical simulations show that zonal winds on these planets go eastward. However, two recent observations are showing westward winds. These planets are CoRoT-2 b and HAT-P-7 b. The most common explanation to this contradiction is that the magnetic field, which is interacting with the partially ionized atmosphere, can reverse these winds. It was previously shown that a magnetic diffusivity varying in space can locally generate magnetic fields when its gradient aligns correctly with the electric current density. We present here a one-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic model with a temperature-dependent magnetic diffusivity in the equatorial plane in the context of hot Jupiters. The simulations develop growing torsional alfvénic oscillations due to the non-linear coupling of the magnetohydrodynamics and the temperature partial differential equations and the temperature-dependent magnetic diffusivity. We explore the parameter space and study their influence on the oscillations. We have also developed a local model in order to derive analytical equations characterizing these waves and compare its results with the results of the one-dimensional model. We end by calculating the corresponding periods and longitudinal displacement of the one-dimension model oscillations for a Jupiter-sized planet. The periods correspond to an interval from 225 to 473 days and the displacements range from a few degrees up to 40°. This means that the oscillations could be observed with a few orbits.
Magnetic diffusivity Gaseous planets Atmospheres Magnetic fields Magnetohydrodynamics Numerical simulations