English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Free Plan

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

The warm sub-Neptune GJ1214b has a featureless transit spectrum which may bedue to the presence of high and thick clouds or haze. Here, we simulate theatmosphere of GJ1214b with a 3D General Circulation Model for cloudyhydrogen-dominated atmospheres, including cloud radiative effects. We show thatthe atmospheric circulation is strong enough to transport micrometric cloudparticles to the upper atmosphere and generally leads to a minimum of cloud atthe equator. By scattering stellar light, clouds increase the planetary albedoto 0.4-0.6 and cool the atmosphere below 1 mbar. However, the heating by ZnSclouds leads to the formation of a stratospheric thermal inversion above 10mbar, with temperatures potentially high enough on the dayside to evaporate KClclouds. We show that flat transit spectra consistent with HST observations arepossible if cloud particle radii are around 0.5 micron, and that such cloudsshould be optically thin at wavelengths > 3 microns. Using simulated cloudyatmospheres that fit the observed spectra we generate transit, emission andreflection spectra and phase curves for GJ1214b. We show that a stratosphericthermal inversion would be readily accessible in near and mid-infraredatmospheric spectral windows. We find that the amplitude of the thermal phasecurves is strongly dependent on metallicity, but only slightly impacted byclouds. Our results suggest that primary and secondary eclipses and phasecurves observed by the James Webb Space Telescope in the near to mid-infraredshould provide strong constraints on the nature of GJ1214b's atmosphere andclouds.

3D modeling of GJ1214b's atmosphere: formation of inhomogeneous high clouds and observational implications