Influence of the magnetic field of stellar wind on hot jupiter’s envelopes

Abstract

AbstractHot Jupiters have extended gaseous (ionospheric) envelopes, which extend far beyond the Roche lobe. The envelopes are loosely bound to the planet and, therefore, are strongly influenced by fluctuations of the stellar wind. We show that, since hot Jupiters are close to the parent stars, magnetic field of the stellar wind is an important factor defining the structure of their magnetospheres. For a typical hot Jupiter, velocity of the stellar wind plasma flow around the atmosphere is close to the Alfvén velocity. As a result stellar wind fluctuations, such as coronal mass ejections, can affect the conditions for the formation of a bow shock around a hot Jupiter. This effect can affect observational manifestations of hot Jupiters.