Impacts of Tidal Locking on Magnetospheric Energy Input to Exoplanet Atmospheres

Fuente: arXiv
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Auteurs principaux: Bagheri, Fatemeh, Glocer, Alex, Lopez, Ramon E.
Format: Preprint
Publié: 2025
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author Bagheri, Fatemeh
Glocer, Alex
Lopez, Ramon E.
author_facet Bagheri, Fatemeh
Glocer, Alex
Lopez, Ramon E.
contents We investigate the effect of planetary corotation on energy dissipation within the magnetosphere-ionosphere system of exoplanets. Using MHD simulations, we find that tidally locked exoplanets have a higher cross-polar cap potential (CPCP) compared to fast-rotating planets with the same magnetic field strength, confirming previous studies. Our simulations show that for a given interplanetary magnetic field, an increase in corotation period leads to a higher CPCP. Notably, this difference in CPCP between tidally locked and rotating planets persists across a range of solar wind conditions, including extreme environments such as those experienced by hot Jupiters. Furthermore, we observe that variations in corotation have little impact on CPCP for Earth-sized planets. These results underscore the significance of both corotation dynamics and planetary size in understanding how exoplanets interact with their stellar environments.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2505_16825
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Impacts of Tidal Locking on Magnetospheric Energy Input to Exoplanet Atmospheres
Bagheri, Fatemeh
Glocer, Alex
Lopez, Ramon E.
Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Space Physics
We investigate the effect of planetary corotation on energy dissipation within the magnetosphere-ionosphere system of exoplanets. Using MHD simulations, we find that tidally locked exoplanets have a higher cross-polar cap potential (CPCP) compared to fast-rotating planets with the same magnetic field strength, confirming previous studies. Our simulations show that for a given interplanetary magnetic field, an increase in corotation period leads to a higher CPCP. Notably, this difference in CPCP between tidally locked and rotating planets persists across a range of solar wind conditions, including extreme environments such as those experienced by hot Jupiters. Furthermore, we observe that variations in corotation have little impact on CPCP for Earth-sized planets. These results underscore the significance of both corotation dynamics and planetary size in understanding how exoplanets interact with their stellar environments.
title Impacts of Tidal Locking on Magnetospheric Energy Input to Exoplanet Atmospheres
topic Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Space Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.16825