: Nightside clouds and disequilibrium chemistry on the hot Jupiter WASP-43b
Tue 30 Apr 2024; Hot Jupiters are among the best-studied exoplanets, but it is still poorly understood how their chemical composition and cloud properties vary with longitude. Theoretical models predict that clouds may condense on the nightside and that molecular abundances can be driven out of equilibrium by zonal winds. An international team of astronomers, among which Nicolas Crouzet, show their results provide strong evidence that the atmosphere of WASP-43b is shaped by disequilibrium processes and provide new insights into the properties of the planet's nightside clouds.
Read more Nature articlePubl. Tue 30 Apr 2024