Seidel Julia V, Prinoth Bibiana, Pino Lorenzo, Dos Santos Leonardo A, Chakraborty Hritam, Parmentier Vivien, Sedaghati Elyar, Wardenier Joost P, Farret Jentink Casper, Zapatero Osorio Maria Rosa, Allart Romain, Ehrenreich David, Lendl Monika, Roccetti Giulia, Damasceno Yuri, Bourrier Vincent, Lillo-Box Jorge, Hoeijmakers H Jens, Pallé Enric, Santos Nuno, Suárez Mascareño Alejandro, Sousa Sergio G, Tabernero Hugo M, Pepe Francesco A
European Southern Observatory, Santiago, Chile.
Laboratoire Lagrange, Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, France.
Nature. 2025 Mar;639(8056):902-908. doi: 10.1038/s41586-025-08664-1. Epub 2025 Feb 18.
Ultra-hot Jupiters, an extreme class of planets not found in our Solar System, provide a unique window into atmospheric processes. The extreme temperature contrasts between their day and night sides pose a fundamental climate puzzle: how is energy distributed? To address this, we must observe the three-dimensional structure of these atmospheres, particularly their vertical circulation patterns that can serve as a testbed for advanced global circulation models, for example, in ref. . Here we show a notable shift in atmospheric circulation in an ultra-hot Jupiter: a unilateral flow from the hot star-facing side to the cooler space-facing side of the planet sits below an equatorial super-rotational jet stream. By resolving the vertical structure of atmospheric dynamics, we move beyond integrated global snapshots of the atmosphere, enabling more accurate identification of flow patterns and allowing for a more nuanced comparison to models. Global circulation models based on first principles struggle to replicate the observed circulation pattern underscoring a critical gap between theoretical understanding of atmospheric flows and observational evidence. This work serves as a testbed to develop more comprehensive models applicable beyond our Solar System as we prepare for the next generation of giant telescopes.
超热木星是一类在我们太阳系中未发现的极端行星，为研究大气过程提供了一个独特的窗口。它们昼夜两侧的极端温度差异构成了一个基本的气候谜题：能量是如何分布的？为了解决这个问题，我们必须观测这些大气的三维结构，特别是它们的垂直环流模式，这些模式可以作为先进全球环流模型的试验台，例如在参考文献中。在这里，我们展示了一颗超热木星大气环流的显著变化：从面向炽热恒星的一侧到面向较冷太空的一侧的单向气流位于赤道超级旋转喷流之下。通过解析大气动力学的垂直结构，我们超越了大气的整体全球快照，能够更准确地识别流动模式，并与模型进行更细致入微的比较。基于第一原理的全球环流模型难以复制观测到的环流模式，这凸显了大气流动理论理解与观测证据之间的关键差距。这项工作作为一个试验台，在我们为下一代巨型望远镜做准备时，有助于开发适用于太阳系以外的更全面的模型。
