Inferring heat recirculation and albedo for exoplanetary atmospheres: Comparing optical phase curves and secondary eclipse data

P. von Paris (1) , P. Gratier (2) , Franck Selsis (1) , Pascal Bordé (1)

1 ECLIPSE 2016
2 AMOR 2016

Basic atmospheric properties such as albedo and heat redistribution between day and nightside have been inferred for a number of planets using observations of secondary eclipses and thermal phase curves. Optical phase curves have not yet been used to constrain these atmospheric properties consistently. We re-model previously published phase curves of CoRoT-1b, TrES-2b and HAT-P-7b and infer albedos and recirculation efficiencies. These are then compared to previous estimates based on secondary eclipse data. We use a physically consistent model to construct optical phase curves. This model takes Lambertian reflection, thermal emission, ellipsoidal variations and Doppler boosting into account. CoRoT-1b shows a non-negligible scattering albedo (0.11

Domaines: Planétologie et astrophysique de la terre [astro-ph.EP]; Cosmologie et astrophysique extra-galactique [astro-ph.CO]

P. von Paris, P. Gratier, Franck Selsis, Pascal Bordé. Inferring heat recirculation and albedo for exoplanetary atmospheres: Comparing optical phase curves and secondary eclipse data. Astronomy and Astrophysics - A&A, 2016, 587, pp.id.A149. ⟨10.1051/0004-6361/201526297⟩. ⟨hal-01244746⟩