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arXiv · 2505.16825

Impacts of Tidal Locking on Magnetospheric Energy Input to Exoplanet Atmospheres

Fatemeh Bagheri·Alex Glocer·Ramon E. Lopez
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Abstract

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.

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Fatemeh Bagheri, Alex Glocer, Ramon E. Lopez. 2025-05-22. Impacts of Tidal Locking on Magnetospheric Energy Input to Exoplanet Atmospheres. https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357%2Fadcec7

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