Radiative convective instability in Hot Jupiters' atmosphere

Abstract

In the atmospheres of "Hot Jupiters", the absorption of the radiation from the parent star by the possible iron/silicate cloud particle, which is produced in the upward motion of the air, may drive a positive feedback loop that is somewhat similar to those operating in convective clouds in the earth or Jovian atmosphere. Here, we examine a simple linear theory on those "radiative convective instability", which shows that unstable stationary(propagating) disturbance exists if the radiative interaction of the clouds heat (cool) the atmosphere.