Multi-Dimensional Atmospheric Models of Short Period Gas Planets
As we eagerly anticipate the era of JWST, the field of exoplanets stands on the brink of a truly revolutionary shift. Starved for data for more than two decades new observations promise to reveal fundamental properties of extrasolar atmospheric structure currently inaccessible. One of the important areas of current research is multi-dimensional characterization. Planetary physics inherited much from the stellar community, meaning most theoretical efforts to date have concentrated on 1D models. However, short period gas giant planets are presumably tidally locked to their host star, implying that one side is perpetually exposed to extreme irradiation. Observational and theoretical efforts suggest that this drives supersonic equatorial jets that transport energy, all leading to a strongly multi-dimensional atmosphere. Here I will discuss the importance of this, including results from 3D radiative-hydrodynamic models and theoretical attempts. Distinctly non-1D cloud and chemistry structures calculated with these models have important implications for interpreting current and upcoming results.