WASP-12b as a prolate, inflated and disrupting planet from tidal dissipation

Shu-lin Li, N. Miller, Douglas N. C. Lin () and Jonathan J. Fortney
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Shu-lin Li: Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics,
N. Miller: University of California
Douglas N. C. Lin: Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics,
Jonathan J. Fortney: University of California

Nature, 2010, vol. 463, issue 7284, 1054-1056

Abstract: A misshapen hot Jupiter The recently discovered 'hot Jupiter' extrasolar planet WASP-12b is orbiting at a mean distance of only 3.1 stellar radii from its host star, with an orbital period of only 26 hours. Its radius, about 1.8 times that of Jupiter, is unexpectedly large compared to most gas giants of similar mass and orbital period. A new analysis of WASP-12b's properties suggests that the energy sustaining its inflated size comes from tidal forces that cause the atmosphere to escape the planet's gravitational pull and flow towards the host star. As well as losing mass, the planet's shape is distorted into an ellipse by these extreme forces.

Date: 2010
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DOI: 10.1038/nature08715

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