Magnetodisk-dominated magnetospheres of close orbit giant exoplanets

¹ Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Graz 8042, Austria
² Skobeltsyn Institute of Nuclear Physics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119992, Russia

Abstract

A more complete view of a magnetosphere of a close orbit giant exoplanet, so called “Hot Jupiter”, based on the Paraboloid Magnetospheric Model (PMM), is proposed. The key element of the considered model consists in taking into account the effects of an expanding upper atmosphere of a Hot Jupiter heated and ionized by the stellar XUV radiation. As a result, an extended magnetodisk is built around the planet. The magnetic field produced by magnetodisk ring currents, dominates above the contribution of intrinsic magnetic dipole of a Hot Jupiter and finally determines the size and shape of the whole magnetosphere.