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A test of the Dedalus software for exoplanet atmospheric dynamics

Rick Bonhof, Quentin Changeat, James Y-K. Cho

Abstract

Studying exoplanet flow and variability requires solving atmospheric dynamics equations accurately. Here we use the shallow-water equations to evaluate and employ Dedalus3, a spectral method-based software package for solving differential equations. A well-known jet instability test is used for the evaluation; then, the package is used to investigate the nonlinear evolution of observed, Jupiter's zonal (east--west) jets; finally, the package is used to compare hot-Jupiter flows with different initial conditions. Our results indicate that Dedalus3 can be a useful tool for investigating planetary flow dynamics, but careful testing and execution are necessary for each problem.

A test of the Dedalus software for exoplanet atmospheric dynamics

Abstract

Studying exoplanet flow and variability requires solving atmospheric dynamics equations accurately. Here we use the shallow-water equations to evaluate and employ Dedalus3, a spectral method-based software package for solving differential equations. A well-known jet instability test is used for the evaluation; then, the package is used to investigate the nonlinear evolution of observed, Jupiter's zonal (east--west) jets; finally, the package is used to compare hot-Jupiter flows with different initial conditions. Our results indicate that Dedalus3 can be a useful tool for investigating planetary flow dynamics, but careful testing and execution are necessary for each problem.
Paper Structure (5 sections, 3 equations, 1 figure)

This paper contains 5 sections, 3 equations, 1 figure.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Galewsky et al. Test
  3. Jupiter Simulations
  4. Hot-Jupiter
  5. Conclusions

Figures (1)

  • Figure 1: Vorticity fields from T341 simulations. a)Dedalus and G04 with $\nu = 0$ showing 2e-5 s$^{-1}$ contour intervals; calculations match closely but not exactly. b) Jupiter simulation with Dedalus (left) initialized with the JWST zonal wind profile (right); jets and banding are stable on the large-scale. c) Polar view of hot-Jupiter simulations with Dedalus (at $\sim$40 "thermal" relaxation times), initialized with Jupiter's zonal jets (left; S1) and rest (right; S2); the flows showcase the dependence on initial conditions and validate high-resolution simulations.