The photoionization-driven evaporation of planetary atmospheres has emerged as a potentially fundamental process for planets on short period orbits .
While 1-D studies have proven the effectiveness of stellar fluxes at altering the atmospheric mass and composition for sub-Jupiter mass planets , there remains much that is uncertain with regard to the larger-scale , multidimensional nature of such ” planetary wind ” flows .
In this paper we use a new radiation-hydrodynamic platform to simulate atmospheric evaporative flows .
Using the AstroBEAR AMR multiphysics code in a co-rotating frame centered on the planet , we model the transfer of ionizing photons into the atmosphere , the subsequent launch of the wind and the wind ’ s large scale evolution subject to tidal and non-inertial forces .
We run simulations for planets of 0.263 and 0.07 Jupiter masses and stellar fluxes of 2 \times 10 ^ { 13 } and 2 \times 10 ^ { 14 } photons/cm ^ { 2 } /s .
Our results reveal new , potentially observable planetary wind flow patterns , including the development , in some cases , of an extended neutral tail lagging behind the planet in its orbit .