Tidal distortions of hot Jupiters characterized with numerical methods

The shape of a hot Jupiter responds nonlinearly to the gravitational field of its host star. We study this distortion with the Concentric Maclaurin Spheroid (CMS) method, which finds an equilibrium shape and gravity field of a rotating, liquid planet with a prescribed internal structure; as well as tidal interactions with a perturber. The model already has been used to great effect in the computation of the gravitational fields of Jupiter and Saturn under the gravitational influence of a satellite. We present a series of scaling relations to predict the tidal love number k₂ and flattening for an exoplanet within a viable range of observational parameters (mass, radius, equilibrium temperature). We also benchmark the CMS method to determine limits of convergence for calculations in cases of extreme tidal distortion.