Irradiated Atmospheres. III. Radiative-convective-mixing Equilibrium for Nongray Picket-fence Model

Abstract The nongray picket-fence model predicts more accurately the temperatures in low-density regions compared to semigray models. This study investigates how the vertical-mixing and convection fluxes modify the picket-fence model. The usual radiative-convective-equilibrium is now extended to radiative-convective-mixing-equilibrium. The temperature profile, characterized by an increase with pressure in the upper region and an inversion in the lower, is influenced by Rosseland opacity, spectral bands, and chemical composition. The atmosphere consists of five distinct layers: a pseudo-adiabatic zone shaped by mixing flux, two convective layers driven by convective flux with a smaller adiabatic gradient, and two radiative layers. In scenarios with lower Rosseland opacity, vertical mixing significantly reduces the width of temperature inversion, counteracting the cooling effect of the convective layers and driving the deep convective layer inward. The convective flux lowers the upper temperature and expands the upper convective layer. In the low-Rosseland-opacity five-band model, these fluxes significantly cool the midatmosphere when temperature increases with pressure, enlarging the pseudo-adiabatic region. Without TiO/VO, the pseudo-adiabatic region shrinks, indicating that TiO/VO enhances the mixing effect. Moreover, less mixing intensity is essential to maintain a stable five-layer structure. Therefore, future studies of chemical equilibrium with multifrequency atmospheric opacity should clearly define the constraints on vertical mixing.