Overview
The existence of hot Jupiters – massive gas giant planets on very short period orbits – is one of the oldest puzzles in exoplanetary science. This talk will focus on three projects addressing open questions spanning hot Jupiters’ full “life cycle” of birth, evolution, and destruction. I will emphasize the importance of tidal dynamics and coupled orbital/interior evolution in these processes, and I will highlight how our tidal theories can be tested with ongoing JWST observations.