Take to increase inward, so the positive coefficient describes an inward-increasing temperature. Constant gravity and hydrostatic equilibrium give , hence
Matching the radiative temperature gradient to the adiabatic temperature gradient gives the formal local boundary relation
The same result follows from radiative diffusion: for constant upward thermal flux and Rosseland mean opacity , .
There is an important limitation to treating as constant over the entire radiative layer. Integration from an irradiated outer boundary gives
For a diatomic ideal gas, , so this profile cannot actually reach a radiative-convective boundary. Formally, imposing a constant would give
which is positive only for . A finite boundary for a normal molecular atmosphere requires additional opacity, flux, or thermodynamic variation. The local matching formula is usable near a real boundary, but constant is not a complete global model of it. This is the convective stability of a constant-opacity irradiated atmosphere.
For the intended order-of-magnitude scaling, suppose the local values of and are comparable for Jupiter and a hot Jupiter, and assume scales with planetary equilibrium temperature. Equal absorbed-flux factors around the same stellar luminosity give . Taking and a representative close-in orbit yields
This illustrates how irradiation can push a boundary much deeper. It is a conditional estimate calibrated from the supplied reference, not a self-consistent prediction of the globally constant- model. Different intrinsic cooling flux, opacity, gravity, or atmospheric metallicity of a giant planet can substantially alter it.