  The ESA-Ariel mission will include a tier dedicated to exoplanet phase curves
corresponding to ~10% of the science time. We present here the current
observing strategy for studying exoplanet phase curves with Ariel. We define
science questions, requirements and a list of potential targets. We also
estimate the precision of phase curve reconstruction and atmospheric retrieval
using simulated phase curves. Based on this work, we found that full-orbit
phase variations for 35-40 exoplanets could be observed during the 3.5-yr
mission. This statistical sample would provide key constraints on atmospheric
dynamics, composition, thermal structure and clouds of warm exoplanets,
complementary to the scientific yield from spectroscopic transits/eclipses
measurements.
