The Library
Early Release Science of the exoplanet WASP-39b with JWST NIRCam
Tools
(2023) Early Release Science of the exoplanet WASP-39b with JWST NIRCam. Nature, 614 (7949). pp. 653-658. doi:10.1038/s41586-022-05590-4 ISSN 0028-0836.
|
PDF
WRAP-Early-Release-Science-of-the-exoplanet-WASP-39b-with-JWST-NIRCam-Ahrer-2023.pdf - Published Version - Requires a PDF viewer. Available under License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Download (9Mb) | Preview |
Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05590-4
Abstract
Measuring the metallicity and carbon-to-oxygen (C/O) ratio in exoplanet atmospheres is a fundamental step towards constraining the dominant chemical processes at work and, if in equilibrium, revealing planet formation histories. Transmission spectroscopy (for example, refs. 1,2) provides the necessary means by constraining the abundances of oxygen- and carbon-bearing species; however, this requires broad wavelength coverage, moderate spectral resolution and high precision, which, together, are not achievable with previous observatories. Now that JWST has commenced science operations, we are able to observe exoplanets at previously uncharted wavelengths and spectral resolutions. Here we report time-series observations of the transiting exoplanet WASP-39b using JWST’s Near InfraRed Camera (NIRCam). The long-wavelength spectroscopic and short-wavelength photometric light curves span 2.0–4.0 micrometres, exhibit minimal systematics and reveal well defined molecular absorption features in the planet’s spectrum. Specifically, we detect gaseous water in the atmosphere and place an upper limit on the abundance of methane. The otherwise prominent carbon dioxide feature at 2.8 micrometres is largely masked by water. The best-fit chemical equilibrium models favour an atmospheric metallicity of 1–100-times solar (that is, an enrichment of elements heavier than helium relative to the Sun) and a substellar C/O ratio. The inferred high metallicity and low C/O ratio may indicate significant accretion of solid materials during planet formation (for example, refs. 3,4,) or disequilibrium processes in the upper atmosphere (for example, refs. 5,6).
Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Subjects: | Q Science > QB Astronomy | ||||||||
Divisions: | Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Science > Physics | ||||||||
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Extrasolar planets, Extrasolar planets -- Atmospheres , Planets -- Origin | ||||||||
Journal or Publication Title: | Nature | ||||||||
Publisher: | Nature Publishing | ||||||||
ISSN: | 0028-0836 | ||||||||
Official Date: | 23 February 2023 | ||||||||
Dates: |
|
||||||||
Volume: | 614 | ||||||||
Number: | 7949 | ||||||||
Page Range: | pp. 653-658 | ||||||||
DOI: | 10.1038/s41586-022-05590-4 | ||||||||
Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||||||
Publication Status: | Published | ||||||||
Access rights to Published version: | Open Access (Creative Commons) | ||||||||
Date of first compliant deposit: | 6 March 2023 | ||||||||
Date of first compliant Open Access: | 8 March 2023 |
Request changes or add full text files to a record
Repository staff actions (login required)
View Item |
Downloads
Downloads per month over past year