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Me in Honolulu, following a successful observing run at the Keck facility.

Nicholas Borsato

From Sweden to Australia, I'm on a quest to unveil the secrets of alien atmospheres.

Me in Honolulu, following a successful observing run at the Keck facility.

An atlas of resolved spectral features in the transmission spectrum of WASP-189 b with MAROON-X

Author

  • B. Prinoth
  • H. J. Hoeijmakers
  • B. M. Morris
  • M. Lam
  • D. Kitzmann
  • E. Sedaghati
  • J. V. Seidel
  • E. K.H. Lee
  • B. Thorsbro
  • N. W. Borsato
  • Y. C. Damasceno
  • S. Pelletier
  • A. Seifahrt
Show all

Summary, in English

Exoplanets in the ultra-hot Jupiter regime provide an excellent laboratory for testing the impact of stellar irradiation on the dynamics and chemical composition of gas giant atmospheres. In this study, we observed two transits of the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-189 b with MAROON-X/Gemini-North to probe its high-altitude atmospheric layers, using strong absorption lines. We derived posterior probability distributions for the planetary and stellar parameters by calculating the stellar spectrum behind the planet at every orbital phase during the transit. This was used to correct the Rossiter- McLaughlin imprint on the transmission spectra. Using differential transmission spectroscopy, we detect strong absorption lines of Ca+, Ba+, Na, Hα, Mg, Fe, and Fe+, providing an unprecedented and detailed view of the atmospheric chemical composition. Ca+ absorption is particularly well suited for analysis through time-resolved narrow-band spectroscopy, owing to its transition lines formed in high-altitude layers. The spectral absorption lines show no significant blueshifts that would indicate high-altitude day-to-night winds, and further analysis is needed to investigate the implications for atmospheric dynamics. These high signal-to-noise observations provide a benchmark data set for testing high-resolution retrievals and the assumptions of atmospheric models. We also simulate observations of WASP-189 b with ANDES/ELT, and show that ANDES will be highly sensitive to the individual absorption lines of a myriad of elements and molecules, including TiO and CO.

Department/s

  • Astrophysics

Publishing year

2024

Language

English

Publication/Series

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Volume

685

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

EDP Sciences

Topic

  • Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology

Keywords

  • Planets and satellites: atmospheres
  • Planets and satellites: gaseous planets
  • Planets and satellites: individual: WASP-189 b
  • Techniques: spectroscopic

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 0004-6361