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Early Release Science of the exoplanet WASP-39b with JWST NIRSpec G395H

Author

Listed:
  • Lili Alderson

    (University of Bristol)

  • Hannah R. Wakeford

    (University of Bristol)

  • Munazza K. Alam

    (Carnegie Institution for Science)

  • Natasha E. Batalha

    (NASA Ames Research Center)

  • Joshua D. Lothringer

    (Utah Valley University)

  • Jea Adams Redai

    (Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian)

  • Saugata Barat

    (University of Amsterdam)

  • Jonathan Brande

    (University of Kansas)

  • Mario Damiano

    (California Institute of Technology)

  • Tansu Daylan

    (Princeton University)

  • Néstor Espinoza

    (Space Telescope Science Institute
    Johns Hopkins University)

  • Laura Flagg

    (Cornell University
    Cornell University)

  • Jayesh M. Goyal

    (National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI))

  • David Grant

    (University of Bristol)

  • Renyu Hu

    (California Institute of Technology
    California Institute of Technology)

  • Julie Inglis

    (California Institute of Technology)

  • Elspeth K. H. Lee

    (University of Bern)

  • Thomas Mikal-Evans

    (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy)

  • Lakeisha Ramos-Rosado

    (Johns Hopkins University)

  • Pierre-Alexis Roy

    (Université de Montréal
    Université de Montréal)

  • Nicole L. Wallack

    (Carnegie Institution for Science
    California Institute of Technology)

  • Natalie M. Batalha

    (University of California, Santa Cruz)

  • Jacob L. Bean

    (University of Chicago)

  • Björn Benneke

    (Université de Montréal
    Université de Montréal)

  • Zachory K. Berta-Thompson

    (University of Colorado)

  • Aarynn L. Carter

    (University of California, Santa Cruz)

  • Quentin Changeat

    (Space Telescope Science Institute
    University College London)

  • Knicole D. Colón

    (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center)

  • Ian J. M. Crossfield

    (University of Kansas)

  • Jean-Michel Désert

    (University of Amsterdam)

  • Daniel Foreman-Mackey

    (Flatiron Institute)

  • Neale P. Gibson

    (Trinity College Dublin)

  • Laura Kreidberg

    (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy)

  • Michael R. Line

    (Arizona State University)

  • Mercedes López-Morales

    (Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian)

  • Karan Molaverdikhani

    (University Observatory Munich, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
    Exzellenzcluster Origins)

  • Sarah E. Moran

    (University of Arizona)

  • Giuseppe Morello

    (Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC)
    Universidad de La Laguna (ULL)
    INAF - Palermo Astronomical Observatory)

  • Julianne I. Moses

    (Space Science Institute)

  • Sagnick Mukherjee

    (University of California, Santa Cruz)

  • Everett Schlawin

    (University of Arizona)

  • David K. Sing

    (Johns Hopkins University
    Johns Hopkins University)

  • Kevin B. Stevenson

    (Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory)

  • Jake Taylor

    (Université de Montréal
    Université de Montréal
    University of Oxford)

  • Keshav Aggarwal

    (Indian Institute of Technology Indore)

  • Eva-Maria Ahrer

    (University of Warwick
    University of Warwick)

  • Natalie H. Allen

    (Johns Hopkins University)

  • Joanna K. Barstow

    (The Open University)

  • Taylor J. Bell

    (NASA Ames Research Center)

  • Jasmina Blecic

    (New York University Abu Dhabi
    New York University Abu Dhabi)

  • Sarah L. Casewell

    (University of Leicester)

  • Katy L. Chubb

    (University of St Andrews)

  • Nicolas Crouzet

    (University of Leiden)

  • Patricio E. Cubillos

    (INAF - Osservatorio Astrofisico di Torino
    Austrian Academy of Sciences)

  • Leen Decin

    (KU Leuven)

  • Adina D. Feinstein

    (University of Chicago)

  • Joanthan J. Fortney

    (University of California, Santa Cruz)

  • Joseph Harrington

    (University of Central Florida
    University of Central Florida)

  • Kevin Heng

    (University of Warwick
    Universitäts-Sternwarte, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München)

  • Nicolas Iro

    (University of Vienna)

  • Eliza M.-R. Kempton

    (University of Maryland)

  • James Kirk

    (Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
    Imperial College London)

  • Heather A. Knutson

    (California Institute of Technology)

  • Jessica Krick

    (California Institute of Technology)

  • Jérémy Leconte

    (Université de Bordeaux)

  • Monika Lendl

    (Université de Genève Sauverny)

  • Ryan J. MacDonald

    (Cornell University
    Cornell University
    University of Michigan)

  • Luigi Mancini

    (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy
    University of Rome “Tor Vergata”
    INAF - Turin Astrophysical Observatory)

  • Megan Mansfield

    (University of Arizona)

  • Erin M. May

    (Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory)

  • Nathan J. Mayne

    (University of Exeter)

  • Yamila Miguel

    (University of Leiden
    SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research)

  • Nikolay K. Nikolov

    (Space Telescope Science Institute)

  • Kazumasa Ohno

    (University of California, Santa Cruz)

  • Enric Palle

    (Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC))

  • Vivien Parmentier

    (University of Oxford
    Université Côte d’Azur, Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur, CNRS, Laboratoire Lagrange)

  • Dominique J. M. Petit dit de la Roche

    (Université de Genève Sauverny)

  • Caroline Piaulet

    (Université de Montréal
    Université de Montréal)

  • Diana Powell

    (Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian)

  • Benjamin V. Rackham

    (Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

  • Seth Redfield

    (Wesleyan University
    Wesleyan University)

  • Laura K. Rogers

    (University of Cambridge)

  • Zafar Rustamkulov

    (Johns Hopkins University)

  • Xianyu Tan

    (University of Oxford)

  • P. Tremblin

    (Maison de la Simulation, CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, Université Versailles St Quentin, Université Paris-Saclay)

  • Shang-Min Tsai

    (University of Oxford)

  • Jake D. Turner

    (Cornell University
    Cornell University)

  • Miguel Val-Borro

    (Planetary Science Institute)

  • Olivia Venot

    (Université de Paris Cité and Université Paris-Est Creteil, CNRS, LISA)

  • Luis Welbanks

    (Arizona State University)

  • Peter J. Wheatley

    (University of Warwick
    University of Warwick)

  • Xi Zhang

    (University of California, Santa Cruz)

Abstract

Measuring the abundances of carbon and oxygen in exoplanet atmospheres is considered a crucial avenue for unlocking the formation and evolution of exoplanetary systems1,2. Access to the chemical inventory of an exoplanet requires high-precision observations, often inferred from individual molecular detections with low-resolution space-based3–5 and high-resolution ground-based6–8 facilities. Here we report the medium-resolution (R ≈ 600) transmission spectrum of an exoplanet atmosphere between 3 and 5 μm covering several absorption features for the Saturn-mass exoplanet WASP-39b (ref. 9), obtained with the Near Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) G395H grating of JWST. Our observations achieve 1.46 times photon precision, providing an average transit depth uncertainty of 221 ppm per spectroscopic bin, and present minimal impacts from systematic effects. We detect significant absorption from CO2 (28.5σ) and H2O (21.5σ), and identify SO2 as the source of absorption at 4.1 μm (4.8σ). Best-fit atmospheric models range between 3 and 10 times solar metallicity, with sub-solar to solar C/O ratios. These results, including the detection of SO2, underscore the importance of characterizing the chemistry in exoplanet atmospheres and showcase NIRSpec G395H as an excellent mode for time-series observations over this critical wavelength range10.

Suggested Citation

  • Lili Alderson & Hannah R. Wakeford & Munazza K. Alam & Natasha E. Batalha & Joshua D. Lothringer & Jea Adams Redai & Saugata Barat & Jonathan Brande & Mario Damiano & Tansu Daylan & Néstor Espinoza & , 2023. "Early Release Science of the exoplanet WASP-39b with JWST NIRSpec G395H," Nature, Nature, vol. 614(7949), pages 664-669, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:614:y:2023:i:7949:d:10.1038_s41586-022-05591-3
    DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05591-3
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