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

Author

Listed:
  • Adina D. Feinstein

    (University of Chicago)

  • Michael Radica

    (Université de Montréal
    Université de Montréal)

  • Luis Welbanks

    (Arizona State University)

  • Catriona Anne Murray

    (University of Colorado Boulder)

  • Kazumasa Ohno

    (University of California, Santa Cruz)

  • Louis-Philippe Coulombe

    (Université de Montréal
    Université de Montréal)

  • Néstor Espinoza

    (Space Telescope Science Institute
    Johns Hopkins University)

  • Jacob L. Bean

    (University of Chicago)

  • Johanna K. Teske

    (Carnegie Institution for Science)

  • Björn Benneke

    (Université de Montréal
    Université de Montréal)

  • Michael R. Line

    (Arizona State University)

  • Zafar Rustamkulov

    (Johns Hopkins University)

  • Arianna Saba

    (University College London)

  • Angelos Tsiaras

    (University College London
    INAF - Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri)

  • Joanna K. Barstow

    (The Open University)

  • Jonathan J. Fortney

    (University of California, Santa Cruz)

  • Peter Gao

    (Carnegie Institution for Science)

  • Heather A. Knutson

    (California Institute of Technology)

  • Ryan J. MacDonald

    (University of Michigan
    Cornell University
    Cornell University)

  • Thomas Mikal-Evans

    (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy)

  • Benjamin V. Rackham

    (Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

  • Jake Taylor

    (Université de Montréal
    Université de Montréal
    University of Oxford)

  • Vivien Parmentier

    (University of Oxford
    Université Côte d’Azur)

  • Natalie M. Batalha

    (University of California, Santa Cruz
    UC Santa Cruz)

  • Zachory K. Berta-Thompson

    (University of Colorado Boulder)

  • Aarynn L. Carter

    (University of California, Santa Cruz)

  • Quentin Changeat

    (Space Telescope Science Institute
    University College London
    Space Telescope Science Institute)

  • Leonardo A. Santos

    (Space Telescope Science Institute)

  • Neale P. Gibson

    (Trinity College Dublin)

  • Jayesh M. Goyal

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

  • Laura Kreidberg

    (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy)

  • Mercedes López-Morales

    (Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian)

  • Joshua D. Lothringer

    (Utah Valley University)

  • Yamila Miguel

    (University of Leiden
    SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research)

  • Karan Molaverdikhani

    (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy
    Universitäts-Sternwarte, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
    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)

  • Sagnick Mukherjee

    (University of California, Santa Cruz)

  • David K. Sing

    (Johns Hopkins University
    Johns Hopkins University)

  • Kevin B. Stevenson

    (Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory)

  • Hannah R. Wakeford

    (University of Bristol)

  • Eva-Maria Ahrer

    (University of Warwick
    University of Warwick)

  • Munazza K. Alam

    (Carnegie Institution for Science)

  • Lili Alderson

    (University of Bristol)

  • Natalie H. Allen

    (Johns Hopkins University)

  • Natasha E. Batalha

    (NASA Ames Research Center)

  • Taylor J. Bell

    (NASA Ames Research Center)

  • Jasmina Blecic

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

  • Jonathan Brande

    (University of Kansas)

  • Claudio Caceres

    (Universidad Andrés Bello
    Núcleo Milenio de Formación Planetaria (NPF)
    Centro de Astrofísica y Tecnologías Afines (CATA))

  • S. L. Casewell

    (University of Leicester)

  • Katy L. Chubb

    (University of St Andrews)

  • Ian J. M. Crossfield

    (University of Kansas)

  • Nicolas Crouzet

    (University of Leiden)

  • Patricio E. Cubillos

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

  • Leen Decin

    (KU Leuven)

  • Jean-Michel Désert

    (University of Amsterdam)

  • Joseph Harrington

    (University of Central Florida
    University of Central Florida)

  • Kevin Heng

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

  • Thomas Henning

    (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy)

  • Nicolas Iro

    (University of Vienna)

  • Eliza M.-R. Kempton

    (University of Maryland)

  • Sarah Kendrew

    (Space Telescope Science Institute)

  • James Kirk

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

  • Jessica Krick

    (California Institute of Technology)

  • Pierre-Olivier Lagage

    (Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris Cité, CEA, CNRS, AIM)

  • Monika Lendl

    (Université de Genève Sauverny)

  • Luigi Mancini

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

  • Megan Mansfield

    (University of Arizona)

  • E. M. May

    (Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory)

  • N. J. Mayne

    (University of Exeter)

  • Nikolay K. Nikolov

    (Space Telescope Science Institute)

  • Enric Palle

    (Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC))

  • 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)

  • Seth Redfield

    (Wesleyan University
    Wesleyan University)

  • Laura K. Rogers

    (University of Cambridge)

  • Michael T. Roman

    (University of Leicester
    Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Campus Peñalolén)

  • Pierre-Alexis Roy

    (Université de Montréal)

  • Matthew C. Nixon

    (University of Maryland
    University of Cambridge)

  • Everett Schlawin

    (University of Arizona)

  • Xianyu Tan

    (University of Oxford)

  • P. Tremblin

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

  • Jake D. Turner

    (Cornell University
    Cornell University)

  • Olivia Venot

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

  • William C. Waalkes

    (University of Colorado Boulder)

  • Peter J. Wheatley

    (University of Warwick
    University of Warwick)

  • Xi Zhang

    (University of California, Santa Cruz)

Abstract

The Saturn-mass exoplanet WASP-39b has been the subject of extensive efforts to determine its atmospheric properties using transmission spectroscopy1–4. However, these efforts have been hampered by modelling degeneracies between composition and cloud properties that are caused by limited data quality5–9. Here we present the transmission spectrum of WASP-39b obtained using the Single-Object Slitless Spectroscopy (SOSS) mode of the Near Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS) instrument on the JWST. This spectrum spans 0.6–2.8 μm in wavelength and shows several water-absorption bands, the potassium resonance doublet and signatures of clouds. The precision and broad wavelength coverage of NIRISS/SOSS allows us to break model degeneracies between cloud properties and the atmospheric composition of WASP-39b, favouring a heavy-element enhancement (‘metallicity’) of about 10–30 times the solar value, a sub-solar carbon-to-oxygen (C/O) ratio and a solar-to-super-solar potassium-to-oxygen (K/O) ratio. The observations are also best explained by wavelength-dependent, non-grey clouds with inhomogeneous coverageof the planet’s terminator.

Suggested Citation

  • Adina D. Feinstein & Michael Radica & Luis Welbanks & Catriona Anne Murray & Kazumasa Ohno & Louis-Philippe Coulombe & Néstor Espinoza & Jacob L. Bean & Johanna K. Teske & Björn Benneke & Michael R. L, 2023. "Early Release Science of the exoplanet WASP-39b with JWST NIRISS," Nature, Nature, vol. 614(7949), pages 670-675, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:614:y:2023:i:7949:d:10.1038_s41586-022-05674-1
    DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05674-1
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