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

Author

Listed:
  • Z. Rustamkulov

    (Johns Hopkins University)

  • D. K. Sing

    (Johns Hopkins University
    Johns Hopkins University)

  • S. Mukherjee

    (University of California, Santa Cruz)

  • E. M. May

    (Johns Hopkins APL)

  • J. Kirk

    (Harvard and Smithsonian
    Imperial College London)

  • E. Schlawin

    (University of Arizona)

  • M. R. Line

    (Arizona State University)

  • C. Piaulet

    (University of Montreal)

  • A. L. Carter

    (University of California, Santa Cruz)

  • N. E. Batalha

    (NASA Ames Research Center)

  • J. M. Goyal

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

  • M. López-Morales

    (Harvard and Smithsonian)

  • J. D. Lothringer

    (Utah Valley University)

  • R. J. MacDonald

    (University of Michigan
    Cornell University)

  • S. E. Moran

    (University of Arizona)

  • K. B. Stevenson

    (Johns Hopkins APL)

  • H. R. Wakeford

    (University of Bristol, HH Wills Physics Laboratory)

  • N. Espinoza

    (Space Telescope Science Institute)

  • J. L. Bean

    (University of Chicago)

  • N. M. Batalha

    (University of California, Santa Cruz)

  • B. Benneke

    (University of Montreal)

  • Z. K. Berta-Thompson

    (University of Colorado)

  • I. J. M. Crossfield

    (University of Kansas)

  • P. Gao

    (Earth and Planets Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington)

  • L. Kreidberg

    (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy)

  • D. K. Powell

    (Harvard and Smithsonian, Center for Astrophysics)

  • P. E. Cubillos

    (INAF - Astrophysics Observatory at Turin)

  • N. P. Gibson

    (School of Physics, Trinity College Dublin)

  • J. Leconte

    (Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Bordeaux, CNRS, Université de Bordeaux)

  • K. Molaverdikhani

    (University Observatory Munich, Ludwig Maximilian University
    Exzellenzcluster Origins)

  • N. K. Nikolov

    (Space Telescope Science Institute)

  • V. Parmentier

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

  • P. Roy

    (University of Montreal)

  • J. Taylor

    (University of Oxford)

  • J. D. Turner

    (Cornell University)

  • P. J. Wheatley

    (University of Warwick
    University of Warwick)

  • K. Aggarwal

    (Indian Institute of Technology, Indore)

  • E. Ahrer

    (University of Warwick
    University of Warwick)

  • M. K. Alam

    (Earth and Planets Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington)

  • L. Alderson

    (University of Bristol, HH Wills Physics Laboratory)

  • N. H. Allen

    (Johns Hopkins University)

  • A. Banerjee

    (The Open University)

  • S. Barat

    (University of Amsterdam)

  • D. Barrado

    (University of Maria de Maeztu)

  • J. K. Barstow

    (The Open University)

  • T. J. Bell

    (BAER Institute, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffet Field)

  • J. Blecic

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

  • J. Brande

    (University of Kansas)

  • S. Casewell

    (University of Leicester)

  • Q. Changeat

    (Space Telescope Science Institute
    European Space Agency (ESA), ESA Baltimore Office
    University College London)

  • K. L. Chubb

    (University of St Andrews)

  • N. Crouzet

    (Leiden University)

  • T. Daylan

    (Princeton University)

  • L. Decin

    (KU Leuven)

  • J. Désert

    (University of Amsterdam)

  • T. Mikal-Evans

    (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy)

  • A. D. Feinstein

    (University of Chicago
    The Open University)

  • L. Flagg

    (Cornell University)

  • J. J. Fortney

    (University of California, Santa Cruz)

  • J. Harrington

    (University of Central Florida)

  • K. Heng

    (University Observatory Munich, Ludwig Maximilian University)

  • Y. Hong

    (Cornell University)

  • R. Hu

    (California Institute of Technology
    California Institute of Technology)

  • N. Iro

    (University of Vienna)

  • T. Kataria

    (California Institute of Technology)

  • E. M.-R. Kempton

    (University of Maryland)

  • J. Krick

    (California Institute of Technology, IPAC)

  • M. Lendl

    (University of Geneva)

  • J. Lillo-Box

    (University of Maria de Maeztu)

  • A. Louca

    (Leiden University)

  • J. Lustig-Yaeger

    (Johns Hopkins APL)

  • L. Mancini

    (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy
    INAF - Astrophysics Observatory at Turin
    University of Rome ‘Tor Vergata’)

  • M. Mansfield

    (University of Arizona)

  • N. J. Mayne

    (University of Exeter)

  • Y. Miguel

    (Leiden University
    SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research)

  • G. Morello

    (La Laguna
    University of La Laguna, La Laguna
    INAF Äì Palermo Astronomical Observatory)

  • K. Ohno

    (University of California, Santa Cruz)

  • E. Palle

    (La Laguna)

  • D. J. M. Petit dit de la Roche

    (University of Geneva)

  • B. V. Rackham

    (Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

  • M. Radica

    (University of Montreal)

  • L. Ramos-Rosado

    (Johns Hopkins University)

  • S. Redfield

    (Wesleyan University)

  • L. K. Rogers

    (University of Cambridge)

  • E. L. Shkolnik

    (Arizona State University)

  • J. Southworth

    (Keele University)

  • J. Teske

    (Earth and Planets Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington)

  • P. Tremblin

    (Université Paris-Saclay)

  • G. S. Tucker

    (Brown University)

  • O. Venot

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

  • W. C. Waalkes

    (University of Colorado Boulder)

  • L. Welbanks

    (Arizona State University)

  • X. Zhang

    (University of California Santa Cruz)

  • S. Zieba

    (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy
    Leiden University)

Abstract

Transmission spectroscopy1–3 of exoplanets has revealed signatures of water vapour, aerosols and alkali metals in a few dozen exoplanet atmospheres4,5. However, these previous inferences with the Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes were hindered by the observations’ relatively narrow wavelength range and spectral resolving power, which precluded the unambiguous identification of other chemical species—in particular the primary carbon-bearing molecules6,7. Here we report a broad-wavelength 0.5–5.5 µm atmospheric transmission spectrum of WASP-39b8, a 1,200 K, roughly Saturn-mass, Jupiter-radius exoplanet, measured with the JWST NIRSpec’s PRISM mode9 as part of the JWST Transiting Exoplanet Community Early Release Science Team Program10–12. We robustly detect several chemical species at high significance, including Na (19σ), H2O (33σ), CO2 (28σ) and CO (7σ). The non-detection of CH4, combined with a strong CO2 feature, favours atmospheric models with a super-solar atmospheric metallicity. An unanticipated absorption feature at 4 µm is best explained by SO2 (2.7σ), which could be a tracer of atmospheric photochemistry. These observations demonstrate JWST’s sensitivity to a rich diversity of exoplanet compositions and chemical processes.

Suggested Citation

  • Z. Rustamkulov & D. K. Sing & S. Mukherjee & E. M. May & J. Kirk & E. Schlawin & M. R. Line & C. Piaulet & A. L. Carter & N. E. Batalha & J. M. Goyal & M. López-Morales & J. D. Lothringer & R. J. MacD, 2023. "Early Release Science of the exoplanet WASP-39b with JWST NIRSpec PRISM," Nature, Nature, vol. 614(7949), pages 659-663, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:614:y:2023:i:7949:d:10.1038_s41586-022-05677-y
    DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05677-y
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