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Photochemically produced SO2 in the atmosphere of WASP-39b

Author

Listed:
  • Shang-Min Tsai

    (University of Oxford
    University of California, Riverside)

  • Elspeth K. H. Lee

    (University of Bern)

  • Diana Powell

    (Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian)

  • Peter Gao

    (Carnegie Institution for Science)

  • Xi Zhang

    (University of California, Santa Cruz)

  • Julianne Moses

    (Space Science Institute)

  • Eric Hébrard

    (University of Exeter)

  • Olivia Venot

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

  • Vivien Parmentier

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

  • Sean Jordan

    (University of Cambridge)

  • Renyu Hu

    (California Institute of Technology
    California Institute of Technology)

  • Munazza K. Alam

    (Carnegie Institution for Science)

  • Lili Alderson

    (University of Bristol)

  • Natalie M. Batalha

    (University of California, Santa Cruz)

  • Jacob L. Bean

    (University of Chicago)

  • Björn Benneke

    (Université de Montréal)

  • Carver J. Bierson

    (Arizona State University)

  • Ryan P. Brady

    (University College London)

  • Ludmila Carone

    (Austrian Academy of Sciences)

  • Aarynn L. Carter

    (University of California, Santa Cruz)

  • Katy L. Chubb

    (University of St Andrews)

  • Julie Inglis

    (California Institute of Technology
    Johns Hopkins University)

  • Jérémy Leconte

    (Université de Bordeaux)

  • Michael Line

    (Arizona State University)

  • Mercedes López-Morales

    (Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian)

  • Yamila Miguel

    (University of Leiden
    SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research)

  • Karan Molaverdikhani

    (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
    Exzellenzcluster Origins)

  • Zafar Rustamkulov

    (Johns Hopkins University)

  • David K. Sing

    (Johns Hopkins University
    Johns Hopkins University)

  • Kevin B. Stevenson

    (Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory)

  • Hannah R. Wakeford

    (University of Bristol)

  • Jeehyun Yang

    (California Institute of Technology)

  • Keshav Aggarwal

    (Indian Institute of Technology Indore)

  • Robin Baeyens

    (University of Amsterdam)

  • Saugata Barat

    (University of Amsterdam)

  • Miguel Val-Borro

    (Planetary Science Institute)

  • Tansu Daylan

    (Princeton University)

  • Jonathan J. Fortney

    (University of California, Santa Cruz)

  • Kevin France

    (University of Colorado Boulder)

  • Jayesh M. Goyal

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

  • David Grant

    (University of Bristol)

  • James Kirk

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

  • Laura Kreidberg

    (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy)

  • Amy Louca

    (University of Leiden)

  • Sarah E. Moran

    (University of Arizona)

  • Sagnick Mukherjee

    (University of California, Santa Cruz)

  • Evert Nasedkin

    (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy)

  • Kazumasa Ohno

    (University of California, Santa Cruz)

  • Benjamin V. Rackham

    (Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

  • Seth Redfield

    (Wesleyan University)

  • Jake Taylor

    (University of Oxford
    Université de Montréal)

  • Pascal Tremblin

    (CEA, CNRS, Univ. Paris-Sud, UVSQ, Université Paris-Saclay)

  • Channon Visscher

    (Space Science Institute
    Dordt University)

  • Nicole L. Wallack

    (Carnegie Institution for Science
    California Institute of Technology)

  • Luis Welbanks

    (Arizona State University)

  • Allison Youngblood

    (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center)

  • Eva-Maria Ahrer

    (University of Warwick
    University of Warwick)

  • Natasha E. Batalha

    (NASA Ames Research Center)

  • Patrick Behr

    (University of Colorado Boulder)

  • Zachory K. Berta-Thompson

    (University of Colorado Boulder)

  • Jasmina Blecic

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

  • S. L. Casewell

    (University of Leicester)

  • Ian J. M. Crossfield

    (University of Kansas)

  • Nicolas Crouzet

    (University of Leiden)

  • Patricio E. Cubillos

    (Austrian Academy of Sciences
    INAF - Turin Astrophysical Observatory)

  • Leen Decin

    (KU Leuven)

  • Jean-Michel Désert

    (University of Amsterdam)

  • Adina D. Feinstein

    (University of Chicago)

  • Neale P. Gibson

    (Trinity College Dublin)

  • Joseph Harrington

    (University of Central Florida)

  • Kevin Heng

    (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
    University of Warwick)

  • Thomas Henning

    (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy)

  • Eliza M.-R. Kempton

    (University of Maryland)

  • Jessica Krick

    (California Institute of Technology)

  • Pierre-Olivier Lagage

    (CEA, CNRS, Univ. Paris-Sud, UVSQ, Université Paris-Saclay)

  • Monika Lendl

    (Université de Genève)

  • Joshua D. Lothringer

    (Utah Valley University)

  • Megan Mansfield

    (University of Arizona)

  • N. J. Mayne

    (University of Exeter)

  • Thomas Mikal-Evans

    (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy)

  • Enric Palle

    (Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC))

  • Everett Schlawin

    (University of Arizona)

  • Oliver Shorttle

    (University of Cambridge)

  • Peter J. Wheatley

    (University of Warwick
    University of Warwick)

  • Sergei N. Yurchenko

    (University College London)

Abstract

Photochemistry is a fundamental process of planetary atmospheres that regulates the atmospheric composition and stability1. However, no unambiguous photochemical products have been detected in exoplanet atmospheres so far. Recent observations from the JWST Transiting Exoplanet Community Early Release Science Program2,3 found a spectral absorption feature at 4.05 μm arising from sulfur dioxide (SO2) in the atmosphere of WASP-39b. WASP-39b is a 1.27-Jupiter-radii, Saturn-mass (0.28 MJ) gas giant exoplanet orbiting a Sun-like star with an equilibrium temperature of around 1,100 K (ref. 4). The most plausible way of generating SO2 in such an atmosphere is through photochemical processes5,6. Here we show that the SO2 distribution computed by a suite of photochemical models robustly explains the 4.05-μm spectral feature identified by JWST transmission observations7 with NIRSpec PRISM (2.7σ)8 and G395H (4.5σ)9. SO2 is produced by successive oxidation of sulfur radicals freed when hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is destroyed. The sensitivity of the SO2 feature to the enrichment of the atmosphere by heavy elements (metallicity) suggests that it can be used as a tracer of atmospheric properties, with WASP-39b exhibiting an inferred metallicity of about 10× solar. We further point out that SO2 also shows observable features at ultraviolet and thermal infrared wavelengths not available from the existing observations.

Suggested Citation

  • Shang-Min Tsai & Elspeth K. H. Lee & Diana Powell & Peter Gao & Xi Zhang & Julianne Moses & Eric Hébrard & Olivia Venot & Vivien Parmentier & Sean Jordan & Renyu Hu & Munazza K. Alam & Lili Alderson &, 2023. "Photochemically produced SO2 in the atmosphere of WASP-39b," Nature, Nature, vol. 617(7961), pages 483-487, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:617:y:2023:i:7961:d:10.1038_s41586-023-05902-2
    DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-05902-2
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    Cited by:

    1. Piero Ferrari & Giel Berden & Britta Redlich & Laurens B. F. M. Waters & Joost M. Bakker, 2024. "Laboratory infrared spectra and fragmentation chemistry of sulfur allotropes," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-7, December.

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