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A reflective, metal-rich atmosphere for GJ 1214b from its JWST phase curve

Author

Listed:
  • Eliza M.-R. Kempton

    (University of Maryland)

  • Michael Zhang

    (University of Chicago)

  • Jacob L. Bean

    (University of Chicago)

  • Maria E. Steinrueck

    (Max-Planck Institute for Astronomy)

  • Anjali A. A. Piette

    (Carnegie Institution for Science)

  • Vivien Parmentier

    (University of Oxford
    University of the Côte d’Azur, Observatory of the Côte d’Azur, CNRS)

  • Isaac Malsky

    (University of Michigan)

  • Michael T. Roman

    (University of Leicester)

  • Emily Rauscher

    (University of Michigan)

  • Peter Gao

    (Carnegie Institution for Science)

  • Taylor J. Bell

    (NASA Ames Research Center)

  • Qiao Xue

    (University of Chicago)

  • Jake Taylor

    (University of Oxford
    University of Montréal)

  • Arjun B. Savel

    (University of Maryland
    Flatiron Institute)

  • Kenneth E. Arnold

    (University of Maryland)

  • Matthew C. Nixon

    (University of Maryland)

  • Kevin B. Stevenson

    (Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory)

  • Megan Mansfield

    (University of Arizona)

  • Sarah Kendrew

    (Space Telescope Science Institute)

  • Sebastian Zieba

    (Max-Planck Institute for Astronomy
    Leiden University)

  • Elsa Ducrot

    (Marie Sklodowska-Curie Action
    University of Paris-Saclay, University of Paris)

  • Achrène Dyrek

    (University of Paris-Saclay, University of Paris)

  • Pierre-Olivier Lagage

    (University of Paris-Saclay, University of Paris)

  • Keivan G. Stassun

    (Vanderbilt University)

  • Gregory W. Henry

    (Tennessee State University)

  • Travis Barman

    (University of Arizona)

  • Roxana Lupu

    (Eureka Scientific, Inc.)

  • Matej Malik

    (University of Maryland)

  • Tiffany Kataria

    (California Institute of Technology)

  • Jegug Ih

    (University of Maryland)

  • Guangwei Fu

    (Johns Hopkins University)

  • Luis Welbanks

    (Arizona State University)

  • Peter McGill

    (University of California)

Abstract

There are no planets intermediate in size between Earth and Neptune in our Solar System, yet these objects are found around a substantial fraction of other stars1. Population statistics show that close-in planets in this size range bifurcate into two classes on the basis of their radii2,3. It is proposed that the group with larger radii (referred to as ‘sub-Neptunes’) is distinguished by having hydrogen-dominated atmospheres that are a few percent of the total mass of the planets4. GJ 1214b is an archetype sub-Neptune that has been observed extensively using transmission spectroscopy to test this hypothesis5–14. However, the measured spectra are featureless, and thus inconclusive, due to the presence of high-altitude aerosols in the planet’s atmosphere. Here we report a spectroscopic thermal phase curve of GJ 1214b obtained with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) in the mid-infrared. The dayside and nightside spectra (average brightness temperatures of 553 ± 9 and 437 ± 19 K, respectively) each show more than 3σ evidence of absorption features, with H2O as the most likely cause in both. The measured global thermal emission implies that GJ 1214b’s Bond albedo is 0.51 ± 0.06. Comparison between the spectroscopic phase curve data and three-dimensional models of GJ 1214b reveal a planet with a high metallicity atmosphere blanketed by a thick and highly reflective layer of clouds or haze.

Suggested Citation

  • Eliza M.-R. Kempton & Michael Zhang & Jacob L. Bean & Maria E. Steinrueck & Anjali A. A. Piette & Vivien Parmentier & Isaac Malsky & Michael T. Roman & Emily Rauscher & Peter Gao & Taylor J. Bell & Qi, 2023. "A reflective, metal-rich atmosphere for GJ 1214b from its JWST phase curve," Nature, Nature, vol. 620(7972), pages 67-71, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:620:y:2023:i:7972:d:10.1038_s41586-023-06159-5
    DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06159-5
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