7 research outputs found
Infrared Observations During the Secondary Eclipse of HD 209458b: I. 3.6-Micron Occultation Spectroscopy Using the VLT
We search for an infrared signature of the transiting extrasolar planet HD
209458b during secondary eclipse. Our method, which we call `occultation
spectroscopy,' searches for the disappearance and reappearance of weak spectral
features due to the exoplanet as it passes behind the star and later reappears.
We argue that at the longest infrared wavelengths, this technique becomes
preferable to conventional `transit spectroscopy'. We observed the system in
the wing of the strong nu-3 band of methane near 3.6 microns during two
secondary eclipses, using the VLT/ISAAC spectrometer at a spectral resolution
of 3300. Our analysis, which utilizes a model template spectrum, achieves
sufficient precision to expect detection of the spectral structure predicted by
an irradiated, low-opacity (cloudless), low-albedo, thermochemical equilibrium
model for the exoplanet atmosphere. However, our observations show no evidence
for the presence of this spectrum from the exoplanet, with the statistical
significance of the non-detection depending on the timing of the secondary
eclipse, which depends on the assumed value for the orbital eccentricity. Our
results reject certain specific models of the atmosphere of HD 209458b as
inconsistent with our observations at the 3-sigma level, given assumptions
about the stellar and planetary parameters.Comment: 26 pages, 8 figures Accepted to Astrophysical Journa
Radiative Transfer for Exoplanet Atmospheres
Remote sensing of the atmospheres of distant worlds motivates a firm
understanding of radiative transfer. In this review, we provide a pedagogical
cookbook that describes the principal ingredients needed to perform a radiative
transfer calculation and predict the spectrum of an exoplanet atmosphere,
including solving the radiative transfer equation, calculating opacities (and
chemistry), iterating for radiative equilibrium (or not), and adapting the
output of the calculations to the astronomical observations. A review of the
state of the art is performed, focusing on selected milestone papers.
Outstanding issues, including the need to understand aerosols or clouds and
elucidating the assumptions and caveats behind inversion methods, are
discussed. A checklist is provided to assist referees/reviewers in their
scrutiny of works involving radiative transfer. A table summarizing the
methodology employed by past studies is provided.Comment: 7 pages, no figures, 1 table. Filled in missing information in
references, main text unchange
Infrared radiation from an extrasolar planet
A class of extrasolar giant planets - the so-called `hot Jupiters' - orbit
within 0.05 AU of their primary stars. These planets should be hot and so emit
detectable infrared radiation. The planet HD 209458b is an ideal candidate for
the detection and characterization of this infrared light because it is
eclipsed by the star. This planet has an anomalously large radius (1.35 times
that of Jupiter), which may be the result of ongoing tidal dissipation, but
this explanation requires a non-zero orbital eccentricity (~0.03), maintained
by interaction with a hypothetical second planet. Here we report detection of
infrared (24 micron) radiation from HD 209458b, by observing the decrement in
flux during secondary eclipse, when the planet passes behind the star. The
planet's 24 micron flux is 55 +/- 10 micro-Jy (1 sigma), with a brightness
temperature of 1130 +/- 150 Kelvins, confirming the predicted heating by
stellar irradiation. The secondary eclipse occurs at the midpoint between
transits of the planet in front of the star (to within +/- 7 min, 1 sigma),
which means that a dynamically significant orbital eccentricity is unlikely.Comment: to appear in Nature April 7, posted to Nature online March 23 (11
pages, 3 figures
The Theory of Brown Dwarfs and Extrasolar Giant Planets
Straddling the traditional realms of the planets and the stars, objects below
the edge of the main sequence have such unique properties, and are being
discovered in such quantities, that one can rightly claim that a new field at
the interface of planetary science and and astronomy is being born. In this
review, we explore the essential elements of the theory of brown dwarfs and
giant planets, as well as of the new spectroscopic classes L and T. To this
end, we describe their evolution, spectra, atmospheric compositions, chemistry,
physics, and nuclear phases and explain the basic systematics of
substellar-mass objects across three orders of magnitude in both mass and age
and a factor of 30 in effective temperature. Moreover, we discuss the
distinctive features of those extrasolar giant planets that are irradiated by a
central primary, in particular their reflection spectra, albedos, and transits.
Aspects of the latest theory of Jupiter and Saturn are also presented.
Throughout, we highlight the effects of condensates, clouds, molecular
abundances, and molecular/atomic opacities in brown dwarf and giant planet
atmospheres and summarize the resulting spectral diagnostics. Where possible,
the theory is put in its current observational context.Comment: 67 pages (including 36 figures), RMP RevTeX LaTeX, accepted for
publication in the Reviews of Modern Physics. 30 figures are color. Most of
the figures are in GIF format to reduce the overall size. The full version
with figures can also be found at:
http://jupiter.as.arizona.edu/~burrows/papers/rm