26 research outputs found
Sensitive Probing of Exoplanetary Oxygen via Mid Infrared Collisional Absorption
The collision-induced fundamental vibration-rotation band at 6.4 um is the
most significant absorption feature from O2 in the infrared (Timofeyev and
Tonkov, 1978; Rinslandet al., 1982, 1989), yet it has not been previously
incorporated into exoplanet spectral analyses for several reasons. Either CIAs
were not included or incomplete/obsolete CIA databases were used. Also, the
current version of HITRAN does not include CIAs at 6.4 um with other collision
partners (O2-X). We include O2-X CIA features in our transmission spectroscopy
simulations by parameterizing the 6.4 um O2-N2 CIA based on Rinsland et
al.(1989) and the O2-CO2 CIA based on Baranov et al. (2004). Here we report
that the O2-X CIA may be the most detectable O2 feature for transit
observations. For a potentialTRAPPIST-1e analogue system within 5 pc of the
Sun, it could be the only O2 detectable signature with JWST (using MIRI LRS)
for a modern Earth-like cloudy atmosphere with biological quantities of O2.
Also, we show that the 6.4 um O2-X CIA would be prominent for O2-rich
desiccated atmospheres (Luger and Barnes, 2015) and could be detectable with
JWST in just a few transits. For systems beyond 5 pc, this feature could
therefore be a powerful discriminator of uninhabited planets with
non-biological "false positive" O2 in their atmospheres - as they would only be
detectable at those higher O2 pressures.Comment: Published in Nature Astronom
Evaluating the Plausible Range of N2O Biosignatures on Exo-Earths: An Integrated Biogeochemical, Photochemical, and Spectral Modeling Approach
Nitrous oxide (N2O) -- a product of microbial nitrogen metabolism -- is a
compelling exoplanet biosignature gas with distinctive spectral features in the
near- and mid-infrared, and only minor abiotic sources on Earth. Previous
investigations of N2O as a biosignature have examined scenarios using Earthlike
N2O mixing ratios or surface fluxes, or those inferred from Earth's geologic
record. However, biological fluxes of N2O could be substantially higher, due to
a lack of metal catalysts or if the last step of the denitrification metabolism
that yields N2 from N2O had never evolved. Here, we use a global biogeochemical
model coupled with photochemical and spectral models to systematically quantify
the limits of plausible N2O abundances and spectral detectability for Earth
analogs orbiting main-sequence (FGKM) stars. We examine N2O buildup over a
range of oxygen conditions (1%-100% present atmospheric level) and N2O fluxes
(0.01-100 teramole per year; Tmol = 10^12 mole) that are compatible with
Earth's history. We find that N2O fluxes of 10 [100] Tmol yr would lead
to maximum N2O abundances of ~5 [50] ppm for Earth-Sun analogs, 90 [1600] ppm
for Earths around late K dwarfs, and 30 [300] ppm for an Earthlike TRAPPIST-1e.
We simulate emission and transmission spectra for intermediate and maximum N2O
concentrations that are relevant to current and future space-based telescopes.
We calculate the detectability of N2O spectral features for high-flux scenarios
for TRAPPIST-1e with JWST. We review potential false positives, including
chemodenitrification and abiotic production via stellar activity, and identify
key spectral and contextual discriminants to confirm or refute the biogenicity
of the observed N2O.Comment: 22 pages, 17 figures; ApJ, 937, 10
Scaling K2. VI. Reduced Small Planet Occurrence in High Galactic Amplitude Stars
In this study, we performed a homogeneous analysis of the planets around FGK
dwarf stars observed by the Kepler and K2 missions, providing spectroscopic
parameters for 310 K2 targets -- including 239 Scaling K2 hosts -- observed
with Keck/HIRES. For orbital periods less than 40 days, we found that the
distribution of planets as a function of orbital period, stellar effective
temperature, and metallicity was consistent between K2 and Kepler, reflecting
consistent planet formation efficiency across numerous ~1 kpc sight-lines in
the local Milky Way. Additionally, we detected a 3X excess of sub-Saturns
relative to warm Jupiters beyond 10 days, suggesting a closer association
between sub-Saturn and sub-Neptune formation than between sub-Saturn and Jovian
formation. Performing a joint analysis of Kepler and K2 demographics, we
observed diminishing super-Earth, sub-Neptune, and sub-Saturn populations at
higher stellar effective temperatures, implying an inverse relationship between
formation and disk mass. In contrast, no apparent host-star spectral-type
dependence was identified for our population of Jupiters, which indicates
gas-giant formation saturates within the FGK mass regimes. We present support
for stellar metallicity trends reported by previous Kepler analyses. Using GAIA
DR3 proper motion and RV measurements, we discovered a galactic location trend:
stars that make large vertical excursions from the plane of the Milky Way host
fewer super-Earths and sub-Neptunes. While oscillation amplitude is associated
with metallicity, metallicity alone cannot explain the observed trend,
demonstrating that galactic influences are imprinted on the planet population.
Overall, our results provide new insights into the distribution of planets
around FGK dwarf stars and the factors that influence their formation and
evolution.Comment: 28 Pages, 12 Figures, 3 Tables; Accepted for Publication A
Impact of Clouds and Hazes on the Simulated JWST Transmission Spectra of Habitable Zone Planets in the TRAPPIST-1 System
The TRAPPIST-1 system, consisting of an ultra-cool host star having seven
known Earth-size planets will be a prime target for atmospheric
characterization with JWST. However, the detectability of atmospheric molecular
species may be severely impacted by the presence of clouds and/or hazes. In
this work, we perform 3-D General Circulation Model (GCM) simulations with the
LMD Generic model supplemented by 1-D photochemistry simulations at the
terminator with the Atmos model to simulate several possible atmospheres for
TRAPPIST-1e, 1f and 1g: 1) modern Earth, 2) Archean Earth, and 3) CO2-rich
atmospheres. JWST synthetic transit spectra were computed using the GSFC
Planetary Spectrum Generator (PSG). We find that TRAPPIST-1e, 1f and 1g
atmospheres, with clouds and/or hazes, could be detected using JWST's NIRSpec
prism from the CO2 absorption line at 4.3 um in less than 15 transits at 3
sigma or less than 35 transits at 5 sigma. However, our analysis suggests that
other gases would require hundreds (or thousands) of transits to be detectable.
We also find that H2O, mostly confined in the lower atmosphere, is very
challenging to detect for these planets or similar systems if the planets'
atmospheres are not in a moist greenhouse state. This result demonstrates that
the use of GCMs, self-consistently taking into account the effect of clouds and
sub-saturation, is crucial to evaluate the detectability of atmospheric
molecules of interest as well as for interpreting future detections in a more
global (and thus robust and relevant) approach.Comment: 36 pages, 19 figure
A transmission spectrum of the sub-Earth planet L98-59~b in 1.1-1.7 m
With the increasing number of planets discovered by TESS, the atmospheric
characterization of small exoplanets is accelerating. L98-59 is a M-dwarf
hosting a multi-planet system, and so far, four small planets have been
confirmed. The innermost planet b is smaller and lighter
than Earth, and should thus have a predominantly rocky composition. The Hubble
Space Telescope observed five primary transits of L98-59b in m,
and here we report the data analysis and the resulting transmission spectrum of
the planet. We measure the transit depths for each of the five transits and, by
combination, we obtain a transmission spectrum with an overall precision of
ppm in for each of the 18 spectrophotometric channels. With this level
of precision, the transmission spectrum does not show significant modulation,
and is thus consistent with a planet without any atmosphere or a planet having
an atmosphere and high-altitude clouds or haze. The scenarios involving an
aerosol-free, H-dominated atmosphere with HO or CH are inconsistent
with the data. The transmission spectrum also disfavors, but does not rules
out, an HO-dominated atmosphere without clouds. A spectral retrieval
process suggests that an H-dominated atmosphere with HCN and clouds or haze
may be the preferred solution, but this indication is non-conclusive. Future
James Webb Space Telescope observations may find out the nature of the planet
among the remaining viable scenarios.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figures, 7 tables, accepted for publication in A
The TESS-Keck Survey. XV. Precise Properties of 108 TESS Planets and Their Host Stars
We present the stellar and planetary properties for 85 TESS Objects of
Interest (TOIs) hosting 108 planet candidates which comprise the TESS-Keck
Survey (TKS) sample. We combine photometry, high-resolution spectroscopy, and
Gaia parallaxes to measure precise and accurate stellar properties. We then use
these parameters as inputs to a lightcurve processing pipeline to recover
planetary signals and homogeneously fit their transit properties. Among these
transit fits, we detect significant transit-timing variations among at least
three multi-planet systems (TOI-1136, TOI-1246, TOI-1339) and at least one
single-planet system (TOI-1279). We also reduce the uncertainties on
planet-to-star radius ratios across our sample, from a median
fractional uncertainty of 8.8 among the original TOI Catalog values to
3.0 among our updated results. With this improvement, we are able to
recover the Radius Gap among small TKS planets and find that the topology of
the Radius Gap among our sample is broadly consistent with that measured among
Kepler planets. The stellar and planetary properties presented here will
facilitate follow-up investigations of both individual TOIs and broader trends
in planet properties, system dynamics, and the evolution of planetary systems.Comment: Accepted at The Astronomical Journal; 21 pages, 9 figure
The TESS-Keck Survey. XII. A Dense 1.8 R ⊕ Ultra-short-period Planet Possibly Clinging to a High-mean-molecular-weight Atmosphere after the First Gigayear
The extreme environments of ultra-short-period planets (USPs) make excellent laboratories to study how exoplanets obtain, lose, retain, and/or regain gaseous atmospheres. We present the confirmation and characterization of the USP TOI-1347 b, a 1.8±0.1 R⊕ planet on a 0.85 day orbit that was detected with photometry from the TESS mission. We measured radial velocities of the TOI-1347 system using Keck/HIRES and HARPS-N and found the USP to be unusually massive at 11.1±1.2 M⊕. The measured mass and radius of TOI-1347 b imply an Earth-like bulk composition. A thin H/He envelope (>0.01% by mass) can be ruled out at high confidence. The system is between 1 and 1.8 Gyr old; therefore, intensive photoevaporation should have concluded. We detected a tentative phase curve variation (3σ) and a secondary eclipse (2σ) in TESS photometry, which if confirmed could indicate the presence of a high-mean-molecular-weight atmosphere. We recommend additional optical and infrared observations to confirm the presence of an atmosphere and investigate its composition