2,729 research outputs found
3.8-Micron Photometry During the Secondary Eclipse of the Extrasolar Planet HD 209458b
We report infrared photometry of the extrasolar planet HD 209458b during the
time of secondary eclipse (planet passing behind the star). Observations were
acquired during two secondary eclipses at the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility
(IRTF) in September 2003. We used a circular variable filter (1.5-percent
bandpass) centered at 3.8 microns to isolate the predicted flux peak of the
planet at this wavelength. Residual telluric absorption and instrument
variations were removed by offsetting the telescope to nearby bright comparison
stars at a high temporal cadence. Our results give a secondary eclipse depth of
0.0013 +/- 0.0011, not yet sufficient precision to detect the eclipse, whose
expected depth is approximately 0.002 - 0.003. We here elucidate the current
observational limitations to this technique, and discuss the approach needed to
achieve detections of hot Jupiter secondary eclipses at 3.8 microns from the
ground.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, in press for MNRA
A Ground-Based Search for Thermal Emission from the Exoplanet TrES-1
Eclipsing planetary systems give us an important window on extrasolar planet
atmospheres. By measuring the depth of the secondary eclipse, when the planet
moves behind the star, we can estimate the strength of the thermal emission
from the day side of the planet. Attaining a ground-based detection of one of
these eclipses has proven to be a significant challenge, as time-dependent
variations in instrument throughput and atmospheric seeing and absorption
overwhelm the small signal of the eclipse at infrared wavelengths. We gathered
a series of simultaneous L grism spectra of the transiting planet system TrES-1
and a nearby comparison star of comparable brightness, allowing us to correct
for these effects in principle. Combining the data from two eclipses, we
demonstrate a detection sensitivity of 0.15% in the eclipse depth relative to
the stellar flux. This approaches the sensitivity required to detect the
planetary emission, which theoretical models predict should lie between
0.05-0.1% of the stellar flux in our 2.9-4.3 micron bandpass. We explore the
factors that ultimately limit the precision of this technique, and discuss
potential avenues for future improvements.Comment: 10 pages, 1 table, four figures, accepted for publication in PAS
Rapid, quantitative determination of bacteria in water
A bioluminescent assay for ATP in water borne bacteria is made by adding nitric acid to a water sample with concentrated bacteria to rupture the bacterial cells. The sample is diluted with sterile, deionized water, then mixed with a luciferase-luciferin mixture and the resulting light output of the bioluminescent reaction is measured and correlated with bacteria present. A standard and a blank also are presented so that the light output can be correlated to bacteria in the sample and system noise can be substracted from the readings. A chemiluminescent assay for iron porphyrins in water borne bacteria is made by adding luminol reagent to a water sample with concentrated bacteria and measuring the resulting light output of the chemiluminescent reaction
Infrared Observations During the Secondary Eclipse of HD 209458 b II. Strong Limits on the Infrared Spectrum Near 2.2 Microns
We report observations of the transiting extrasolar planet, HD 209458 b,
designed to detect the secondary eclipse. We employ the method of `occultation
spectroscopy', which searches in combined light (star and planet) for the
disappearance and reappearance of weak infrared spectral features due to the
planet as it passes behind the star and reappears. Our observations cover two
predicted secondary eclipse events, and we obtained 1036 individual spectra of
the HD 209458 system using the SpeX instrument at the NASA IRTF in September
2001. Our spectra extend from 1.9 to 4.2 microns with a spectral resolution of
1500. We have searched for a continuum peak near 2.2 microns (caused by CO and
water absorption bands), as predicted by some models of the planetary
atmosphere to be approximately 6E-4 of the stellar flux, but no such peak is
detected at a level of about 3E-4 of the stellar flux. Our results represent
the strongest limits on the infrared spectrum of the planet to date and carry
significant implications for understanding the planetary atmosphere. In
particular, some models that assume the stellar irradiation is re-radiated
entirely on the sub-stellar hemisphere predict a flux peak inconsistent with
our observations. Several physical mechanisms can improve agreement with our
observations, including the re-distribution of heat by global circulation, a
nearly isothermal atmosphere, and/or the presence of a high cloud.Comment: Accepted to the Astrophysical Journal 17 pages, 6 figure
Strong Infrared Emission from the Extrasolar Planet HD189733b
We report detection of strong infrared thermal emission from the nearby (d=19
pc) transiting extrasolar planet HD189733b, by measuring the flux decrement
during its prominent secondary eclipse. A 6-hour photometric sequence using
Spitzer's infrared spectrograph in peak-up imaging mode at 16-microns shows the
secondary eclipse depth to be 0.551 +/-0.030%, with accuracy limited by
instrumental baseline uncertainties, but with 32-sigma precision (0.017%) on
the detection. The 16-micron brightness temperature of this planet (1117+/-42K)
is very similar to the Spitzer detections of TrES-1 and HD209458b, but the
observed planetary flux (660 micro-Jy) is an order of magnitude greater. This
large signal will allow a detailed characterization of this planet in the
infrared. Our photometry has sufficient signal-to-noise (~400 per point) to
motivate a search for structure in the ingress/egress portions of the eclipse
curve, caused by putative thermal structure on the disk of the planet. We show
that by binning our 6-second sampling down to 6-minute resolution, we detect
the modulation in the intensity derivative during ingress/egress due to the
overall shape of the planet, but our sensitivity is not yet sufficient to
distinguish between realistic models of the temperature distribution across the
planet's disk. We point out the potential for extending Spitzer secondary
eclipse detections down to the regime of transiting hot Neptunes, if such
systems are discovered among nearby lower main sequence stars.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures, accepted for Ap
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