A Temperature and Abundance Retrieval Method for Exoplanet Atmospheres

We present a new method to retrieve molecular abundances and temperature profiles from exoplanet atmosphere photometry and spectroscopy. We run millions of 1D atmosphere models in order to cover the large range of allowed parameter space, and present error contours in the atmospheric properties, given the data. In order to run such a large number of models, we have developed a parametric pressure-temperature (P-T) profile coupled with line-by-line radiative transfer, hydrostatic equilibrium, and energy balance, along with prescriptions for non-equilibrium molecular composition and energy redistribution. We apply our temperature and abundance retrieval method to the atmospheres of two transiting exoplanets, HD 189733b and HD 209458b, which have the best available Spitzer and HST observations. For HD 189733b, we find efficient day-night redistribution of energy in the atmosphere, and molecular abundance constraints confirming the presence of H2O, CO, CH4, and CO2. For HD 209458b, we confirm and constrain the day-side thermal inversion in an average 1D temperature profile. We also report independent detections of H$_2$O, CO, CH$_4$ and CO$_2$ on the dayside of HD 209458b, based on six-channel Spitzer photometry. We report constraints for HD 189733b due to individual data sets separately; a few key observations are variable in different data sets at similar wavelengths. Moreover, a noticeably strong carbon dioxide absorption in one data set is significantly weaker in another. We must, therefore, acknowledge the strong possibility that the atmosphere is variable, both in its energy redistribution state and in the chemical abundances.Comment: 20 pages in emulateapj format, 11 figures. Final version, after proof correction

A Search for Exotrojans in Transiting Exoplanetary systems

We present a search for Trojan companions to 25 transiting exoplanets. We use the technique of Ford & Gaudi 2006, in which a difference is sought between the observed transit time and the transit time that is calculated by fitting a two-body Keplerian orbit to the radial-velocity data. This technique is sensitive to the imbalance of mass at the L4/L5 points of the planet-star orbit. No companions were detected. The median 2$\sigma$ upper limit is 60 Earth masses, and the most constraining limit is 2.5 Earth masses for the case of GJ 436.Comment: To appear in Proceedings of the IAU Symposium No. 253, "Transiting Planets", May 19 - May 23, 2008, Cambridge, M

JexoSim 2.0: End-to-end JWST simulator for exoplanet spectroscopy – implementation and case studies

The recently developed JWST Exoplanet Observation Simulator (JexoSim) simulates transit spectroscopic observations of exoplanets by JWST with each of its four instruments using a time-domain approach. Previously we reported the validation of JexoSim against Pandexo and instrument team simulators. In the present study, we report a substantially enhanced version, JexoSim 2.0, which improves on the original version through incorporation of new noise sources, enhanced treatment of stellar and planetary signals and instrumental effects, as well as improved user-operability and optimisations for increased speed and efficiency. A near complete set of instrument modes for exoplanet time-series observations is now included. In this paper we report the implementation of JexoSim 2.0 and assess performance metrics for JWST in end-member scenarios using the hot Jupiter HD 209458 b and the mini-Neptune K2-18 b. We show how JexoSim can be used to compare performance across the different JWST instruments, selecting an optimal combination of instrument and subarray modes, producing synthetic transmission spectra for each planet. These studies indicate that the 1.4 {\mu}m water feature detected in the atmosphere of K2-18 b using the Hubble WFC3 might be observable in just one transit observation with JWST with either NIRISS or NIRSpec. JexoSim 2.0 can be used to investigate the impact of complex noise and systematic effects on the final spectrum, plan observations and test the feasibility of novel science cases for JWST. It can also be customised for other astrophysical applications beyond exoplanet spectroscopy. JexoSim 2.0 is now available for use by the scientific community

Search for radio emission from the exoplanets Qatar-1b and WASP-80b near 150 MHz using the giant metrewave radio telescope

We present radio observations made towards the exoplanets Qatar-1b and WASP-80b near 150~MHz with the Giant Meterwave Radio Telescope. These targets are relatively nearby irradiated giant exoplanets, a hot Jupiter and a hot Saturn, with sizes comparable to Jupiter but different masses and lower densities. Both the targets are expected to host extended H/He envelopes like Jupiter, with comparable or larger magnetic moments. No radio emission was detected from these exoplanets, with 3sigma limits of 5.9 and 5.2 mJy for Qatar-1b and WASP-80b, respectively, from these targeted observations. These are considerably deeper limits than those available for exoplanets from wide field surveys at similar frequencies. We also present archival VLA observations of a previously reported radio source close to Vir 61 (which has three exoplanets). The VLA observations resolve the source, which we identify as an extragalactic radio source, i.e. a chance association with Vir 61. Additionally, we cross-match a recent exoplanet catalogue with the TIFR GMRT Sky Survey ADR1 radio catalogue, but do not find any convincing associations

Dynamic Properties of Rubber Specimens

Resonant column and bender element tests were conducted on rubber specimens to study their dynamic properties, namely, shear modulus (G), damping ratio (D) and Poisson’s ratio (ν). It was found that similar to soil specimens, with an increase in strain level, the shear modulus of rubber decreases continuously whereas the damping ratio increases. The tests were also carried out to find the effect of confining pressures on the rubber specimens. It was observed that for the rubber with the lesser hardness, there was a slight increase in the shear modulus and a decrease in the damping ratio values as the confining pressures (σ3) was increased from 50 kPa to 500 kPa. This type of trend was, however, not observed for the rubber having greater hardness. Using bender and extender elements test, with the measurements of the travel times of the shear (S) and primary (P) waves, the variation of Poisson ratio (ν) was determined for the rubber specimens with respect to change in confining pressures (σ3). No significant change in the values of ν was found for both the rubber specimens with respect to change in σ3

Efficiency of planetesimal ablation in giant planetary envelopes

Observations of exoplanetary spectra are leading to unprecedented constraints on their atmospheric elemental abundances, particularly O/H, C/H, and C/O ratios. Recent studies suggest that elemental ratios could provide important constraints on formation and migration mechanisms of giant exoplanets. A fundamental assumption in such studies is that the chemical composition of the planetary envelope represents the sum-total of compositions of the accreted gas and solids during the formation history of the planet. We investigate the efficiency with which accreted planetesimals ablate in a giant planetary envelope thereby contributing to its composition rather than sinking to the core. From considerations of aerodynamic drag causing `frictional ablation' and the envelope temperature structure causing `thermal ablation', we compute mass ablations for impacting planetesimals of radii 30 m to 1 km for different compositions (ice to iron) and a wide range of velocities and impact angles, assuming spherical symmetry. Icy impactors are fully ablated in the outer envelope for a wide range of parameters. Even for Fe impactors substantial ablation occurs in the envelope for a wide range of sizes and velocities. For example, iron impactors of sizes below ~0.5 km and velocities above ~30 km/s are found to ablate by ~60-80% within the outer envelope at pressures below 10^3 bar due to frictional ablation alone. For deeper pressures (~10^7 bar), substantial ablation happens over a wider range of parameters. Therefore, our exploratory study suggests that atmospheric abundances of volatile elements in giant planets reflect their accretion history during formation

Habitability and Biosignatures of Hycean Worlds

We investigate a new class of habitable planets composed of water-rich interiors with massive oceans underlying H2-rich atmospheres, referred to here as Hycean worlds. With densities between those of rocky super-Earths and more extended mini-Neptunes, Hycean planets can be optimal candidates in the search for exoplanetary habitability and may be abundant in the exoplanet population. We investigate the bulk properties (masses, radii, and temperatures), potential for habitability, and observable biosignatures of Hycean planets. We show that Hycean planets can be significantly larger compared to previous considerations for habitable planets, with radii as large as 2.6 Earth radii (2.3 Earth radii) for a mass of 10 Earth masses (5 Earth masses). We construct the Hycean habitable zone (HZ), considering stellar hosts from late M to sun-like stars, and find it to be significantly wider than the terrestrial-like HZ. While the inner boundary of the Hycean HZ corresponds to equilibrium temperatures as high as ~500 K for late M dwarfs, the outer boundary is unrestricted to arbitrarily large orbital separations. Our investigations include tidally locked `Dark Hycean' worlds that permit habitable conditions only on their permanent nightsides and `Cold Hycean' worlds that see negligible irradiation. Finally, we investigate the observability of possible biosignatures in Hycean atmospheres. We find that a number of trace terrestrial biomarkers which may be expected to be present in Hycean atmospheres would be readily detectable using modest observing time with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). We identify a sizable sample of nearby potential Hycean planets that can be ideal targets for such observations in search of exoplanetary biosignatures