61 research outputs found
An L Band Spectrum of the Coldest Brown Dwarf
The coldest brown dwarf, WISE 0855, is the closest known planetary-mass, free-floating object and has a temperature nearly as cold as the solar system gas giants. Like Jupiter, it is predicted to have an atmosphere rich in methane, water, and ammonia, with clouds of volatile ices. WISE 0855 is faint at near-infrared wavelengths and emits almost all its energy in the mid-infrared. Skemer et al. (2016) presented a spectrum of WISE 0855 from 4.5–5.1 µm (M band), revealing water vapor features. Here, we present a spectrum of WISE 0855 in L band, from 3.4–4.14 µm. We present a set of atmosphere models that include a range of compositions (metallicities and C/O ratios) and water ice clouds. Methane absorption is clearly present in the spectrum. The mid-infrared color can be better matched with a methane abundance that is depleted relative to solar abundance. We find that there is evidence for water ice clouds in the M band spectrum, and we find a lack of phosphine spectral features in both the L and M band spectra. We suggest that a deep continuum opacity source may be obscuring the near-infrared flux, possibly a deep phosphorous-bearing cloud, ammonium dihyrogen phosphate. Observations of WISE 0855 provide critical constraints for cold planetary atmospheres, bridging the temperature range between the long-studied solar system planets and accessible exoplanets. JWST will soon revolutionize our understanding of cold brown dwarfs with high-precision spectroscopy across the infrared, allowing us to study their compositions and cloud properties, and to infer their atmospheric dynamics and formation processes
An L Band Spectrum of the Coldest Brown Dwarf
The coldest brown dwarf, WISE 0855, is the closest known planetary-mass,
free-floating object and has a temperature nearly as cold as the solar system
gas giants. Like Jupiter, it is predicted to have an atmosphere rich in
methane, water, and ammonia, with clouds of volatile ices. WISE 0855 is faint
at near-infrared wavelengths and emits almost all its energy in the
mid-infrared. Skemer et al. 2016 presented a spectrum of WISE 0855 from 4.5-5.1
micron (M band), revealing water vapor features. Here, we present a spectrum of
WISE 0855 in L band, from 3.4-4.14 micron. We present a set of atmosphere
models that include a range of compositions (metallicities and C/O ratios) and
water ice clouds. Methane absorption is clearly present in the spectrum. The
mid-infrared color can be better matched with a methane abundance that is
depleted relative to solar abundance. We find that there is evidence for water
ice clouds in the M band spectrum, and we find a lack of phosphine spectral
features in both the L and M band spectra. We suggest that a deep continuum
opacity source may be obscuring the near-infrared flux, possibly a deep
phosphorous-bearing cloud, ammonium dihyrogen phosphate. Observations of WISE
0855 provide critical constraints for cold planetary atmospheres, bridging the
temperature range between the long-studied solar system planets and accessible
exoplanets. JWST will soon revolutionize our understanding of cold brown dwarfs
with high-precision spectroscopy across the infrared, allowing us to study
their compositions and cloud properties, and to infer their atmospheric
dynamics and formation processes.Comment: 19 pages, 21 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap
Direct images and spectroscopy of a giant protoplanet driving spiral arms in MWC 758
Understanding the driving forces behind spiral arms in protoplanetary disks
remains a challenge due to the faintness of young giant planets. MWC 758 hosts
such a protoplanetary disk with a two-armed spiral pattern that is suggested to
be driven by an external giant planet. We present new thermal infrared
observations that are uniquely sensitive to redder (i.e., colder or more
attenuated) planets than past observations at shorter wavelengths. We detect a
giant protoplanet, MWC 758c, at a projected separation of ~100 au from the
star. The spectrum of MWC 758c is distinct from the rest of the disk and
consistent with emission from a planetary atmosphere with Teff = 500 +/- 100 K
for a low level of extinction (AV<30), or a hotter object with a higher level
of extinction. Both scenarios are commensurate with the predicted properties of
the companion responsible for driving the spiral arms. MWC 758c provides
evidence that spiral arms in protoplanetary disks can be caused by cold giant
planets or by those whose optical emission is highly attenuated. MWC 758c
stands out both as one of the youngest giant planets known, and also as one of
the coldest and/or most attenuated. Furthermore, MWC 758c is among the first
planets to be observed within a system hosting a protoplanetary disk.Comment: Published in Nature Astronom
The JWST Early-Release Science Program for Direct Observations of Exoplanetary Systems Ii: A 1 To 20 Μm Spectrum of the Planetary-Mass Companion Vhs 1256-1257 B
We present the highest fidelity spectrum to date of a planetary-mass object. VHS 1256 b is a (∼8″, a = 150 au), young, planetary-mass companion that shares photometric colors and spectroscopic features with the directly imaged exoplanets HR 8799c, d, and e. As an L-to-T transition object, VHS 1256 b exists along the region of the color-magnitude diagram where substellar atmospheres transition from cloudy to clear. We observed VHS 1256 b with JWST\u27s NIRSpec IFU and MIRI MRS modes for coverage from 1 to 20 μm at resolutions of ∼1000-3700. Water, methane, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, sodium, and potassium are observed in several portions of the JWST spectrum based on comparisons from template brown dwarf spectra, molecular opacities, and atmospheric models. The spectral shape of VHS 1256 b is influenced by disequilibrium chemistry and clouds. We directly detect silicate clouds, the first such detection reported for a planetary-mass companion
Simulating medium-spectral-resolution exoplanet characterization with SCALES angular/reference differential imaging
SCALES (Slicer Combined with Array of Lenslets for Exoplanet Spectroscopy) is
a 2 - 5 micron high-contrast lenslet-based integral field spectrograph (IFS)
designed to characterize exoplanets and their atmospheres. The SCALES
medium-spectral-resolution mode uses a lenslet subarray with a 0.34 x 0.36
arcsecond field of view which allows for exoplanet characterization at
increased spectral resolution. We explore the sensitivity limitations of this
mode by simulating planet detections in the presence of realistic noise
sources. We use the SCALES simulator scalessim to generate high-fidelity mock
observations of planets that include speckle noise from their host stars, as
well as other atmospheric and instrumental noise effects. We employ both
angular and reference differential imaging as methods of disentangling speckle
noise from the injected planet signals. These simulations allow us to assess
the feasibility of speckle deconvolution for SCALES medium resolution data, and
to test whether one approach outperforms another based on planet angular
separations and contrasts
Data from a pre-publication independent replication initiative examining ten moral judgement effects
We present the data from a crowdsourced project seeking to replicate findings in independent laboratories before (rather than after) they are published. In this Pre-Publication Independent Replication (PPIR) initiative, 25 research groups attempted to replicate 10 moral judgment effects from a single laboratory's research pipeline of unpublished findings. The 10 effects were investigated using online/lab surveys containing psychological manipulations (vignettes) followed by questionnaires. Results revealed a mix of reliable, unreliable, and culturally moderated findings. Unlike any previous replication project, this dataset includes the data from not only the replications but also from the original studies, creating a unique corpus that researchers can use to better understand reproducibility and irreproducibility in science
- …