Early Release Science of the exoplanet WASP-39b with JWST NIRSpec G395H

Author(s): Lili Alderson, Hannah R. Wakeford, Munazza K. Alam, Natasha E. Batalha, Joshua D. Lothringer, Jea Adams Redai, Saugata Barat, Jonathan Brande, Mario Damiano, Tansu Daylan, Néstor Espinoza, Laura Flagg, Jayesh M. Goyal, David Grant, Renyu Hu, Julie Inglis, Elspeth K.H. Lee, Thomas Mikal-Evans, Lakeisha Ramos-Rosado, Pierre Alexis Roy, Nicole L. Wallack, Natalie M. Batalha, Jacob L. Bean, Björn Benneke, Zachory K. Berta-Thompson, Aarynn L. Carter, Quentin Changeat, Knicole D. Colón, Ian J.M. Crossfield, Jean Michel Désert, Daniel Foreman-Mackey, Neale P. Gibson, Laura Kreidberg, Michael R. Line, Mercedes López-Morales, Karan Molaverdikhani, Sarah E. Moran, Giuseppe Morello, Julianne I. Moses, Sagnick Mukherjee, Everett Schlawin, David K. Sing, Kevin B. Stevenson, Jake Taylor, Keshav Aggarwal, Eva Maria Ahrer, Natalie H. Allen, Joanna K. Barstow, Taylor J. Bell, Jasmina Blecic, Sarah L. Casewell, Katy L. Chubb, Nicolas Crouzet, Patricio E. Cubillos, Leen Decin, Adina D. Feinstein, Joanthan J. Fortney, Joseph Harrington, Kevin Heng, Nicolas Iro, Eliza M.R. Kempton, James Kirk, Heather A. Knutson, Jessica Krick, Jérémy Leconte, Monika Lendl, Ryan J. MacDonald, Luigi Mancini, Megan Mansfield, Erin M. May, Nathan J. Mayne, Yamila Miguel, Nikolay K. Nikolov, Kazumasa Ohno, Enric Palle, Vivien Parmentier, Dominique J.M. Petit dit de la Roche, Caroline Piaulet, Diana Powell, Benjamin V. Rackham, Seth Redfield, Laura K. Rogers, Zafar Rustamkulov, Xianyu Tan, P. Tremblin, Shang Min Tsai, Jake D. Turner, Miguel de Val-Borro, Olivia Venot, Luis Welbanks, Peter J. Wheatley, Xi Zhang
Abstract: Measuring the abundances of carbon and oxygen in exoplanet atmospheres is considered a crucial avenue for unlocking the formation and evolution of exoplanetary systems^1,2. Access to the chemical inventory of an exoplanet requires high-precision observations, often inferred from individual molecular detections with low-resolution space-based^3–5 and high-resolution ground-based^6–8 facilities. Here we report the medium-resolution (R ≈ 600) transmission spectrum of an exoplanet atmosphere between 3 and 5 μm covering several absorption features for the Saturn-mass exoplanet WASP-39b (ref. ⁹), obtained with the Near Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) G395H grating of JWST. Our observations achieve 1.46 times photon precision, providing an average transit depth uncertainty of 221 ppm per spectroscopic bin, and present minimal impacts from systematic effects. We detect significant absorption from CO₂ (28.5σ) and H₂O (21.5σ), and identify SO₂ as the source of absorption at 4.1 μm (4.8σ). Best-fit atmospheric models range between 3 and 10 times solar metallicity, with sub-solar to solar C/O ratios. These results, including the detection of SO₂, underscore the importance of characterizing the chemistry in exoplanet atmospheres and showcase NIRSpec G395H as an excellent mode for time-series observations over this critical wavelength range¹⁰.
Organisation(s): Department of Astrophysics
External organisation(s): University of Bristol, Carnegie Institution for Science, National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA), Utah Valley University, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, University of Amsterdam (UvA), University of Kansas, California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Princeton University, Space Telescope Science Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Cornell University, Homi Bhabha National Institute, Universität Bern, Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, University of Montreal, University of California, Santa Cruz, University of Chicago, University of Colorado, Boulder, European Space Astronomy Centre (ESA), University College London, Flatiron Institute, University of Dublin, Arizona State University, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, University of Arizona, Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands, University of La Laguna, INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Torino, Space Science Institute, Johns Hopkins University Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, University of Oxford, University of Warwick, Open University, New York University Abu Dhabi, University of Leicester, University of St. Andrews, Leiden University, Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften (ÖAW), Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, University of Central Florida, University of Maryland, College Park, Imperial College London, Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux, Université de Genève, University of Michigan, Università degli Studi di Roma "Tor Vergata", University of Exeter, SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research , Université Côte d'Azur, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Wesleyan University, University of Cambridge, IRFU CEA-Saclay laboratory , Université Paris VII - Paris-Diderot, Planetary Science Institute
Journal: Nature
Volume: 614
Pages: 664-669
No. of pages: 6
ISSN: 0028-0836
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05591-3
Publication date: 02-2023
Peer reviewed: Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012: 103004 Astrophysics
ASJC Scopus subject areas: General
Portal url: https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/191dfa5f-761b-46b5-8ca4-b4087d45bf57

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