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

Eva-Maria Ahrer; Kevin B. Stevenson; Megan Mansfield; Sarah E. Moran; Jonathan Brande; Giuseppe Morello; Catriona A. Murray; Nikolay K. Nikolov; Dominique J. M. Petit dit de la Roche; Everett Schlawin; Peter J. Wheatley; Sebastian Zieba; Natasha E. Batalha; Mario Damiano; Jayesh M. Goyal; Monika Lendl; Joshua D. Lothringer; Sagnick Mukherjee; Kazumasa Ohno; Natalie M. Batalha; Matthew P. Battley; Jacob L. Bean; Thomas G. Beatty; Björn Benneke; Zachory K. Berta-Thompson; Aarynn L. Carter; Patricio E. Cubillos; Tansu Daylan; Néstor Espinoza; Peter Gao; Neale P. Gibson; Samuel Gill; Joseph Harrington; Renyu Hu; Laura Kreidberg; Nikole K. Lewis; Michael R. Line; Mercedes López-Morales; Vivien Parmentier; Diana K. Powell; David K. Sing; Shang-Min Tsai; Hannah R. Wakeford; Luis Welbanks; Munazza K. Alam; Lili Alderson; Natalie H. Allen; David R. Anderson; Joanna K. Barstow; Daniel Bayliss; Taylor J. Bell; Jasmina Blecic; Edward M. Bryant; Matthew R. Burleigh; Ludmila Carone; S. L. Casewell; Quentin Changeat; Katy L. Chubb; Ian J. M. Crossfield; Nicolas Crouzet; Leen Decin; Jean-Michel Désert; Adina D. Feinstein; Laura Flagg; Jonathan J. Fortney; John E. Gizis; Kevin Heng; Nicolas Iro; Eliza M. -R. Kempton; Sarah Kendrew; James Kirk; Heather A. Knutson; Thaddeus D. Komacek; Pierre-Olivier Lagage; Jérémy Leconte; Jacob Lustig-Yaeger; Ryan J. MacDonald; Luigi Mancini; E. M. May; N. J. Mayne; Yamila Miguel; Thomas Mikal-Evans; Karan Molaverdikhani; Enric Palle; Caroline Piaulet; Benjamin V. Rackham; Seth Redfield; Laura K. Rogers; Pierre-Alexis Roy; Zafar Rustamkulov; Evgenya L. Shkolnik; Kristin S. Sotzen; Jake Taylor; P. Tremblin; Gregory S. Tucker; Jake D. Turner; Miguel de Val-Borro; Olivia Venot; Xi Zhang

doi:10.1038/s41586-022-05590-4

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

Eva-Maria Ahrer^*, Kevin B. Stevenson^*, Megan Mansfield, Sarah E. Moran, Jonathan Brande, Giuseppe Morello, Catriona A. Murray, Nikolay K. Nikolov, Dominique J. M. Petit dit de la Roche, Everett Schlawin, Peter J. Wheatley, Sebastian Zieba, Natasha E. Batalha, Mario Damiano, Jayesh M. Goyal, Monika Lendl, Joshua D. Lothringer, Sagnick Mukherjee, Kazumasa Ohno, Natalie M. BatalhaMatthew P. Battley, Jacob L. Bean, Thomas G. Beatty, Björn Benneke, Zachory K. Berta-Thompson, Aarynn L. Carter, Patricio E. Cubillos, Tansu Daylan, Néstor Espinoza, Peter Gao, Neale P. Gibson, Samuel Gill, Joseph Harrington, Renyu Hu, Laura Kreidberg, Nikole K. Lewis, Michael R. Line, Mercedes López-Morales, Vivien Parmentier, Diana K. Powell, David K. Sing, Shang-Min Tsai, Hannah R. Wakeford, Luis Welbanks, Munazza K. Alam, Lili Alderson, Natalie H. Allen, David R. Anderson, Joanna K. Barstow, Daniel Bayliss, Taylor J. Bell, Jasmina Blecic, Edward M. Bryant, Matthew R. Burleigh, Ludmila Carone, S. L. Casewell, Quentin Changeat, Katy L. Chubb, Ian J. M. Crossfield, Nicolas Crouzet, Leen Decin, Jean-Michel Désert, Adina D. Feinstein, Laura Flagg, Jonathan J. Fortney, John E. Gizis, Kevin Heng, Nicolas Iro, Eliza M. -R. Kempton, Sarah Kendrew, James Kirk, Heather A. Knutson, Thaddeus D. Komacek, Pierre-Olivier Lagage, Jérémy Leconte, Jacob Lustig-Yaeger, Ryan J. MacDonald, Luigi Mancini, E. M. May, N. J. Mayne, Yamila Miguel, Thomas Mikal-Evans, Karan Molaverdikhani, Enric Palle, Caroline Piaulet, Benjamin V. Rackham, Seth Redfield, Laura K. Rogers, Pierre-Alexis Roy, Zafar Rustamkulov, Evgenya L. Shkolnik, Kristin S. Sotzen, Jake Taylor, P. Tremblin, Gregory S. Tucker, Jake D. Turner, Miguel de Val-Borro, Olivia Venot, Xi Zhang

^*Corresponding author for this work

School of Physics and Astronomy

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Measuring the metallicity and carbon-to-oxygen (C/O) ratio in exoplanet atmospheres is a fundamental step towards constraining the dominant chemical processes at work and, if in equilibrium, revealing planet formation histories. Transmission spectroscopy e.g., refs.^1,2) provides the necessary means by constraining the abundances of oxygen- and carbon-bearing species; however, this requires broad wavelength coverage, moderate spectral resolution, and high precision that, together, are not achievable with previous observatories. Now that JWST has commenced science operations, we are able to observe exoplanets at previously uncharted wavelengths and spectral resolutions. Here we report time-series observations of the transiting exoplanet WASP-39b using JWST’s Near InfraRed Camera (NIRCam). The long-wavelength spectroscopic and short-wavelength photometric light curves span 2.0 – 4.0 µm, exhibit minimal systematics, and reveal well-defined molecular absorption features in the planet’s spectrum. Specifically, we detect gaseous H₂O in the atmosphere and place an upper limit on the abundance of CH₄. The otherwise prominent CO₂ feature at 2.8 µm is largely masked by H₂O. The best-fit chemical equilibrium models favour an atmospheric metallicity of 1–100× solar (i.e., an enrichment of elements heavier than helium relative to the Sun) and a sub-stellar carbon-to-oxygen (C/O) ratio. The inferred high metallicity and low C/O ratio may indicate significant accretion of solid materials during planet formation (e.g., refs.^3,4) or disequilibrium processes in the upper atmosphere (e.g., refs.^5,6).

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	653–658
Number of pages	23
Journal	Nature
Volume	614
Issue number	7949
Early online date	9 Jan 2023
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05590-4
Publication status	Published - 23 Feb 2023

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Ahrer, E.-M., Stevenson, K. B., Mansfield, M., Moran, S. E., Brande, J., Morello, G., Murray, C. A., Nikolov, N. K., Petit dit de la Roche, D. J. M., Schlawin, E., Wheatley, P. J., Zieba, S., Batalha, N. E., Damiano, M., Goyal, J. M., Lendl, M., Lothringer, J. D., Mukherjee, S., Ohno, K., ... Zhang, X. (2023). Early Release Science of the exoplanet WASP-39b with JWST NIRCam. Nature, 614(7949), 653–658. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05590-4

@article{20fbc13763f841b1b401960c00b0320e,

title = "Early Release Science of the exoplanet WASP-39b with JWST NIRCam",

abstract = "Measuring the metallicity and carbon-to-oxygen (C/O) ratio in exoplanet atmospheres is a fundamental step towards constraining the dominant chemical processes at work and, if in equilibrium, revealing planet formation histories. Transmission spectroscopy e.g., refs.1,2) provides the necessary means by constraining the abundances of oxygen- and carbon-bearing species; however, this requires broad wavelength coverage, moderate spectral resolution, and high precision that, together, are not achievable with previous observatories. Now that JWST has commenced science operations, we are able to observe exoplanets at previously uncharted wavelengths and spectral resolutions. Here we report time-series observations of the transiting exoplanet WASP-39b using JWST{\textquoteright}s Near InfraRed Camera (NIRCam). The long-wavelength spectroscopic and short-wavelength photometric light curves span 2.0 – 4.0 µm, exhibit minimal systematics, and reveal well-defined molecular absorption features in the planet{\textquoteright}s spectrum. Specifically, we detect gaseous H2O in the atmosphere and place an upper limit on the abundance of CH4. The otherwise prominent CO2 feature at 2.8 µm is largely masked by H2O. The best-fit chemical equilibrium models favour an atmospheric metallicity of 1–100× solar (i.e., an enrichment of elements heavier than helium relative to the Sun) and a sub-stellar carbon-to-oxygen (C/O) ratio. The inferred high metallicity and low C/O ratio may indicate significant accretion of solid materials during planet formation (e.g., refs.3,4) or disequilibrium processes in the upper atmosphere (e.g., refs.5,6).",

author = "Eva-Maria Ahrer and Stevenson, {Kevin B.} and Megan Mansfield and Moran, {Sarah E.} and Jonathan Brande and Giuseppe Morello and Murray, {Catriona A.} and Nikolov, {Nikolay K.} and {Petit dit de la Roche}, {Dominique J. M.} and Everett Schlawin and Wheatley, {Peter J.} and Sebastian Zieba and Batalha, {Natasha E.} and Mario Damiano and Goyal, {Jayesh M.} and Monika Lendl and Lothringer, {Joshua D.} and Sagnick Mukherjee and Kazumasa Ohno and Batalha, {Natalie M.} and Battley, {Matthew P.} and Bean, {Jacob L.} and Beatty, {Thomas G.} and Bj{\"o}rn Benneke and Berta-Thompson, {Zachory K.} and Carter, {Aarynn L.} and Cubillos, {Patricio E.} and Tansu Daylan and N{\'e}stor Espinoza and Peter Gao and Gibson, {Neale P.} and Samuel Gill and Joseph Harrington and Renyu Hu and Laura Kreidberg and Lewis, {Nikole K.} and Line, {Michael R.} and Mercedes L{\'o}pez-Morales and Vivien Parmentier and Powell, {Diana K.} and Sing, {David K.} and Shang-Min Tsai and Wakeford, {Hannah R.} and Luis Welbanks and Alam, {Munazza K.} and Lili Alderson and Allen, {Natalie H.} and Anderson, {David R.} and Barstow, {Joanna K.} and Daniel Bayliss and Bell, {Taylor J.} and Jasmina Blecic and Bryant, {Edward M.} and Burleigh, {Matthew R.} and Ludmila Carone and Casewell, {S. L.} and Quentin Changeat and Chubb, {Katy L.} and Crossfield, {Ian J. M.} and Nicolas Crouzet and Leen Decin and Jean-Michel D{\'e}sert and Feinstein, {Adina D.} and Laura Flagg and Fortney, {Jonathan J.} and Gizis, {John E.} and Kevin Heng and Nicolas Iro and Kempton, {Eliza M. -R.} and Sarah Kendrew and James Kirk and Knutson, {Heather A.} and Komacek, {Thaddeus D.} and Pierre-Olivier Lagage and J{\'e}r{\'e}my Leconte and Jacob Lustig-Yaeger and MacDonald, {Ryan J.} and Luigi Mancini and May, {E. M.} and Mayne, {N. J.} and Yamila Miguel and Thomas Mikal-Evans and Karan Molaverdikhani and Enric Palle and Caroline Piaulet and Rackham, {Benjamin V.} and Seth Redfield and Rogers, {Laura K.} and Pierre-Alexis Roy and Zafar Rustamkulov and Shkolnik, {Evgenya L.} and Sotzen, {Kristin S.} and Jake Taylor and P. Tremblin and Tucker, {Gregory S.} and Turner, {Jake D.} and {de Val-Borro}, Miguel and Olivia Venot and Xi Zhang",

note = "Funding: The NGTS facility is operated by a consortium of institutes with support from the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) under projects ST/M001962/1, ST/S002642/1 and ST/W003163/1. This paper includes data collected by the TESS mission, obtained from MAST at STScI. Funding for the TESS mission is provided by the NASA{\textquoteright}s Science Mission Directorate. This article is supported by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to fund open access through the University of Warwick.",

year = "2023",

month = feb,

day = "23",

doi = "10.1038/s41586-022-05590-4",

language = "English",

volume = "614",

pages = "653–658",

journal = "Nature",

issn = "0028-0836",

publisher = "Nature publishing group",

number = "7949",

}

Ahrer, E-M, Stevenson, KB, Mansfield, M, Moran, SE, Brande, J, Morello, G, Murray, CA, Nikolov, NK, Petit dit de la Roche, DJM, Schlawin, E, Wheatley, PJ, Zieba, S, Batalha, NE, Damiano, M, Goyal, JM, Lendl, M, Lothringer, JD, Mukherjee, S, Ohno, K, Batalha, NM, Battley, MP, Bean, JL, Beatty, TG, Benneke, B, Berta-Thompson, ZK, Carter, AL, Cubillos, PE, Daylan, T, Espinoza, N, Gao, P, Gibson, NP, Gill, S, Harrington, J, Hu, R, Kreidberg, L, Lewis, NK, Line, MR, López-Morales, M, Parmentier, V, Powell, DK, Sing, DK, Tsai, S-M, Wakeford, HR, Welbanks, L, Alam, MK, Alderson, L, Allen, NH, Anderson, DR, Barstow, JK, Bayliss, D, Bell, TJ, Blecic, J, Bryant, EM, Burleigh, MR, Carone, L, Casewell, SL, Changeat, Q, Chubb, KL, Crossfield, IJM, Crouzet, N, Decin, L, Désert, J-M, Feinstein, AD, Flagg, L, Fortney, JJ, Gizis, JE, Heng, K, Iro, N, Kempton, EM-R, Kendrew, S, Kirk, J, Knutson, HA, Komacek, TD, Lagage, P-O, Leconte, J, Lustig-Yaeger, J, MacDonald, RJ, Mancini, L, May, EM, Mayne, NJ, Miguel, Y, Mikal-Evans, T, Molaverdikhani, K, Palle, E, Piaulet, C, Rackham, BV, Redfield, S, Rogers, LK, Roy, P-A, Rustamkulov, Z, Shkolnik, EL, Sotzen, KS, Taylor, J, Tremblin, P, Tucker, GS, Turner, JD, de Val-Borro, M, Venot, O & Zhang, X 2023, 'Early Release Science of the exoplanet WASP-39b with JWST NIRCam', Nature, vol. 614, no. 7949, pp. 653–658. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05590-4

TY - JOUR

T1 - Early Release Science of the exoplanet WASP-39b with JWST NIRCam

AU - Ahrer, Eva-Maria

AU - Stevenson, Kevin B.

AU - Mansfield, Megan

AU - Moran, Sarah E.

AU - Brande, Jonathan

AU - Morello, Giuseppe

AU - Murray, Catriona A.

AU - Nikolov, Nikolay K.

AU - Petit dit de la Roche, Dominique J. M.

AU - Schlawin, Everett

AU - Wheatley, Peter J.

AU - Zieba, Sebastian

AU - Batalha, Natasha E.

AU - Damiano, Mario

AU - Goyal, Jayesh M.

AU - Lendl, Monika

AU - Lothringer, Joshua D.

AU - Mukherjee, Sagnick

AU - Ohno, Kazumasa

AU - Batalha, Natalie M.

AU - Battley, Matthew P.

AU - Bean, Jacob L.

AU - Beatty, Thomas G.

AU - Benneke, Björn

AU - Berta-Thompson, Zachory K.

AU - Carter, Aarynn L.

AU - Cubillos, Patricio E.

AU - Daylan, Tansu

AU - Espinoza, Néstor

AU - Gao, Peter

AU - Gibson, Neale P.

AU - Gill, Samuel

AU - Harrington, Joseph

AU - Hu, Renyu

AU - Kreidberg, Laura

AU - Lewis, Nikole K.

AU - Line, Michael R.

AU - López-Morales, Mercedes

AU - Parmentier, Vivien

AU - Powell, Diana K.

AU - Sing, David K.

AU - Tsai, Shang-Min

AU - Wakeford, Hannah R.

AU - Welbanks, Luis

AU - Alam, Munazza K.

AU - Alderson, Lili

AU - Allen, Natalie H.

AU - Anderson, David R.

AU - Barstow, Joanna K.

AU - Bayliss, Daniel

AU - Bell, Taylor J.

AU - Blecic, Jasmina

AU - Bryant, Edward M.

AU - Burleigh, Matthew R.

AU - Carone, Ludmila

AU - Casewell, S. L.

AU - Changeat, Quentin

AU - Chubb, Katy L.

AU - Crossfield, Ian J. M.

AU - Crouzet, Nicolas

AU - Decin, Leen

AU - Désert, Jean-Michel

AU - Feinstein, Adina D.

AU - Flagg, Laura

AU - Fortney, Jonathan J.

AU - Gizis, John E.

AU - Heng, Kevin

AU - Iro, Nicolas

AU - Kempton, Eliza M. -R.

AU - Kendrew, Sarah

AU - Kirk, James

AU - Knutson, Heather A.

AU - Komacek, Thaddeus D.

AU - Lagage, Pierre-Olivier

AU - Leconte, Jérémy

AU - Lustig-Yaeger, Jacob

AU - MacDonald, Ryan J.

AU - Mancini, Luigi

AU - May, E. M.

AU - Mayne, N. J.

AU - Miguel, Yamila

AU - Mikal-Evans, Thomas

AU - Molaverdikhani, Karan

AU - Palle, Enric

AU - Piaulet, Caroline

AU - Rackham, Benjamin V.

AU - Redfield, Seth

AU - Rogers, Laura K.

AU - Roy, Pierre-Alexis

AU - Rustamkulov, Zafar

AU - Shkolnik, Evgenya L.

AU - Sotzen, Kristin S.

AU - Taylor, Jake

AU - Tremblin, P.

AU - Tucker, Gregory S.

AU - Turner, Jake D.

AU - de Val-Borro, Miguel

AU - Venot, Olivia

AU - Zhang, Xi

N1 - Funding: The NGTS facility is operated by a consortium of institutes with support from the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) under projects ST/M001962/1, ST/S002642/1 and ST/W003163/1. This paper includes data collected by the TESS mission, obtained from MAST at STScI. Funding for the TESS mission is provided by the NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. This article is supported by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to fund open access through the University of Warwick.

PY - 2023/2/23

Y1 - 2023/2/23

N2 - Measuring the metallicity and carbon-to-oxygen (C/O) ratio in exoplanet atmospheres is a fundamental step towards constraining the dominant chemical processes at work and, if in equilibrium, revealing planet formation histories. Transmission spectroscopy e.g., refs.1,2) provides the necessary means by constraining the abundances of oxygen- and carbon-bearing species; however, this requires broad wavelength coverage, moderate spectral resolution, and high precision that, together, are not achievable with previous observatories. Now that JWST has commenced science operations, we are able to observe exoplanets at previously uncharted wavelengths and spectral resolutions. Here we report time-series observations of the transiting exoplanet WASP-39b using JWST’s Near InfraRed Camera (NIRCam). The long-wavelength spectroscopic and short-wavelength photometric light curves span 2.0 – 4.0 µm, exhibit minimal systematics, and reveal well-defined molecular absorption features in the planet’s spectrum. Specifically, we detect gaseous H2O in the atmosphere and place an upper limit on the abundance of CH4. The otherwise prominent CO2 feature at 2.8 µm is largely masked by H2O. The best-fit chemical equilibrium models favour an atmospheric metallicity of 1–100× solar (i.e., an enrichment of elements heavier than helium relative to the Sun) and a sub-stellar carbon-to-oxygen (C/O) ratio. The inferred high metallicity and low C/O ratio may indicate significant accretion of solid materials during planet formation (e.g., refs.3,4) or disequilibrium processes in the upper atmosphere (e.g., refs.5,6).

AB - Measuring the metallicity and carbon-to-oxygen (C/O) ratio in exoplanet atmospheres is a fundamental step towards constraining the dominant chemical processes at work and, if in equilibrium, revealing planet formation histories. Transmission spectroscopy e.g., refs.1,2) provides the necessary means by constraining the abundances of oxygen- and carbon-bearing species; however, this requires broad wavelength coverage, moderate spectral resolution, and high precision that, together, are not achievable with previous observatories. Now that JWST has commenced science operations, we are able to observe exoplanets at previously uncharted wavelengths and spectral resolutions. Here we report time-series observations of the transiting exoplanet WASP-39b using JWST’s Near InfraRed Camera (NIRCam). The long-wavelength spectroscopic and short-wavelength photometric light curves span 2.0 – 4.0 µm, exhibit minimal systematics, and reveal well-defined molecular absorption features in the planet’s spectrum. Specifically, we detect gaseous H2O in the atmosphere and place an upper limit on the abundance of CH4. The otherwise prominent CO2 feature at 2.8 µm is largely masked by H2O. The best-fit chemical equilibrium models favour an atmospheric metallicity of 1–100× solar (i.e., an enrichment of elements heavier than helium relative to the Sun) and a sub-stellar carbon-to-oxygen (C/O) ratio. The inferred high metallicity and low C/O ratio may indicate significant accretion of solid materials during planet formation (e.g., refs.3,4) or disequilibrium processes in the upper atmosphere (e.g., refs.5,6).

U2 - 10.1038/s41586-022-05590-4

DO - 10.1038/s41586-022-05590-4

M3 - Article

SN - 0028-0836

VL - 614

SP - 653

EP - 658

JO - Nature

JF - Nature

IS - 7949

ER -

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

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