Published 2023 | Version v1
Journal article

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

Ahrer, E.-M.
Stevenson, Kevin B.
Mansfield, Megan
Moran, S.E.
Brande, Jonathan
Morello, G.
Murray, C.A.
Nikolov, Nikolay K.
Petit Dit de la Roche, Dominique J.M.
Schlawin, E.
Wheatley, Peter J.
Zieba, Sebastian
Batalha, N.E.
Damiano, Mario
Goyal, Jayesh M.
Lendl, M.
Lothringer, Joshua D.
Mukherjee, Sagnick
Ohno, K.
Batalha, Natalie M.
Battley, Matthew P.
Bean, J.L.
Beatty, Thomas G.
Benneke, Björn
Berta-Thompson, Z.K.
Carter, Aarynn L.
Cubillos, P.E.
Daylan, T.
Espinoza, N.
Gao, Peter
Gibson, Neale P.
Gill, S.
Harrington, Joseph
Hu, Renyu
Kreidberg, L.
Lewis, Nikole K.
Line, Michael R.
López-Morales, M.
Parmentier, V.
Powell, Diana K.
Sing, D.K.
Tsai, S.-M.
Wakeford, Hannah R.
Welbanks, Luis
Alam, M.K.
Alderson, L.
Allen, Natalie H.
Anderson, D.R.
Barstow, J.K.
Bayliss, D.
Bell, Taylor J.
Blecic, Jasmina
Bryant, E.M.
Burleigh, Matthew R.
Carone, Ludmila
Casewell, Sarah L.
Changeat, Q.
Chubb, K.L.
Crossfield, Ian J.M.
Crouzet, Nicolas
Decin, L.
Désert, Jean Michel
Feinstein, A.D.
Flagg, L.
Fortney, J.J.
Gizis, John E.
Heng, Kevin
Iro, N.
Kempton, Eliza Miller Ricci
Kendrew, Sarah
Kirk, J.
Knutson, Heather A.
Komacek, T.D.
Lagage, P.-O.
Leconte, Jérémy
Lustig-Yaeger, J.
Macdonald, R.J.
Mancini, L.
May, Erin M.
Mayne, Nathan J.
Miguel, Y.
Mikal-Evans, Thomas
Molaverdikhani, K.
Palle, E.
Piaulet, C.
Rackham, B.V.
Redfield, Seth L.
Rogers, L.K.
Roy, P.-A.
Rustamkulov, Z.
Shkolnik, Evgenya L.
Sotzen, K.S.
Taylor, J.
Tremblin, Pascal
Tucker, G.S.
Turner, Jake D.
de Val-Borro, Miguel
Venot, O.
Zhang, Xi
Others:
University of Warwick [Coventry]
Johns Hopkins University (JHU)
University of Arizona
University of Kansas [Kansas City]
Universidad de La Laguna [Tenerife - SP] (ULL)
University of Colorado [Colorado Springs] (UCCS)
Space Telescope Science Institute (STSci)
Université de Genève = University of Geneva (UNIGE)
Universiteit Leiden
NASA Ames Research Center (ARC)
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) ; NASA-California Institute of Technology (CALTECH)
Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI)
Utah Valley University (UVU)
University of California (UC)
University of Chicago
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Université Côte d'Azur (UCA)
Université Paris Cité (UPCité)
Université Paris-Saclay
Université de Bordeaux (UB)
Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)
Université Paris-Est Créteil Val-de-Marne - Paris 12 (UPEC UP12)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA; Space Telescope Science Institute, STScI: NAS 5-03127; UK Research and Innovation, UKRI; Science Mission Directorate, SMD; Canadian Space Agency, CSA; Science and Technology Facilities Council, STFC: ST/M001962/1, ST/S002642/1, ST/W003163/1; University of Warwick; European Space Agency, ESA
This work is based in part on observations made with the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope. The data were obtained from the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (MAST) at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-03127 for JWST. These observations are associated with programme #1366. Support for this programme was provided by NASA through a grant from STScI. This work is based in part on data collected under the NGTS project at the European Southern Observatory's La Silla Paranal Observatory. 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.
This work is based in part on observations made with the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope. The data were obtained from the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (MAST) at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-03127 for JWST. These observations are associated with programme #1366. Support for this programme was provided by NASA through a grant from STScI. This work is based in part on data collected under the NGTS project at the European Southern Observatory's La Silla Paranal Observatory. 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.

Description

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 (for example, 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, which, 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 micrometres, exhibit minimal systematics and reveal well defined molecular absorption features in the planet's spectrum. Specifically, we detect gaseous water in the atmosphere and place an upper limit on the abundance of methane. The otherwise prominent carbon dioxide feature at 2.8 micrometres is largely masked by water. The best-fit chemical equilibrium models favour an atmospheric metallicity of 1–100-times solar (that is, an enrichment of elements heavier than helium relative to the Sun) and a substellar C/O ratio. The inferred high metallicity and low C/O ratio may indicate significant accretion of solid materials during planet formation (for example, refs. 3,4,) or disequilibrium processes in the upper atmosphere (for example, refs. 5,6).

Abstract

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Additional details

Created:
July 8, 2023
Modified:
December 1, 2023