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An Optical Transmission Spectrum for the Ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-121b Measured with the <i>Hubble Space Telescope</i>
摘要： We present an atmospheric transmission spectrum for the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-121b, measured using the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on board the Hubble Space Telescope. Across the 0.47–1 mm wavelength range, the data imply an atmospheric opacity comparable to—and in some spectroscopic channels exceeding—that previously measured at near-infrared wavelengths (1.15–1.65 mm). Wavelength-dependent variations in the opacity rule out a gray cloud deck at a confidence level of 3.7σ and may instead be explained by VO spectral bands. We find a cloud-free model assuming chemical equilibrium for a temperature of 1500 K and a metal enrichment of 10–30× solar matches these data well. Using a free-chemistry retrieval analysis, we estimate a VO abundance of -6.6 +0.3 -0.2 dex. We find no evidence for TiO and place a 3σ upper limit of ?7.9 dex on its abundance, suggesting TiO may have condensed from the gas phase at the day–night limb. The opacity rises steeply at the shortest wavelengths, increasing by approximately five pressure scale heights from 0.47 to 0.3 mm in wavelength. If this feature is caused by Rayleigh scattering due to uniformly distributed aerosols, it would imply an unphysically high temperature of 6810 ± 1530 K. One alternative explanation for the short-wavelength rise is absorption due to SH (mercapto radical), which has been predicted as an important product of non-equilibrium chemistry in hot Jupiter atmospheres. Irrespective of the identity of the NUV absorber, it likely captures a significant amount of incident stellar radiation at low pressures, thus playing a significant role in the overall energy budget, thermal structure, and circulation of the atmosphere.
关键词： planets and satellites: gaseous planets,methods: observational,planets and satellites: atmospheres
更新于2025-09-23 15:23:52
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Mapping the thermal structure and minor species of Venus mesosphere with ALMA submillimeter observations
摘要： Context. Water vapor and sulfur compounds are key species in the photochemistry of Venus mesosphere. These species, together with mesospheric temperatures, exhibit drastic temporal variations, both on short timescales (diurnal and day-to-day) as well on long timescales, far from being understood. Aims. We targeted CO, SO, HDO and SO2 transitions in the submillimeter range using the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) to study their spatial and temporal variations. Methods. Four sets of observations were acquired on different dates in November 2011 during the first ALMA Early Science observation Cycle 0. Venus angular diameter was about 11'' with an illumination factor of 92%, so that mostly the day side of the planet was mapped. Assuming a nominal CO abundance profile, we retrieved vertical temperature profiles over the entire disk as a function of latitude and local time. Temperature profiles were later used to retrieve SO, SO2, and H2O. We used HDO as a tracer for water assuming a D/H enrichment of 200 times the terrestrial value. Results. We derived 3D maps of mesospheric temperatures in the altitude range 70?105 km. SO, SO2, and H2O are characterized by a negligible abundance below ～85 km followed by an increase with altitude in the upper mesosphere. Disk-averaged SO abundances present a maximum mixing ratio of 15.0 ± 3.1 ppb on November 26 followed the next day by a minimum value of 9.9 ± 1.2 ppb. Due to a very low S/N, SO2 could only be derived from the disk-averaged spectrum on the first day of observation revealing an abundance of 16.5 ± 4.6 ppb. We found a SO2/SO ratio of 1.5 ± 0.4. Global maps of SO reveal strong variations both with latitude and local time and from day to day with abundance ranging from <1 to 15 ppb. H2O disk-averages retrievals reveal a steady decrease from November 14 to 27, with the abundance varying from 3.6 ± 0.6 ppm on the first day to 2.9 ± 0.7 ppm on the last day. H2O maps reveal a slightly higher abundance on the evening side compared to the morning side and a strong depletion between the first and the second day of observation.
关键词： planets and satellites: individual: Venus,methods: data analysis,planets and satellites: atmospheres,submillimeter: planetary systems,instrumentation: interferometers,radiative transfer
更新于2025-09-23 15:23:52
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Neptune’s ring arcs: VLT/NACO near-infrared observations and a model to explain their stability
摘要： Context. Neptune’s incomplete ring arcs have been stable since their discovery in 1984 although these structures should be destroyed in a few months through differential Keplerian motion. Regular imaging data are needed to address the question of the arc stability. Aims. We present the first NACO observations of Neptune’s ring arcs taken at 2.2 μm (Ks band) with the Very Large Telescope in August 2007, and propose a model for the arc stability based on co-orbital motion. Methods. The images were aligned using the ephemerides of the satellites Proteus and Triton and were suitably co-added to enhance ring or satellite signals. Resonance theory and N-body simulations were used to model the arcs’ confinement. Results. We derive accurate mean motion values for the arcs and Galatea and confirm the mismatch between the arcs’ position and the location of the 42:43 corotation inclination resonance. We propose a new confinement mechanism where small co-orbital satellites in equilibrium trap ring arc material. We constrain the masses and locations of these hypothetical co-orbital bodies.
关键词： planets and satellites: individual: Neptune,celestial mechanics,techniques: photometric,planets and satellites: rings
更新于2025-09-23 15:23:52
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Detection of He?I λ10830 ? absorption on HD 189733 b with CARMENES high-resolution transmission spectroscopy
摘要： We present three transit observations of HD 189733 b obtained with the high-resolution spectrograph CARMENES at Calar Alto. A strong absorption signal is detected in the near-infrared He I triplet at 10830 ? in all three transits. During mid-transit, the mean absorption level is 0.88 ± 0.04% measured in a 10 km s?1 range at a net blueshift of ?3.5 ± 0.4 km s?1. The absorption signal exhibits radial velocities of +6.5 ± 1.0 km s?1 and ?12.6 ± 3.1 km s?1 during ingress and egress, respectively; all radial velocities are measured in the planetary rest frame. We show that stellar activity related pseudo-signals interfere with the planetary atmospheric absorption signal. They could contribute as much as 80% of the observed signal and might also affect the observed radial velocity signature, but pseudo-signals are very unlikely to explain the entire signal. The observed line ratio between the two unresolved and the third line of the He I triplet is 2.8 ± 0.2, which strongly deviates from the value expected for an optically thin atmospheres. When interpreted in terms of absorption in the planetary atmosphere, this favors a compact helium atmosphere with an extent of only 0.2 planetary radii and a substantial column density on the order of 4 × 1012 cm?2. The observed radial velocities can be understood either in terms of atmospheric circulation with equatorial superrotation or as a sign of an asymmetric atmospheric component of evaporating material. We detect no clear signature of ongoing evaporation, like pre- or post-transit absorption, which could indicate material beyond the planetary Roche lobe, or radial velocities in excess of the escape velocity. These findings do not contradict planetary evaporation, but only show that the detected helium absorption in HD 189733 b does not trace the atmospheric layers that show pronounced escape signatures.
关键词： stars: activity,planets and satellites: individual: HD 189773 b,infrared: planetary systems,planets and satellites: atmospheres,planet-star interactions,techniques: spectroscopic
更新于2025-09-23 15:23:52
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High-speed photometry of the eclipsing polar UZ Fornacis
摘要： We present 33 new mid-eclipse times spanning approximately eight years of the eclipsing polar UZ Fornacis. We have used our new observations to test the two-planet model previously proposed to explain the variations in its eclipse times measured over the past ～35 yr. We find that the proposed model does indeed follow the general trend of the new eclipse times, however, there are significant departures. In order to accommodate the new eclipse times, the two-planet model requires that one or both of the planets require highly eccentric orbits, that is, e ≥ 0.4. Such multiple planet orbits are considered to be unstable. Whilst our new observations are consistent with two cyclic variations as previously predicted, significant residuals remain. We conclude that either additional cyclic terms, possibly associated with more planets, or other mechanisms, such as the Applegate mechanism are contributing to the eclipse time variations. Further long-term monitoring is required.
关键词： planets and satellites: detection,planets and satellites: formation,stars: individual: UZ Fornacis,novae, cataclysmic variables,binaries: eclipsing
更新于2025-09-23 15:23:52
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Diffuser-assisted Photometric Follow-up Observations of the Neptune-sized Planets K2-28b and K2-100b
摘要： We present precision transit observations of the Neptune-sized planets K2-28b and K2-100b using the Engineered Diffuser on the Astrophysical Research Council Telescope Imaging Camera (ARCTIC) imager on the ARC 3.5 m Telescope at Apache Point Observatory. K2-28b is a Rp = 2.56 R⊕ mini-Neptune transiting a bright (J = 11.7) metal-rich M4 dwarf offering compelling prospects for future atmospheric characterization. K2-100b is an Rp = 3.45 R⊕ Neptune in the Praesepe Cluster and is one of few planets known in a cluster transiting a host star bright enough (V = 10.5) for precision radial velocity observations. Using the precision photometric capabilities of the diffuser/ARCTIC system allows us to achieve a precision of 365 ppm and 70 ppm in 30-minute bins for K2-28b and K2-100b, respectively. Our joint-fits to the K2 and ground-based light curves give an order-of-magnitude improvement in the orbital ephemeris for both planets, yielding a timing precision of 2 minutes in the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) era. Although we show that the currently available broad-band measurements of K2-28b’s radius are currently too imprecise to place useful constraints on K2-28b’s atmosphere, we demonstrate that JWST/NIRISS will be able to discern between a cloudy/clear atmosphere in a modest number of transit observations. Our light curve of K2-100b marks the first transit follow-up observation of this challenging-to-observe transit, where we obtain a transit depth of 822 ± 50 ppm in the SDSS i′ band. We conclude that diffuser-assisted photometry can play an important role in the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) era to perform timely and precise follow-up of the expected bounty of TESS planet candidates.
关键词： techniques: photometric,planets and satellites: fundamental parameters
更新于2025-09-23 15:23:52
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Characteristics of Orbit Determination with Short-Arc Observation by an Optical Tracking Network, OWL-Net
摘要： An optical tracking network, the Optical Wide-field patroL Network (OWL-Net), has been developed to maintain the orbital ephemeris of 11 domestic low Earth orbit satellites. The schedule overlapped events were occurred in the scheduling of the OWL-Net with reduction of the optical observation chances. A short-arc observation strategy for the OWL-Net was tested to reduce schedule overlapped events with the optical observation simulation and the orbit determination. In the full-scale optical observation simulation from January 2014 to December 2016, the most frequent overlapped events were occurred 127, 132, and 116 times in the 4th, 34th, and 18th weeks of 2014, 2015, and 2016, respectively. The average number of overlapped event for three years was over 10% for the whole observation chances of five stations. Consequently, the short-arc observation strategy reduced the schedule overlapped events for every observation target of the OWL-Net. In case of the 5 s and 10 s cases, the most schedule overlapped events were removed. The test results of the orbit determination results show that the most maximum orbit prediction errors after seven days are maintained at <10 km in the in-track direction for the short-arc observation simulations. The results demonstrate that the short-arc optical observation strategy is more optimal to maintaining the accuracy of orbital ephemeris with more observation chances.
关键词： short-arc observation,optical tracking network,OWL-Net,orbit determination,LEO satellites
更新于2025-09-23 15:23:52
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Rotationally resolved spectroscopy of (20000) Varuna in the near-infrared
摘要： Context. Models of the escape and retention of volatiles by minor icy objects exclude any presence of volatile ices on the surface of trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) smaller than ～1000 km in diameter at the typical temperature in this region of the solar system, whereas the same models show that water ice is stable on the surface of objects over a wide range of diameters. Collisions and cometary activity have been used to explain the process of surface refreshing of TNOs and Centaurs. These processes can produce surface heterogeneity that can be studied by collecting information at di?erent rotational phases. Aims. The aims of this work are to study the surface composition of (20000) Varuna, a TNO with a diameter 668+154 ?86 km and to search for indications of rotational variability. Methods. We observed (20000) Varuna during two consecutive nights in January 2011 with the near-infrared camera and spectrometer NICS at the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo, La Palma, Spain. We used the low resolution mode with the AMICI prism to obtain a set of spectra covering the whole rotation period of the Varuna (Pr = 6.34 h). We ?t the resulting relative re?ectance with radiative transfer models of the surface of atmosphereless bodies. Results. After studying the spectra corresponding to di?erent rotational phases of Varuna, we did not ?nd any indication of surface variability at 2σ level. In all the spectra, we detect an absorption at 2.0 μm, suggesting the presence of water ice on the surface. We do not detect any other volatiles on the surface, although the signal-to-noise ratio is not high enough to discard their presence in small quantities. Based on scattering models, we present two possible compositions compatible with our set of data and discuss their implications in the framework of the collisional history of the trans-Neptunian belt. Conclusions. We ?nd that the most probable composition for the surface of Varuna is a mixture of amorphous silicates, complex organics, and water ice. This composition is compatible with all the materials being primordial, so no replenishment mechanism is needed in the equation. However, our data can also be ?tted by models containing up to a 10% of methane ice. For an object with the characteristics of Varuna, this volatile could not be primordial, so an event, such as an energetic impact, would be needed to explain its presence on the surface.
关键词： Kuiper belt objects: individual: (2000) Varuna,planets and satellites: composition,methods: numerical,techniques: spectroscopic,methods: observational
更新于2025-09-23 15:23:52
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Europa’s Optical Aurora
摘要： Auroral emissions provide opportunities to study the tenuous atmospheres of solar system satellites, revealing the presence and abundance of molecular and atomic species as well as their spatial and temporal variability. Far-UV aurorae have been used for decades to study the atmospheres of the Galilean satellites. Here we present the first detection of Europa’s visible-wavelength atomic oxygen aurora at 6300/6364 ? arising from the metastable O(1D) state, observed with the Keck I and Hubble Space Telescope while Europa was in eclipse by Jupiter on six occasions in 2018 February–April. The disk-integrated O(1D) brightness varies from <500 R up to more than 2 kR between dates, a factor of 15 higher than the O I 1356 ? brightness on average. The ratio of emission at 6300/5577 ? is diagnostic of the parent molecule; the 5577 ? emission was not detected in our data set, which favors O2 as the dominant atmospheric constituent and rules out an O/O2 mixing ratio above 0.35. For an O2 atmosphere and typical plasma conditions at Europa’s orbit, the measured surface brightness range corresponds to column densities of (1–9)×10^14 cm^?2.
关键词： planets and satellites: aurorae,planets and satellites: atmospheres
更新于2025-09-23 15:22:29
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A CLOUDINESS INDEX FOR TRANSITING EXOPLANETS BASED ON THE SODIUM AND POTASSIUM LINES: TENTATIVE EVIDENCE FOR HOTTER ATMOSPHERES BEING LESS CLOUDY AT VISIBLE WAVELENGTHS
摘要： We present a dimensionless index that quantifies the degree of cloudiness of the atmosphere of a transiting exoplanet. Our cloudiness index is based on measuring the transit radii associated with the line center and wing of the sodium or potassium line. In deriving this index, we revisited the algebraic formulae for inferring the isothermal pressure scale height from transit measurements. We demonstrate that the formulae of Lecavelier et al. and Benneke & Seager are identical: the former is inferring the temperature while assuming a value for the mean molecular mass and the latter is inferring the mean molecular mass while assuming a value for the temperature. More importantly, these formulae cannot be used to distinguish between cloudy and cloud-free atmospheres. We derive values of our cloudiness index for a small sample of seven hot Saturns/Jupiters taken from Sing et al. We show that WASP-17b, WASP-31b, and HAT-P-1b are nearly cloud-free at visible wavelengths. We find the tentative trend that more irradiated atmospheres tend to have fewer clouds consisting of sub-micron-sized particles. We also derive absolute sodium and/or potassium abundances ～102 cm?3 for WASP-17b, WASP-31b, and HAT-P-1b (and upper limits for the other objects). Higher-resolution measurements of both the sodium and potassium lines, for a larger sample of exoplanetary atmospheres, are needed to confirm or refute this trend.
关键词： planets and satellites: atmospheres,methods: analytical
更新于2025-09-23 15:22:29