Ultra-hot Jupiters Research Articles

From the Shadows: The Impact of Nightside Thermal Emission on Ultrahot Jupiter Transmission Spectrum Retrievals

Transmission spectroscopy is the most widely used technique for studying exoplanet atmospheres. Since the planetary nightside faces the observer during a transit, highly irradiated giant exoplanets with warm nightsides emit thermal radiation that can contaminate transmission spectra. Observations of ultrahot Jupiters in the near- and mid-infrared with JWST are especially susceptible to nightside contamination. However, nightside thermal emission is generally not considered in atmospheric retrievals of exoplanet transmission spectra. Here, we quantify the potential biases from neglecting nightside thermal emission in multidimensional atmospheric retrievals of an ultrahot Jupiter. Using simulated JWST transmission spectra of the ultrahot Jupiter WASP-33b (0.8–12 μm), we find that transmission spectrum retrievals without nightside emission can overestimate molecular abundances by almost an order of magnitude and underestimate the dayside temperature by ≳400 K. We show that a modified retrieval prescription, including both transmitted light and nightside thermal emission, correctly recovers the atmospheric properties and is favored by Bayesian model comparisons. Nightside thermal contamination can be readily implemented in retrieval models via a first-order approximation, and we provide formulae to estimate whether this effect is likely to be significant for a given planet. We recommend that nightside emission should be included as standard practice when interpreting ultrahot Jupiter transmission spectra with JWST.

The CHEOPS view of the climate of WASP-3 b

Hot Jupiters are giant planets subject to intense stellar radiation. The physical and chemical properties of their atmosphere make them the most amenable targets for atmospheric characterization. In this paper we analyze the photometry collected during the secondary eclipses of the hot Jupiter by and Our aim is to characterize the atmosphere of the planet by measuring the secondary eclipse depth in several passbands and constrain the planetary dayside spectrum. We updated the radius and the ephemeris of by analyzing the transit photometry collected by and We also analyzed the CHEOPS, TESS, and photometry of the occultations of the planet, measuring the eclipse depth at different wavelengths. Our update of the stellar and planetary properties is consistent with previous works. The analysis of the occultations returns an eclipse depth of 92pm 21 ppm in the CHEOPS passband, 83pm 27 ppm for TESS, and $>$2000 ppm in the IRAC 1-2-4 passbands. Using the eclipse depths in the bands, we propose a set of likely emission spectra that constrain the emission contribution in the CHEOPS and TESS passbands to approximately a few dozen parts per million. This allowed us to measure a geometric albedo of 0.21pm 0.07 in the CHEOPS passband, while the TESS data lead to a 95<!PCT!> upper limit of sim 0.2. belongs to the group of ultra-hot Jupiters that are characterized by a low Bond albedo (<0.3pm 0.1), as predicted by different atmospheric models. On the other hand, it seems to efficiently recirculate the absorbed stellar energy, which is not typical for similar, highly irradiated planets. To explain this inconsistency, we propose that other energy recirculation mechanisms are at play besides advection (for example, the dissociation and recombination of H$_2$). Another possibility is that the observations in different bandpasses probe different atmospheric layers; this would make the atmospheric analysis difficult without an appropriate modeling of the thermal emission spectrum of which is not feasible with the limited spectroscopic data available to date.

The GAPS programme at TNG. LXIII. Photo-evaporating puzzle: Exploring the enigmatic nature of TOI-5398 b's atmospheric signal

Atmospheric characterisation plays a key role in the study of exoplanetary systems, giving hints about the current and past conditions of the planets. The information retrieved from the analysis of pivotal lines such as the Halpha and triplet allow us to constrain the evolutionary path of the planets due to atmospheric photo-evaporation. After focussing for many years on ultra-hot Jupiters, atmospheric characterisation is slowly moving towards smaller and colder planets, which are harder to study due to the difficulties in extracting the planetary signal and which require more precise analysis. We aim to characterise the atmosphere of TOI-5398 b (P sim 10.59 days), the outer warm Saturn orbiting a young (sim 650 Myr) G-type star that also hosts the small inner planet TOI-5398 c (P sim 4.77 days). Both planets are suitable for atmospheric probing due to the closeness to their host star, which results in strong photo-evaporation processes, especially the larger outer one with an estimated transmission spectroscopy metric of 288 (higher than those of several well-known hot Jupiters). We investigated the atmosphere of planet b, analysing the data collected during a transit with HARPS-N and GIANO-B high-resolution spectrographs, employing both cross-correlation and single-line analysis to study the presence of atomic species. Incidentally, we recorded the simultaneous transit of planet c, and hence we also focussed on discerning the origin of the signal. We expect planet b to be the cause of the detected signal, since, according to existing evaporation models, it is currently expected to lose more mass than planet c. We detected the presence of Halpha and triplets, two markers of the photo-evaporation processes predicted for the system, retrieving a height in the atmosphere of 2.33 Rp and 1.65 Rp, respectively. We confirmed these predictions by employing the models computed with the ATES software, which predict a He I absorption arising from planet b comparable with the observed one. Moreover, the ATES models suggested an He/H ratio of 1/99 to match our observations. The investigation of atomic species led to the detection of an Na I doublet via single-line analysis, while the cross-correlation did not return a detection for any of the atomic species investigated.

Effects of the internal temperature on vertical mixing and on cloud structures in ultra-hot Jupiters

The vertical mixing in hot-Jupiter atmospheres plays a critical role in the formation and spacial distribution of cloud particles in their atmospheres. This affects the observed spectra of a planet through cloud opacity, which can be influenced by the degree of cold trapping of refractory species in the deep atmosphere. We aim to isolate the effects of the internal temperature on the mixing efficiency in the atmospheres of ultra-hot Jupiters (UHJs) and the spacial distribution of cloud particles across the planet. We combined a simplified tracer-based cloud model, a picket fence radiative-transfer scheme, and a mixing length theory to the Exo-FMS general circulation model. We ran the model for five different internal temperatures at typical UHJ atmosphere system parameters. Our results show the convective eddy diffusion coefficient remains low throughout the vast majority of the atmosphere, with mixing dominated by advective flows. However, some regions can show convective mixing in the upper atmosphere for colder interior temperatures. The vertical extent of the clouds is reduced as the internal temperature is increased. Additionally, a global cloud layer gets formed below the radiative--convective boundary (RCB) in the cooler cases. Convection is generally strongly inhibited in UHJ atmospheres above the RCB due to their strong irradiation. Convective mixing plays a minor role compared to advective mixing in keeping cloud particles aloft in UHJs with warm interiors. Higher vertical turbulent heat fluxes and the advection of potential temperature inhibit convection in warmer interiors. Our results suggest that isolated upper atmosphere regions above cold interiors may exhibit strong convective mixing in isolated regions around Rossby gyres, allowing aerosols to be better retained in these areas.

High-resolution Dayside Spectroscopy of WASP-189 b: Detection of Iron during the GHOST/Gemini South System Verification Run

With high equilibrium temperatures and tidally locked rotation, ultra-hot Jupiters (UHJs) are unique laboratories within which to probe extreme atmospheric physics and chemistry. In this paper, we present high-resolution dayside spectroscopy of the UHJ WASP-189 b obtained with the new Gemini High-resolution Optical SpecTrograph (GHOST) at the Gemini South Observatory. The observations, which cover 3 hr of post-eclipse orbital phases, were obtained during the instrument’s System Verification run. We detect the planet’s atmosphere via the Doppler cross-correlation technique, and recover a detection of neutral iron in the planet’s dayside atmosphere at a significance of 7.5σ in the red arm of the data, verifying the presence of a thermal inversion. We also investigate the presence of other species in the atmosphere and discuss the implications of model injection/recovery tests. These results represent the first atmospheric characterization of an exoplanet with GHOST’s high-resolution mode, and demonstrate the potential of this new instrument in detecting and studying ultra-hot exoplanet atmospheres.

The atmospheric composition of the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-178 b observed with ESPRESSO

Context. Ultra-hot Jupiters (UHJ) have emerged as ideal testbeds for new techniques for studying exoplanet atmospheres. Only a limited number of them are currently well studied, however. Aims. We search for atmospheric constituents for the UHJ WASP-178 b with two ESPRESSO transits. Additionally, we show parallel photometry that we used to obtain updated and precise stellar, planetary, and orbital parameters. Methods. The two transits we obtained were analysed with narrow-band transmission spectroscopy and with the cross-correlation technique to provide detections at different altitude levels. We focused on searching for Na I, Hα, Hβ, Hγ, Mg I, and Li I lines in narrow-band data, as well as Fe I and Fe II, and attempted to confirm Mg I with the cross-correlation technique. We corrected for the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect and regions with a low signal-to-noise ratio due to Na I absorption in the interstellar medium. We then verified our results via bootstrapping. Results. We report the resolved line detections of Na I (5.5σ and 5.4σ), Hα (13σ), Hβ (7.1σ), and tentatively Mg I (4.6σ). With a cross-correlation, we confirm the Mg I detection (7.8 σ and 5.8 σ), and we additionally report the detections of Fe I (12σ and 10σ) and Fe II (11σ and 8.4σ) on both nights separately. The detection of Mg I remains tentative, however, because the results on the two nights differ. The results also differ compared with the properties derived from the narrow-band data. Conclusions. None of our resolved spectral lines probing the middle to upper atmosphere shows significant shifts relative to the planetary rest frame. Hα and Hβ exhibit a respective line broadening of 39.6 ± 2.1 km s−1 and 27.6 ± 4.6 km s−1, however, indicating the onset of possible escape. WASP-178 b differs from similar UHJ by its lack of strong atmospheric dynamics in the upper atmosphere. The broadening seen for Fe I (15.66 ± 0.58 km s−1) and Fe II (11.32 ± 0.52 km s−1) might indicate the presence of winds in the mid-atmosphere, however. Future studies of the impact of the flux variability caused by the host star activity might shed more light on the subject. Previous work indicated the presence of SiO cloud-precursors in the atmosphere of WASP-178 b and a lack of Mg I and Fe II. However, our results suggest that a scenario in which the planetary atmosphere is dominated by Mg I and Fe II is more likely. In light of our results, we encourage future observations to further elucidate these atmospheric properties.

ESPRESSO reveals blueshifted neutral iron emission lines on the dayside of WASP-76 b

Context. Ultra hot Jupiters (gas giants with Teq > 2000 K) are intriguing exoplanets due to the extreme physics and chemistry present in their atmospheres. Their torrid daysides can be characterised using ground-based high-resolution emission spectroscopy. Aims. We search for signatures of neutral and singly ionised iron (Fe I and Fe II, respectively) in the dayside of the ultra hot Jupiter WASP-76 b, as these species were detected via transmission spectroscopy in this exoplanet. Furthermore, we aim to confirm the existence of a thermal inversion layer, which has been reported in previous studies, and attempt to constrain its properties. Methods. We observed WASP-76 b on four epochs with ESPRESSO at the VLT, at orbital phases shortly before and after the secondary transit, when the dayside is in view. We present the first analysis of high-resolution optical emission spectra for this exoplanet. We compare the data to synthetic templates created with petitRADTRANS, using cross-correlation function techniques. Results. We detect a blueshifted (−4.7 ± 0.3 km s−1) Fe I emission signature on the dayside of WASP-76 b at 6.0σ. The signal is detected independently both before and after the eclipse, and it is blueshifted in both cases. The presence of iron emission features confirms the existence of a thermal inversion layer. Fe II was not detected, possibly because this species is located in the upper layers of the atmosphere, which are more optically thin. Thus the Fe II signature on the dayside of WASP-76 b is too weak to be detected with emission spectroscopy. Conclusions. We propose that the blueshifted Fe I signature is created by material rising from the hot spot to the upper layers of the atmosphere, and discuss possible scenarios related to the position of the hotspot. This work unveils some of the dynamic processes ongoing on the dayside of the ultra hot Jupiter WASP-76 b through the analysis of the Fe I signature from its atmosphere, and complements previous knowledge obtained from transmission studies. It also highlights the ability of ESPRESSO to probe the dayside of this class of exoplanets.

Colorado Ultraviolet Transit Experiment Near-ultraviolet Transmission Spectroscopy of the Ultrahot Jupiter KELT-9b

We present new near-ultraviolet (NUV, λ = 2479–3306 Å) transmission spectroscopy of KELT-9b, the hottest known exoplanet, obtained with the Colorado Ultraviolet Transit Experiment CubeSat. Two transits were observed on 2022 September 28th and September 29th, referred to as Visits 1 and 2 respectively. Using a combined transit and systematics model for each visit, the best-fit broadband NUV light curves are R p/R ⋆ = 0.136 −0.0146+0.0125 for Visit 1 and R p/R ⋆ = 0.111 −0.0190+0.0162 for Visit 2, appearing an average of 1.54× larger in the NUV than at optical wavelengths. While the systematics between the two visits vary considerably, the two broadband NUV light curves are consistent with each other. A transmission spectrum with 25 Å bins suggests a general trend of excess absorption in the NUV, consistent with expectations for ultrahot Jupiters. Although we see an extended atmosphere in the NUV, the reduced data lack the sensitivity to probe individual spectral lines.

Evidence for Nightside Water Emission Found in Transit of Ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-33 b

To date, the dayside thermal structure of ultra-hot Jupiters (UHJs) is generally considered to be inverted, but their nightside thermal structure has been less explored. Here, we explore the impact of nightside thermal emission on high-resolution infrared transmission spectroscopy, which should not be neglected, especially for UHJs. We present a general equation for the high-resolution transmission spectrum that includes planetary nightside thermal emission. This provides a new way to infer the thermal structure of the planetary nightside with high-resolution transmission spectroscopy. Using the cross-correlation technique, we find evidence for the presence of an H2O emission signature on the UHJ WASP-33 b during the transit, indicating an inverted temperature structure on its nightside. Such a result suggests a stronger heat transport through the circulation than currently expected. An alternative explanation is that the rotating visible hemisphere during transit leads to the potential contribution of the limb and dayside atmospheres to the detected emission signature. In the future, the combination of high-resolution, full-phase-curve spectroscopic observations and general circulation models will hopefully solve this puzzle and provide a complete picture of the three-dimensional nature of the chemistry, circulation, and thermal structure of UHJs.

Phase-resolving the Absorption Signatures of Water and Carbon Monoxide in the Atmosphere of the Ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-121b with GEMINI-S/IGRINS

Ultra-hot Jupiters (UHJs) are among the best targets for atmospheric characterization at high spectral resolution. Resolving their transmission spectra as a function of orbital phase offers a unique window into the 3D nature of these objects. In this work, we present three transits of the UHJ WASP-121b observed with Gemini-S/IGRINS. For the first time, we measure the phase-dependent absorption signals of CO and H2O in the atmosphere of an exoplanet, and we find that they are different. While the blueshift of CO increases during the transit, the absorption lines of H2O become less blueshifted with phase, and even show a redshift in the second half of the transit. These measurements reveal the distinct spatial distributions of both molecules across the atmospheres of UHJs. Also, we find that the H2O signal is absent in the first quarter of the transit, potentially hinting at cloud formation on the evening terminator of WASP-121b. To further interpret the absorption trails of CO and H2O, as well as the Doppler shifts of Fe previously measured with VLT/ESPRESSO, we compare the data to simulated transits of WASP-121b. To this end, we post-process the outputs of the global circulation models with a 3D Monte-Carlo radiative transfer code. Our analysis shows that the atmosphere of WASP-121b is subject to atmospheric drag, as previously suggested by small hotspot offsets inferred from phase-curve observations. Our study highlights the importance of phase-resolved spectroscopy in unravelling the complex atmospheric structure of UHJs and sets the stage for further investigations into their chemistry and dynamics.

Exploring the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-178b

Despite recent progress in the spectroscopic characterization of individual exoplanets, the atmospheres of key ultra-hot Jupiters (UHJs) still lack comprehensive investigations. These include WASP-178b, one of the most irradiated UHJs known to date. We observed the dayside emission signal of this planet with CRIRES+ in the spectral K band. By applying the cross-correlation technique and a Bayesian retrieval framework to the high-resolution spectra, we identified the emission signature of 12CO (S/N = 8.9) and H2O (S/N = 4.9), and a strong atmospheric thermal inversion. A joint retrieval with space-based secondary eclipse measurements from TESS and CHEOPS allowed us to refine our results on the thermal profile and thus to constrain the atmospheric chemistry, yielding a solar to super-solar metallicity (1.4 ± 1.6 dex) and a solar C/O ratio (0.6 ± 0.2). We infer a significant excess of spectral line broadening and identify a slight Doppler-shift between the 12CO and H2O signals. These findings provide strong evidence for a super-rotating atmospheric flow pattern and suggest the possible existence of chemical inhomogeneities across the planetary dayside hemisphere. In addition, the inclusion of photometric data in our retrieval allows us to account for stellar light reflected by the planetary atmosphere, resulting in an upper limit on the geometric albedo (0.23). The successful characterization of WASP-178b’s atmosphere through a joint analysis of CRIRES+, TESS, and CHEOPS observations highlights the potential of combined studies with space- and ground-based instruments and represents a promising avenue for advancing our understanding of exoplanet atmospheres.

Doomed Worlds. I. No New Evidence for Orbital Decay in a Long-term Survey of 43 Ultrahot Jupiters

Ultrahot Jupiters (UHJs) are likely doomed by tidal forces to undergo orbital decay and eventual disruption by their stars, but the timescale over which this process unfolds is unknown. We present results from a long-term project to monitor UHJ transits. We recovered WASP-12 b’s orbital decay rate of Ṗ=−29.8±1.6 ms yr−1, in agreement with prior work. Five other systems initially had promising nonlinear transit ephemerides. However, a closer examination of two—WASP-19 b and CoRoT-2 b, both with prior tentative detections—revealed several independent errors with the literature timing data; after correction, neither planet shows signs of orbital decay. Meanwhile, a potential decreasing period for TrES-1 b, Ṗ=−16±5 ms yr−1, corresponds to a tidal quality factor Q⋆′=160 and likely does not result from orbital decay if driven by dissipation within the host star. Nominal period increases in two systems, WASP-121 b and WASP-46 b, rest on a small handful of points. Only 1/43 planets (WASP-12 b) in our sample is experiencing detectable orbital decay. For nearly half (20/42), we can rule out Ṗ as high as observed for WASP-12 b. Thus, while many UHJs could still be experiencing rapid decay that we cannot yet detect, a sizable subpopulation of UHJs are decaying at least an order of magnitude more slowly than WASP-12 b. Our reanalysis of Kepler-1658 b with no new data finds that it remains a promising orbital decay candidate. Finally, we recommend that the scientific community take steps to avoid spurious detections through better management of the multi-decade-spanning data sets needed to search for and study planetary orbital decay.

The phase curve of the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-167b as seen by TESS

Context. Ultra-hot Jupiters (UHJs) orbiting pulsating A/F stars represent an important subset of the exoplanetary demographic. They are excellent candidates for the study of exoplanetary atmospheres, and are astrophysical laboratories for the investigation of planet-to- star interactions. Aims. We analysed the TESS light curve of the WASP-167 system, consisting of an F1V star and a substellar companion on a ~2.02 day orbit. Methods. We modelled the combination of the ellipsoidal variability and the Doppler beaming to measure the mass of WASP-167b, and the reflection effect to obtain constraints on the geometric albedo, while placing a special emphasis on noise separation. We implemented a basic model to determine the dayside (TDay), nightside (TNight), and intrinsic (TInternal) temperatures of WASP-167b, and put a constraint on its Bond albedo. Results. We confirm the transit parameters of the planet seen in the literature. We find that a resonant ~2P−1 stellar signal (which may originate from planet-to-star interactions) interferes with the phase curve analysis. After careful and thought-out treatment of this signal, we find Mp = 0.34 ± 0.22 MJ. We measure a dayside temperature of 2790 ± 100 K, classifying WASP-167b as an UHJ. We find a 2σ upper limit of 0.51 on its Bond albedo, and determine the geometric albedo at 0.34 ± 0.11 (1σ uncertainty). Conclusions. With an occultation depth of 106.8 ± 27.3 ppm in the TESS passband, the UHJ WASP-167b is an excellent target for atmospheric studies, especially those at thermal wavelength ranges, where the stellar pulsations are expected to be less influential.

Detection of Fe and Ti on the dayside of the ultrahot Jupiter MASCARA-1b with CARMENES

Ultrahot Jupiters are a type of gaseous exoplanet that orbit extremely close to their host star, resulting in significantly high equilibrium temperatures. In recent years, high-resolution emission spectroscopy has been broadly employed in observing the atmospheres of ultrahot Jupiters. We used the CARMENES spectrograph to observe the high-resolution spectra of the dayside hemisphere of MASCARA-1b in both visible and near-infrared. Through cross-correlation analysis, we detected signals of Fe I and Ti I. Based on these detections, we conducted an atmospheric retrieval and discovered the presence of a strong inversion layer in the planet’s atmosphere. The retrieved Ti and Fe abundances are broadly consistent with solar abundances. In particular, we obtained a relative abundance of [Ti/Fe] as −1.0 ± 0.8 under the free retrieval and −0.4−0.8+0.5 under the chemical equilibrium retrieval, suggesting the absence of significant titanium depletion on this planet. Furthermore, we considered the influence of planetary rotation on spectral line profiles. The resulting equatorial rotation speed was determined to be 4.4−2.0+1.6 km s−1, which agrees with the rotation speed induced by tidal locking.

Atmospheric Retrievals of the Phase-resolved Spectra of Irradiated Brown Dwarfs WD-0137B and EPIC-2122B

We present an atmospheric retrieval analysis of Hubble Space Telescope/Wide Field Camera 3/G141 spectroscopic phase curve observations of two brown dwarfs, WD-0137B and EPIC-2122B, in ultrashort period orbits around white dwarf hosts. These systems are analogous to hot and ultra-hot Jupiter systems, enabling a unique and high-precision comparison to exoplanet systems. We use the PHOENIX Exoplanet Retrieval Algorithm retrieval suite to test various analysis setups, including joint-phase retrievals, multiple temperature structures, and nonuniform abundances. We find that WD-0137B has a dayside that closely resembles that of other ultra-hot Jupiters with inverted temperature structures and H− opacity, but quickly transitions to a mostly noninverted temperature structure on the nightside. Meanwhile, EPIC-2122B’s atmosphere remains inverted at all constrained longitudes, with dominant H− opacity. Retrievals with multiple temperature profiles and nonuniform vertical abundances were generally not statistically justified for this data set, but retrievals with dayside-dilution factors were found to be justified. Retrieving all phases simultaneously with a linear combination of a dayside and nightside atmosphere was found to be an adequate representation of the entire phase curve once a longitudinal temperature gradient free parameter was included in the retrieval. Comparing to global circulation models, we attribute behavior in the 1D retrievals to the inclined viewing geometry of the systems, which results in always-visible irradiated and inverted portions of the atmosphere contaminating spectra measured from the nightside hemisphere. This study sheds light on the similarities between these irradiated brown dwarf systems and hot and ultra-hot Jupiters, but also their unique differences, including the influence of the inclined viewing geometry.

The Mantis Network

Context. Using emission lines from metals, we investigate the three-dimensional distribution of temperature and chemistry in ultra-hot Jupiters. Aims. Existing observations of WASP-121 b have suggested an underabundance of titanium and titanium oxide in its terminator region. In this study, we aim to determine whether this depletion is global by investigating the dayside emission spectrum. Methods. We analyzed eight epochs of high-resolution spectra obtained with the ESPRESSO spectrograph, targeting orbital phases when the dayside is in view. We used a cross-correlation method to search for various atoms, TiO, and VO, and compare the results to models. We constrained the velocities and phase function of the emission signal using a Bayesian framework. Results. We report significant detections of Ca I, V I, Cr I, Mn I, Fe I, Co I, and Ni I, but not Ti or TiO. Models containing titanium are unable to reproduce the data. The detected signals are consistent with the known orbital and systemic velocities and with peak emission originating from the substellar point. Conclusions. We find that titanium is depleted from regions of the atmosphere where transmission and emission spectroscopy are sensitive. Supported by recent HST observations of the nightside, we interpret this as evidence for the nightside condensation of titanium, which prevents it from being mixed back into the upper layers of the atmosphere elsewhere on the planet. Species with lower condensation temperatures are unaffected, implying that sharp chemical transitions exist between ultra-hot Jupiters that have slight differences in temperature or dynamical properties. As TiO can act as a strong source of stratospheric heating, cold-trapping creates a coupling between the thermal structures on the dayside and nightside, and thus condensation chemistry needs to be included in global circulation models. Observed elemental abundances in hot Jupiters will not reliably be representative of bulk abundances unless nightside condensation is robustly accounted for or the planet is hot enough to avoid nightside cold traps entirely. Secondary eclipse observations by JWST/NIRISS have the potential to confirm an absence of TiO bands at red-optical wavelengths. We also find that the abundance ratios of metal oxides to their atomic metals (e.g., TiO/Ti) depend strongly on the atmospheric C/O ratio, and that planetary rotation may significantly lower the apparent orbital velocity of the emission signal.

Signature of the atmospheric asymmetries of hot and ultra-hot Jupiters in light curves

With the new generation of space telescopes such as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), it is possible to better characterize the atmospheres of exoplanets. The atmospheres of Hot and ultra-hot Jupiters are highly heterogeneous and asymmetrical. The difference between the temperatures on the day and night sides is especially extreme in the case of ultra-hot Jupiters. We introduce a new tool to compute synthetic light curves from 3D general circulation model (GCM) simulations, developed in the Pytmosph3R framework. We show how rotation induces a variation in the flux during the transit that is a source of information on the chemical and thermal distribution of the atmosphere. We find that the day–night gradient linked to ultra-hot Jupiters has an effect close to stellar limb darkening, but opposite to tidal deformation. We confirm the impact of the atmospheric and chemical distribution on variations in the central transit time, though the variations found are smaller than those in available observational data, which could indicate that the east–west asymmetries are underestimated, due to the chemistry or clouds.

The tidal deformation and atmosphere of WASP-12 b from its phase curve

Context. Ultra-hot Jupiters present a unique opportunity to understand the physics and chemistry of planets, their atmospheres, and interiors at extreme conditions. WASP-12 b stands out as an archetype of this class of exoplanets, with a close-in orbit around its star that results in intense stellar irradiation and tidal effects. Aims. The goals are to measure the planet’s tidal deformation, atmospheric properties, and also to refine its orbital decay rate. Methods. We performed comprehensive analyses of the transits, occultations, and phase curves of WASP-12b by combining new CHEOPS observations with previous TESS and Spitzer data. The planet was modeled as a triaxial ellipsoid parameterized by the second-order fluid Love number of the planet, h2, which quantifies its radial deformation and provides insight into the interior structure. Results. We measured the tidal deformation of WASP-12b and estimated a Love number of h2 = 1.55−0.49+0.45 (at 3.2σ) from its phase curve. We measured occultation depths of 333 ± 24 ppm and 493 ± 29 ppm in the CHEOPS and TESS bands, respectively, while the nightside fluxes are consistent with zero, and also marginal eastward phase offsets. Our modeling of the dayside emission spectrum indicates that CHEOPS and TESS probe similar pressure levels in the atmosphere at a temperature of ~2900 K. We also estimated low geometric albedos of Ag = 0.086 ± 0.017 and Ag = 0.01 ± 0.023 in the CHEOPS and TESS passbands, respectively, suggesting the absence of reflective clouds in the high-temperature dayside of the planet. The CHEOPS occultations do not show strong evidence for variability in the dayside atmosphere of the planet at the median occultation depth precision of 120 ppm attained. Finally, combining the new CHEOPS timings with previous measurements refines the precision of the orbital decay rate by 12% to a value of −30.23 ± 0.82 ms yr−1, resulting in a modified stellar tidal quality factor of Q′★ = 1.70 ± 0.14 × 105. Conclusions. WASP-12 b becomes the second exoplanet, after WASP-103b, for which the Love number has been measured from the effect of tidal deformation in the light curve. However, constraining the core mass fraction of the planet requires measuring h2 with a higher precision. This can be achieved with high signal-to-noise observations with JWST since the phase curve amplitude, and consequently the induced tidal deformation effect, is higher in the infrared.

Searching for NLTE effects in the high-resolution transmission spectrum of WASP-121 b with cloudy for exoplanets

ABSTRACT Ultrahot Jupiters (UHJs) undergo intense irradiation by their host stars and are expected to experience non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) effects in their atmospheres. Such effects are computationally intensive to model but, at the low pressures probed by high-resolution cross-correlation spectroscopy (HRCCS), can significantly impact the formation of spectral lines. The UHJ WASP-121 b exhibits a highly inflated atmosphere, making it ideal for investigating the impact of NLTE effects on its transmission spectrum. Here, we formally introduce cloudy for exoplanets, a cloudy-based modelling code, and use it to generate 1D LTE and NLTE atmospheric models and spectra to analyse archival HARPS WASP-121 b transmission spectra. We assessed the models using two HRCCS methods: (i) Pearson cross-correlation, and (ii) a method that aims to match the average observed line depth for given atmospheric species. All models result in strong detections of Fe i (7.5 < S/N < 10.5). However, the highest S/N model (LTE) does not agree with the best-matching model of the average line depth (NLTE). We also find degeneracy, such that increasing the isothermal temperature and metallicity of the LTE models can produce average line depths similar to cooler, less metal rich NLTE models. Thus, we are unable to conclusively remark on the presence of NLTE effects in the atmosphere of WASP-121 b. We instead highlight the need for standardized metrics in HRCCS that enable robust statistical assessment of complex physical models, e.g. NLTE or 3D effects, that are currently too computationally intensive to include in HRCCS atmospheric retrievals.

Small but mighty: High-resolution spectroscopy of ultra-hot Jupiter atmospheres with compact telescopes

When observing transmission spectra produced by the atmospheres of ultra-hot Jupiters (UHJs), large telescopes are typically the instrument of choice given the very weak signal of the planet’s atmopshere. The aim of the present study is to demonstrate that, for favourable targets, smaller telescopes are fully capable of conducting high-resolution cross-correlation spectroscopy. We apply the cross-correlation technique to data from the 2.1 m telescope at the Wendelstein Observatory, using its high-resolution spectrograph FOCES, in order to demonstrate its efficacy in resolving the atmosphere of the UHJ KELT-9 b. Using three nights of observations with the FOCES spectrograph and one with the HARPS-N spectrograph, we conduct a performance comparison between FOCES and HARPS-N. This comparison considers both single-transit and combined observations over the three nights. We then consider the potential of 2 m class telescopes by generalising our results to create a transit emulator capable of evaluating the potential of telescopes of this size. With FOCES, we detected seven species in the atmosphere of KELT-9b: Ti II, Fe I, Fe II, Na I, Mg I, Na II, Cr II, and Sc II. Although HARPS-N surpasses FOCES in performance thanks to the mirror of the TNG, our results reveal that smaller telescope classes are capable of resolving the atmospheres of UHJs given sufficient observing time. This broadens the potential scope of such studies, demonstrating that smaller telescopes can be used to investigate phenomena such as temporal variations in atmospheric signals and the atmospheric loss characteristics of these close-in planets.