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Detection of H2O and Evidence for TiO VO in an Ultra Hot Exoplanet Atmosphere.We present a primary transit observation for the ultra-hot (Teq approx. 2400 K) gas giant expolanet WASP-121b, made using the Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 in spectroscopic mode across the 1.12-1.64 micron wavelength range. The 1.4 microns water absorption band is detected at high confidence (5.4(sigma)) in the planetary atmosphere. We also reanalyze ground-based photometric light curves taken in the B, r′, and z′ filters. Significantly deeper transits are measured in these optical bandpasses relative to the near-infrared wavelengths. We conclude that scattering by high-altitude haze alone is unlikely to account for this difference and instead interpret it as evidence for titanium oxide and vanadium oxide absorption. Enhanced opacity is also inferred across the 1.12-1.3 micron wavelength range, possibly due to iron hydride absorption. If confirmed, WASP-121b will be the first exoplanet with titanium oxide, vanadium oxide, and iron hydride detected in transmission. The latter are important species in M/L dwarfs and their presence is likely to have a significant effect on the overall physics and chemistry of the atmosphere, including the production of a strong thermal inversion.
Document ID
20160005738
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Evans, Thomas M.
(Exeter Univ. United Kingdom)
Sing, David K.
(Exeter Univ. United Kingdom)
Wakeford, Hannah R.
(Universities Space Research Association Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Nikolov, Nikolay
(Exeter Univ. United Kingdom)
Ballester, Gilda E.
(Arizona Univ. Tucson, AZ, United States)
Drummond, Benjamin
(Exeter Univ. United Kingdom)
Kataria, Tiffany
(Exeter Univ. United Kingdom)
Gibson, Neale P.
(Queens Univ. Belfast, United Kingdom)
Amundsen, David S.
(NASA Goddard Inst. for Space Studies New York, NY, United States)
Spake, Jessica
(Exeter Univ. United Kingdom)
Date Acquired
May 3, 2016
Publication Date
April 22, 2016
Publication Information
Publication: Astrophysical Journal Letters
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Volume: 822
Issue: 1
e-ISSN: 2041-8213
Subject Category
Astrophysics
Report/Patent Number
GSFC-E-DAA-TN31791
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNX14AB99A
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNH15CO48B
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other
Keywords
Spectroscopy
Photometery
Exoplanets
Planetary atmospheres

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