A Featureless Infrared Transmission Spectrum for the Super-Puff Planet Kepler-79d
| Autor: | Danica Adams, Zachory K. Berta-Thompson, Eric B. Ford, Ian Wong, Drake Deming, Heather A. Knutson, Eve J. Lee, Jessica E. Libby-Roberts, Daniel Jontof-Hutter, Fei Dai, Yayaati Chachan, Hannah R. Wakeford, Björn Benneke, Peter Gao, Nikku Madhusudhan |
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| Přispěvatelé: | Chachan, Y [0000-0003-1728-8269], Jontof-Hutter, D [0000-0002-6227-7510], Adams, D [0000-0001-9897-9680], Gao, P [0000-0002-8518-9601], Benneke, B [0000-0001-5578-1498], Dai, F [0000-0002-8958-0683], Ford, EB [0000-0001-6545-639X], Lee, EJ [0000-0002-1228-9820], Libby-Roberts, JE [0000-0002-2990-7613], Madhusudhan, N [0000-0002-4869-000X], Wakeford, HR [0000-0003-4328-3867], Wong, I [0000-0001-9665-8429], Apollo - University of Cambridge Repository |
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
Physics
Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP) education.field_of_study Photosphere 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences Population FOS: Physical sciences Astronomy and Astrophysics Radius Astrophysics 01 natural sciences Exoplanet Atmosphere Space and Planetary Science Planet 0103 physical sciences astro-ph.EP Astrophysics::Solar and Stellar Astrophysics Astrophysics::Earth and Planetary Astrophysics education Spectroscopy 010303 astronomy & astrophysics Optical depth 0105 earth and related environmental sciences Astrophysics - Earth and Planetary Astrophysics |
| Popis: | Extremely low density planets ('super-puffs') are a small but intriguing subset of the transiting planet population. With masses in the super-Earth range ($1-10$ M$_{\oplus}$) and radii akin to those of giant planets ($>4$ R$_{\oplus}$), their large envelopes may have been accreted beyond the water snow line and many appear to be susceptible to catastrophic mass loss. Both the presence of water and the importance of mass loss can be explored using transmission spectroscopy. Here, we present new HST WFC3 spectroscopy and updated Kepler transit depth measurements for the super-puff Kepler-79d. We do not detect any molecular absorption features in the $1.1-1.7$ $��$m WFC3 bandpass and the combination of Kepler and WFC3 data are consistent with a flat line model, indicating the presence of aerosols in the atmosphere. We compare the shape of Kepler-79d's transmission spectrum to predictions from a microphysical haze model that incorporates an outward particle flux due to ongoing mass loss. We find that photochemical hazes offer an attractive explanation for the observed properties of super-puffs like Kepler-79d, as they simultaneously render the near-infrared spectrum featureless and reduce the inferred envelope mass loss rate by moving the measured radius (optical depth unity surface during transit) to lower pressures. We revisit the broader question of mass loss rates for super-puffs and find that the age estimates and mass loss rates for the majority of super-puffs can be reconciled if hazes move the photosphere from the typically assumed pressure of $\sim 10$ mbar to $\sim 10 \; ��$bar. Awaiting publication in AJ. Small updates in Table 6 and Fig 11. Table 3 and 6 will be provided in MRT format upon publication |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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