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

Eva-Maria Ahrer (), Kevin B. Stevenson (), Megan Mansfield, Sarah E. Moran, Jonathan Brande, Giuseppe Morello, Catriona A. Murray, Nikolay K. Nikolov, Dominique J. M. Petit dit de la Roche, Everett Schlawin, Peter J. Wheatley, Sebastian Zieba, Natasha E. Batalha, Mario Damiano, Jayesh M. Goyal, Monika Lendl, Joshua D. Lothringer, Sagnick Mukherjee, Kazumasa Ohno, Natalie M. Batalha, Matthew P. Battley, Jacob L. Bean, Thomas G. Beatty, Björn Benneke, Zachory K. Berta-Thompson, Aarynn L. Carter, Patricio E. Cubillos, Tansu Daylan, Néstor Espinoza, Peter Gao, Neale P. Gibson, Samuel Gill, Joseph Harrington, Renyu Hu, Laura Kreidberg, Nikole K. Lewis, Michael R. Line, Mercedes López-Morales, Vivien Parmentier, Diana K. Powell, David K. Sing, Shang-Min Tsai, Hannah R. Wakeford, Luis Welbanks, Munazza K. Alam, Lili Alderson, Natalie H. Allen, David R. Anderson, Joanna K. Barstow, Daniel Bayliss, Taylor J. Bell, Jasmina Blecic, Edward M. Bryant, Matthew R. Burleigh, Ludmila Carone, S. L. Casewell, Quentin Changeat, Katy L. Chubb, Ian J. M. Crossfield, Nicolas Crouzet, Leen Decin, Jean-Michel Désert, Adina D. Feinstein, Laura Flagg, Jonathan J. Fortney, John E. Gizis, Kevin Heng, Nicolas Iro, Eliza M.-R. Kempton, Sarah Kendrew, James Kirk, Heather A. Knutson, Thaddeus D. Komacek, Pierre-Olivier Lagage, Jérémy Leconte, Jacob Lustig-Yaeger, Ryan J. MacDonald, Luigi Mancini, E. M. May, N. J. Mayne, Yamila Miguel, Thomas Mikal-Evans, Karan Molaverdikhani, Enric Palle, Caroline Piaulet, Benjamin V. Rackham, Seth Redfield, Laura K. Rogers, Pierre-Alexis Roy, Zafar Rustamkulov, Evgenya L. Shkolnik, Kristin S. Sotzen, Jake Taylor, P. Tremblin, Gregory S. Tucker, Jake D. Turner, Miguel Val-Borro, Olivia Venot and Xi Zhang
Additional contact information
Eva-Maria Ahrer: University of Warwick
Kevin B. Stevenson: Johns Hopkins APL
Megan Mansfield: University of Arizona
Sarah E. Moran: University of Arizona
Jonathan Brande: University of Kansas
Giuseppe Morello: Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC)
Catriona A. Murray: University of Colorado
Nikolay K. Nikolov: Space Telescope Science Institute
Dominique J. M. Petit dit de la Roche: Université de Genève
Everett Schlawin: University of Arizona
Peter J. Wheatley: University of Warwick
Sebastian Zieba: Max Planck Institute for Astronomy
Natasha E. Batalha: NASA Ames Research Center
Mario Damiano: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Jayesh M. Goyal: National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), HBNI
Monika Lendl: Université de Genève
Joshua D. Lothringer: Utah Valley University
Sagnick Mukherjee: University of California, Santa Cruz
Kazumasa Ohno: University of California, Santa Cruz
Natalie M. Batalha: University of California, Santa Cruz
Matthew P. Battley: University of Warwick
Jacob L. Bean: University of Chicago
Thomas G. Beatty: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Björn Benneke: Université de Montréal
Zachory K. Berta-Thompson: University of Colorado
Aarynn L. Carter: University of California, Santa Cruz
Patricio E. Cubillos: Austrian Academy of Sciences
Tansu Daylan: Princeton University
Néstor Espinoza: Space Telescope Science Institute
Peter Gao: Carnegie Institution for Science
Neale P. Gibson: Trinity College Dublin
Samuel Gill: University of Warwick
Joseph Harrington: University of Central Florida
Renyu Hu: California Institute of Technology
Laura Kreidberg: Max Planck Institute for Astronomy
Nikole K. Lewis: Cornell University
Michael R. Line: Arizona State University
Mercedes López-Morales: Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
Vivien Parmentier: University of Oxford
Diana K. Powell: Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
David K. Sing: Johns Hopkins University
Shang-Min Tsai: University of Oxford
Hannah R. Wakeford: University of Bristol
Luis Welbanks: Arizona State University
Munazza K. Alam: Carnegie Institution for Science
Lili Alderson: University of Bristol
Natalie H. Allen: Johns Hopkins University
David R. Anderson: University of Warwick
Joanna K. Barstow: The Open University
Daniel Bayliss: University of Warwick
Taylor J. Bell: NASA Ames Research Center
Jasmina Blecic: New York University Abu Dhabi
Edward M. Bryant: University College London
Matthew R. Burleigh: University of Leicester
Ludmila Carone: Austrian Academy of Sciences
S. L. Casewell: University of Leicester
Quentin Changeat: Space Telescope Science Institute
Katy L. Chubb: University of St Andrews
Ian J. M. Crossfield: University of Kansas
Nicolas Crouzet: Leiden University
Leen Decin: KU Leuven
Jean-Michel Désert: University of Amsterdam
Adina D. Feinstein: University of Chicago
Laura Flagg: Cornell University
Jonathan J. Fortney: University of California, Santa Cruz
John E. Gizis: University of Delaware
Kevin Heng: University of Warwick
Nicolas Iro: University of Vienna
Eliza M.-R. Kempton: University of Maryland
Sarah Kendrew: Space Telescope Science Institute
James Kirk: Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
Heather A. Knutson: California Institute of Technology
Thaddeus D. Komacek: University of Maryland
Pierre-Olivier Lagage: Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris Cité, CEA, CNRS, AIM
Jérémy Leconte: Université de Bordeaux
Jacob Lustig-Yaeger: Johns Hopkins APL
Ryan J. MacDonald: Cornell University
Luigi Mancini: Max Planck Institute for Astronomy
E. M. May: Johns Hopkins APL
N. J. Mayne: University of Exeter
Yamila Miguel: University of Leiden
Thomas Mikal-Evans: Max Planck Institute for Astronomy
Karan Molaverdikhani: Max Planck Institute for Astronomy
Enric Palle: Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC)
Caroline Piaulet: Université de Montréal
Benjamin V. Rackham: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Seth Redfield: Wesleyan University
Laura K. Rogers: University of Cambridge
Pierre-Alexis Roy: Université de Montréal
Zafar Rustamkulov: Johns Hopkins University
Evgenya L. Shkolnik: Arizona State University
Kristin S. Sotzen: Johns Hopkins APL
Jake Taylor: Université de Montréal
P. Tremblin: Université Paris-Saclay
Gregory S. Tucker: Brown University
Jake D. Turner: Cornell University
Miguel Val-Borro: Planetary Science Institute
Olivia Venot: Université de Paris Cité and Univ Paris Est Creteil, CNRS, LISA
Xi Zhang: University of California, Santa Cruz

Nature, 2023, vol. 614, issue 7949, 653-658

Abstract: Abstract 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).

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05590-4

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