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arXiv · 2509.15306

Untapped: Veloce Detects Calcium in the Atmosphere of WASP-189b

Nicholas W. Borsato·Joachim Krüger·Daniel B. Zucker·Simon J. Murphy·Duncan Wright·Sarah L. Martell
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Abstract

High-resolution transmission spectroscopy has become a powerful tool for detecting atomic and ionic species in the atmospheres of ultra-hot Jupiters. In this study, we demonstrate for the first time that the Australian-built Veloce spectrograph on the 3.9-m Anglo-Australian Telescope can resolve atmospheric signatures from transiting exoplanets. We observed a single transit of the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-189b - a favourable target given its extreme irradiation and bright host star - and applied the cross-correlation technique using standardised templates. We robustly detect ionised calcium (Ca+), and find evidence for hydrogen (H), sodium (Na), magnesium (Mg), neutral calcium (Ca), titanium (Ti), ionised titanium (Ti+), ionised iron (Fe+), neutral iron (Fe), and ionised strontium (Sr+). The strongest detection was achieved in the red arm of Veloce, consistent with expectations due to the prominent Ca+ triplet at wavelengths around 850-870 nm. Our results validate Veloce's capability for high-resolution atmospheric studies, highlighting it as an accessible, flexible facility to complement larger international telescopes. If future observations stack multiple transits, Veloce has the potential to reveal atmospheric variability, phase-dependent spectral changes, and detailed chemical compositions of highly irradiated exoplanets.

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Nicholas W. Borsato, Joachim Krüger, Daniel B. Zucker, Simon J. Murphy, Duncan Wright, Sarah L. Martell. 2025-09-18. Untapped: Veloce Detects Calcium in the Atmosphere of WASP-189b. https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.15306

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