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Jens Kammerer

Publications and source records attributed to Jens Kammerer.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

JWST-TST DREAMS: Quartz Clouds in the Atmosphere of WASP-17b

Clouds are prevalent in many of the exoplanet atmospheres that have been observed to date. For transiting exoplanets, we know if clouds are present because they mute spectral features and cause wavelength-dependent scattering. While the exact composition of these clouds is largely unknown, this information is vital to understanding the chemistry and energy budget of planetary atmospheres. In this work, we observe one transit of the hot Jupiter WASP-17b with JWST's MIRI LRS and generate a transmission spectrum from 5-12 $\rmμ$m. These wavelengths allow us to probe absorption due to the vibrational modes of various predicted cloud species. Our transmission spectrum shows additional opacity centered at 8.6 $\rmμ$m, and detailed atmospheric modeling and retrievals identify this feature as SiO$_2$(s) (quartz) clouds. The SiO$_2$(s) clouds model is preferred at 3.5-4.2$σ$ versus a cloud-free model and at 2.6$σ$ versus a generic aerosol prescription. We find the SiO$_2$(s) clouds are comprised of small ${\sim}0.01$ $\rmμ$m particles, which extend to high altitudes in the atmosphere. The atmosphere also shows a depletion of H$_2$O, a finding consistent with the formation of high-temperature aerosols from oxygen-rich species. This work is part of a series of studies by our JWST Telescope Scientist Team (JWST-TST), in which we will use Guaranteed Time Observations to perform Deep Reconnaissance of Exoplanet Atmospheres through Multi-instrument Spectroscopy (DREAMS).

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JWST-TST High Contrast: Spectroscopic Characterization of the Benchmark Brown Dwarf HD 19467 B with the NIRSpec Integral Field Spectrograph

We present the atmospheric characterization of the substellar companion HD 19467 B as part of the pioneering JWST GTO program to obtain moderate resolution spectra (R$\sim$2,700, 3-5$μ$m) of a high-contrast companion with the NIRSpec IFU. HD 19467 B is an old, $\sim$9 Gyr, companion to a Solar-type star with multiple measured dynamical masses. The spectra show detections of CO, CO$_2$, CH$_4$, and H$_2$O. We forward model the spectra using Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods and atmospheric model grids to constrain the effective temperature and surface gravity. We then use NEWERA-PHOENIX grids to constrain non-equilibrium chemistry parameterized by $K_{zz}$ and explore molecular abundance ratios of the detected molecules. We find an effective temperature of 1103 K, with a probable range from 1000--1200 K, a surface gravity of 4.50 dex, with a range of 4.14--5.00, and deep vertical mixing, log$_{10}$($K_{zz}$), of 5.03, with a range of 5.00--5.44. All molecular mixing ratios are approximately Solar, leading to a C/O $\sim$0.55, which is expected from a T5.5 brown dwarf. Finally, we calculate an updated dynamical mass of HD 19467 B using newly derived NIRCam astrometry which we find to be $71.6^{+5.3}_{-4.6} M_{\rm{Jup}}$, in agreement with the mass range we derive from evolutionary models, which we find to be 63-75 $M_{\rm{Jup}}$.These observations demonstrate the excellent capabilities of the NIRSpec IFU to achieve detailed spectral characterization of substellar companions at high-contrast close to bright host stars, in this case at a separation of $\sim$1.6\arcsec with a contrast of 10$^{-4}$ in the 3-5 $μ$m range.

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MIRI MRS Observations of Beta Pictoris II. The Spectroscopic Case for a Recent Giant Collision

Modeling observations of the archetypal debris disk around $β$ Pic, obtained in 2023 January with the MIRI MRS on board JWST, reveals significant differences compared with that obtained with the IRS on board Spitzer. The bright 5 - 15 $μ$m continuum excess modeled using a $\sim$600 K black body has disappeared. The previously prominent 18 and 23 $μ$m crystalline forsterite emission features, arising from cold dust ($\sim$100 K) in the Rayleigh limit, have disappeared and been replaced by very weak features arising from the hotter 500 K dust population. Finally, the shape of the 10 $μ$m silicate feature has changed, consistent with a shift in the temperature of the warm dust population from $\sim$300 K to $\sim$500 K and an increase in the crystalline fraction of the warm, silicate dust. Stellar radiation pressure may have blown both the hot and the cold crystalline dust particles observed in the Spitzer spectra out of the planetary system during the intervening 20 years between the Spitzer and JWST observations. These results indicate that the $β$ Pic system has a dynamic circumstellar environment, and that periods of enhanced collisions can create large clouds of dust that sweep through the planetary system.

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The JWST Early Release Science Program for Direct Observations of Exoplanetary Systems II: A 1 to 20 Micron Spectrum of the Planetary-Mass Companion VHS 1256-1257 b

We present the highest fidelity spectrum to date of a planetary-mass object. VHS 1256 b is a $<$20 M$_\mathrm{Jup}$ widely separated ($\sim$8\arcsec, a = 150 au), young, planetary-mass companion that shares photometric colors and spectroscopic features with the directly imaged exoplanets HR 8799 c, d, and e. As an L-to-T transition object, VHS 1256 b exists along the region of the color-magnitude diagram where substellar atmospheres transition from cloudy to clear. We observed VHS 1256~b with \textit{JWST}'s NIRSpec IFU and MIRI MRS modes for coverage from 1 $μ$m to 20 $μ$m at resolutions of $\sim$1,000 - 3,700. Water, methane, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, sodium, and potassium are observed in several portions of the \textit{JWST} spectrum based on comparisons from template brown dwarf spectra, molecular opacities, and atmospheric models. The spectral shape of VHS 1256 b is influenced by disequilibrium chemistry and clouds. We directly detect silicate clouds, the first such detection reported for a planetary-mass companion.

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JWST-TST High Contrast: JWST/NIRCam observations of the young giant planet $β$ Pic b

We present the first JWST/NIRCam observations of the directly-imaged gas giant exoplanet $β$ Pic b. Observations in six filters using NIRCam's round coronagraphic masks provide a high signal-to-noise detection of $β$ Pic b and the archetypal debris disk around $β$ Pic over a wavelength range of $\sim$1.7-5 $μ$m. This paper focuses on the detection of $β$ Pic b and other potential point sources in the NIRCam data, following a paper by Rebollido et al. which presented the NIRCam and MIRI view of the debris disk around $β$ Pic. We develop and validate approaches for obtaining accurate photometry of planets in the presence of bright, complex circumstellar backgrounds. By simultaneously fitting the planet's PSF and a geometric model for the disk, we obtain planet photometry that is in good agreement with previous measurements from the ground. The NIRCam data supports the cloudy nature of $β$ Pic b's atmosphere and the discrepancy between its mass as inferred from evolutionary models and the dynamical mass reported in the literature. We further identify five additional localized sources in the data, but all of them are found to be background stars or galaxies based on their color or spatial extent. We can rule out additional planets in the disk midplane above 1 Jupiter mass outward of 2 arcsec ($\sim$40 au) and away from the disk midplane above 0.05 Jupiter masses outward of 4 arcsec ($\sim$80 au). The inner giant planet $β$ Pic c remains undetected behind the coronagraphic masks of NIRCam in our observations.

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JWST-TST High Contrast: Achieving direct spectroscopy of faint substellar companions next to bright stars with the NIRSpec IFU

The JWST NIRSpec integral field unit (IFU) presents a unique opportunity to observe directly imaged exoplanets from 3-5 um at moderate spectral resolution (R~2,700) and thereby better constrain the composition, disequilibrium chemistry, and cloud properties of their atmospheres. In this work, we present the first NIRSpec IFU high-contrast observations of a substellar companion that requires starlight suppression techniques. We develop specific data reduction strategies to study faint companions around bright stars, and assess the performance of NIRSpec at high contrast. First, we demonstrate an approach to forward model the companion signal and the starlight directly in the detector images, which mitigates the effects of NIRSpec's spatial undersampling. We demonstrate a sensitivity to planets that are 3e-6 fainter than their stars at 1'', or 3e-5 at 0.3''. Then, we implement a reference star point spread function (PSF) subtraction and a spectral extraction that does not require spatially and spectrally regularly sampled spectral cubes. This allows us to extract a moderate resolution (R~2,700) spectrum of the faint T-dwarf companion HD 19467 B from 2.9-5.2 um with signal-to-noise ratio (S/N)~10 per resolution element. Across this wavelength range, HD~19467~B has a flux ratio varying between 1e-5-1e-4 and a separation relative to its star of 1.6''. A companion paper by Hoch et al. more deeply analyzes the atmospheric properties of this companion based on the extracted spectrum. Using the methods developed here, NIRSpec's sensitivity may enable direct detection and spectral characterization of relatively old (~1 Gyr), cool (~250 K), and closely separated (~3-5 au) exoplanets that are less massive than Jupiter.

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JWST/NIRCam Detection of the Fomalhaut C Debris Disk in Scattered Light

Observations of debris disks offer important insights into the formation and evolution of planetary systems. Though M dwarfs make up approximately 80% of nearby stars, very few M-dwarf debris disks have been studied in detail -- making it unclear how or if the information gleaned from studying debris disks around more massive stars extends to the more abundant M dwarf systems. We report the first scattered-light detection of the debris disk around the M4 star Fomalhaut C using JWST's Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam; 3.6$~μ$m and 4.4$~μ$m). This result adds to the prior sample of only four M-dwarf debris disks with detections in scattered light, and marks the latest spectral type and oldest star among them. The size and orientation of the disk in these data are generally consistent with the prior ALMA sub-mm detection. Though no companions are identified, these data provide strong constraints on their presence -- with sensitivity sufficient to recover sub-Saturn mass objects in the vicinity of the disk. This result illustrates the unique capability of JWST for uncovering elusive M-dwarf debris disks in scattered light, and lays the groundwork for deeper studies of such objects in the 2--5$~μ$m regime.

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The JWST Early Release Science Program for Direct Observations of Exoplanetary Systems IV: NIRISS Aperture Masking Interferometry Performance and Lessons Learned

We present a performance analysis for the aperture masking interferometry (AMI) mode on board the James Webb Space Telescope Near Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (JWST/NIRISS). Thanks to self-calibrating observables, AMI accesses inner working angles down to and even within the classical diffraction limit. The scientific potential of this mode has recently been demonstrated by the Early Release Science (ERS) 1386 program with a deep search for close-in companions in the HIP 65426 exoplanetary system. As part of ERS 1386, we use the same data set to explore the random, static, and calibration errors of NIRISS AMI observables. We compare the observed noise properties and achievable contrast to theoretical predictions. We explore possible sources of calibration errors and show that differences in charge migration between the observations of HIP 65426 and point-spread function calibration stars can account for the achieved contrast curves. Lastly, we use self-calibration tests to demonstrate that with adequate calibration NIRISS F380M AMI can reach contrast levels of $\sim9-10$ mag at $\gtrsim λ/D$. These tests lead us to observation planning recommendations and strongly motivate future studies aimed at producing sophisticated calibration strategies taking these systematic effects into account. This will unlock the unprecedented capabilities of JWST/NIRISS AMI, with sensitivity to significantly colder, lower-mass exoplanets than lower-contrast ground-based AMI setups, at orbital separations inaccessible to JWST coronagraphy.

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Searching for low-mass companions at small separations in transition disks with aperture masking interferometry

Transition disks have large central cavities that have been spatially resolved during recent years. Cavities and other substructures in circumstellar disks are often interpreted as signposts to massive companions. We aim to search for stellar and substellar companions in the central regions of transition disks. We want to determine if these disks might be circumbinary in their nature, similar to the HD 142527 system. We observed four systems, HD 100453, HD 100546, HD 135344 B, and PDS 70, with the sparse aperture masking mode of VLT/SPHERE. We extracted the complex visibilities and bispectra from the H2 and H3 imaging data. A binary model was fit to the closure phases to search for companions and estimate detection limits. For validation, we also analyzed four archival datasets of HD 142527 and inferred the orbital elements and atmospheric parameters of its low-mass stellar companion. We have not detected any significant point sources in the four observed systems. With a contrast sensitivity of $\approx$0.004, we can rule out stellar companions down to $\approx$2 au and partially explore the substellar regime at separations $\gtrsim$3-5 au. The analysis of HD 142527 B revealed that its projected orbit is aligned with dust features in the extended inner disk and that the orbit could be close to coplanar with the outer disk. Atmospheric modeling confirms the low-gravity and slightly reddened spectral appearance. The bulk parameters are in agreement with dynamical constraints and evolutionary tracks. In contrast to HD 142527, we find no evidence that a close-in stellar companion is responsible for the resolved disk features of HD 100453, HD 100546, HD 135344 B, and PDS 70. Instead, the formation of giant planets or even low-mass brown dwarfs could be shaping the innermost environment ($\lesssim$20 au) of these circumstellar disks, as is the case with the planetary system of PDS 70.

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The JWST Early Release Science Program for Direct Observations of Exoplanetary Systems V: Do Self-Consistent Atmospheric Models Represent JWST Spectra? A Showcase With VHS 1256 b

The unprecedented medium-resolution (R~1500-3500) near- and mid-infrared (1-18um) spectrum provided by JWST for the young (140+/-20Myr) low-mass (12-20MJup) L-T transition (L7) companion VHS1256b gives access to a catalogue of molecular absorptions. In this study, we present a comprehensive analysis of this dataset utilizing a forward modelling approach, applying our Bayesian framework, ForMoSA. We explore five distinct atmospheric models to assess their performance in estimating key atmospheric parameters: Teff, log(g), [M/H], C/O, gamma, fsed, and R. Our findings reveal that each parameter's estimate is significantly influenced by factors such as the wavelength range considered and the model chosen for the fit. This is attributed to systematic errors in the models and their challenges in accurately replicating the complex atmospheric structure of VHS1256b, notably the complexity of its clouds and dust distribution. To propagate the impact of these systematic uncertainties on our atmospheric property estimates, we introduce innovative fitting methodologies based on independent fits performed on different spectral windows. We finally derived a Teff consistent with the spectral type of the target, considering its young age, which is confirmed by our estimate of log(g). Despite the exceptional data quality, attaining robust estimates for chemical abundances [M/H] and C/O, often employed as indicators of formation history, remains challenging. Nevertheless, the pioneering case of JWST's data for VHS1256b has paved the way for future acquisitions of substellar spectra that will be systematically analyzed to directly compare the properties of these objects and correct the systematics in the models.

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MIRI MRS Observations of Beta Pictoris I. The Inner Dust, the Planet, and the Gas

We present JWST MIRI Medium Resolution Spectrograph (MRS) observations of the $β$ Pictoris system. We detect an infrared excess from the central unresolved point source from 5 to 7.5 $μ$m which is indicative of dust within the inner $\sim$7 au of the system. We perform PSF subtraction on the MRS data cubes and detect a spatially resolved dust population emitting at 5 $μ$m. This spatially resolved hot dust population is best explained if the dust grains are in the small grain limit (2$π$a$\ll$$λ$). The combination of unresolved and resolved dust at 5 $μ$m could suggest that dust grains are being produced in the inner few au of the system and are then radiatively driven outwards, where the particles could accrete onto the known planets in the system $β$ Pic b and c. We also report the detection of an emission line at 6.986 $μ$m that we attribute to be [Ar II]. We find that the [Ar II] emission is spatially resolved with JWST and appears to be aligned with the dust disk. Through PSF subtraction techniques, we detect $β$ Pic b at the 5$σ$ level in our MRS data cubes and present the first mid-IR spectrum of the planet from 5 to 7 $μ$m. The planet's spectrum is consistent with having absorption from water vapor between 5 and 6.5 $μ$m. We perform atmosphere model grid fitting on spectra and photometry of $β$ Pic b and find that the planet's atmosphere likely has a sub-stellar C/O ratio.

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Large Interferometer For Exoplanets (LIFE): XII. The Detectability of Capstone Biosignatures in the Mid-Infrared -- Sniffing Exoplanetary Laughing Gas and Methylated Halogens

This study aims to identify exemplary science cases for observing N$_2$O, CH$_3$Cl, and CH$_3$Br in exoplanet atmospheres at abundances consistent with biogenic production using a space-based mid-infrared nulling interferometric observatory, such as the LIFE (Large Interferometer For Exoplanets) mission concept. We use a set of scenarios derived from chemical kinetics models that simulate the atmospheric response of varied levels of biogenic production of N$_2$O, CH$_3$Cl and CH$_3$Br in O$_2$-rich terrestrial planet atmospheres to produce forward models for our LIFEsim observation simulator software. In addition we demonstrate the connection to retrievals for selected cases. We use the results to derive observation times needed for the detection of these scenarios and apply them to define science requirements for the mission. Our analysis shows that in order to detect relevant abundances with a mission like LIFE in it's current baseline setup, we require: (i) only a few days of observation time for certain very near-by "Golden Target" scenarios, which also motivate future studies of "spectral-temporal" observations (ii) $\sim$10 days in certain standard scenarios such as temperate, terrestrial planets around M star hosts at 5 pc, (iii) $\sim$50 - 100 days in the most challenging but still feasible cases, such as an Earth twin at 5pc. A few cases for very low fluxes around specific host stars are not detectable. In summary, abundances of these capstone biosignatures are detectable at plausible biological production fluxes for most cases examined and for a significant number of potential targets.

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JWST-TST High Contrast: Asymmetries, dust populations and hints of a collision in the $β$ Pictoris disk with NIRCam and MIRI

We present the first JWST MIRI and NIRCam observations of the prominent debris disk around Beta Pictoris. Coronagraphic observations in 8 filters spanning from 1.8 to 23~$μ$m provide an unprecedentedly clear view of the disk at these wavelengths. The objectives of the observing program were to investigate the dust composition and distribution, and to investigate the presence of planets in the system. In this paper, we focus on the disk components, providing surface brightness measurements for all images and a detailed investigation of the asymmetries observed. A companion paper by Kammerer et al. will focus on the planets in this system using the same data. We report for the first time the presence of an extended secondary disk in thermal emission, with a curved extension bent away from the plane of the disk. This feature, which we refer to as the ``cat's tail", seems to be connected with the previously reported CO clump, mid-infrared asymmetry detected in the southwest side, and the warp observed in scattered light. We present a model of this secondary disk sporadically producing dust that broadly reproduces the morphology, flux, and color of the cat's tail, as well as other features observed in the disk, and suggests the secondary disk is composed largely of porous, organic refractory dust grains.

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Mitigating Worst-Case Exozodiacal Dust Structure in High-contrast Images of Earth-like Exoplanets

Detecting Earth-like exoplanets in direct images of nearby Sun-like systems brings a unique set of challenges that must be addressed in the early phases of designing a space-based direct imaging mission. In particular, these systems may contain exozodiacal dust, which is expected to be the dominant source of astrophysical noise. Previous work has shown that it may be feasible to subtract smooth, symmetric dust from observations; however, we do not expect exozodiacal dust to be perfectly smooth. Exozodiacal dust can be trapped into mean motion resonances with planetary bodies, producing large-scale structures that orbit in lock with the planet. This dust can obscure the planet, complicate noise estimation, or be mistaken for a planetary body. Our ability to subtract these structures from high-contrast images of Earth-like exoplanets is not well understood. In this work, we investigate exozodi mitigation for Earth--Sun-like systems with significant mean motion resonant disk structures. We find that applying a simple high-pass filter allows us to remove structured exozodi to the Poisson noise limit for systems with inclinations $< 60^\circ$ and up to 100 zodis. However, subtracting exozodiacal disk structures from edge-on systems may be challenging, except for cases with densities $<5$ zodis. For systems with three times the dust of the Solar System, which is the median of the best fit to survey data in the habitable zones of nearby Sun-like stars, this method shows promising results for mitigating exozodiacal dust in future HWO observations, even if the dust exhibits significant mean-motion resonance structure.

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Large Interferometer For Exoplanets (LIFE). X. Detectability of currently known exoplanets and synergies with future IR/O/UV reflected-starlight imaging missions

The next generation of space-based observatories will characterize the atmospheres of low-mass, temperate exoplanets with the direct-imaging technique. This will be a major step forward in our understanding of exoplanet diversity and the prevalence of potentially habitable conditions beyond the Earth. We compute a list of currently known exoplanets detectable with the mid-infrared Large Interferometer For Exoplanets (LIFE) in thermal emission. We also compute the list of known exoplanets accessible to a notional design of the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO), observing in reflected starlight. With a pre-existing method, we processed the NASA Exoplanet Archive and computed orbital realizations for each known exoplanet. We derived their mass, radius, equilibrium temperature, and planet-star angular separation. We used the LIFEsim simulator to compute the integration time ($t_{int}$) required to detect each planet with LIFE. A planet is considered detectable if a broadband signal-to-noise ratio $S/N$=7 is achieved over the spectral range $4-18.5μ$m in $t_{int}\leq$100 hours. We tested whether the planet is accessible to HWO in reflected starlight based on its notional inner and outer working angles, and minimum planet-to-star contrast. LIFE's reference configuration (four 2-m telescopes with 5% throughput and a nulling baseline between 10-100 m) can detect 212 known planets within 20 pc. Of these, 55 are also accessible to HWO in reflected starlight, offering a unique opportunity for synergies in atmospheric characterization. LIFE can also detect 32 known transiting exoplanets. Furthermore, 38 LIFE-detectable planets orbit in the habitable zone, of which 13 with $M_p<5M_\oplus$ and 8 with $5M_\oplus<M_p<10M_\oplus$. LIFE already has enough targets to perform ground-breaking analyses of low-mass, habitable-zone exoplanets, a fraction of which will also be accessible to other instruments.

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The Near Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph for the James Webb Space Telescope -- I. Instrument Overview and in-Flight Performance

The Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS) is the science module of the Canadian-built Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS) onboard the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). NIRISS has four observing modes: 1) broadband imaging featuring seven of the eight NIRCam broadband filters, 2) wide-field slitless spectroscopy (WFSS) at a resolving power of $\sim$150 between 0.8 and 2.2 $μ$m, 3) single-object cross-dispersed slitless spectroscopy (SOSS) enabling simultaneous wavelength coverage between 0.6 and 2.8 $μ$m at R$\sim$700, a mode optimized for exoplanet spectroscopy of relatively bright ($J<6.3$) stars and 4) aperture masking interferometry (AMI) between 2.8 and 4.8 $μ$m enabling high-contrast ($\sim10^{-3}-10^{-4}$) imaging at angular separations between 70 and 400 milliarcsec for relatively bright ($M<8$) sources. This paper presents an overview of the NIRISS instrument, its design, its scientific capabilities, and a summary of in-flight performance. NIRISS shows significantly better response shortward of $\sim2.5\,μ$m resulting in 10-40% sensitivity improvement for broadband and low-resolution spectroscopy compared to pre-flight predictions. Two time-series observations performed during instrument commissioning in the SOSS mode yield very stable spectro-photometry performance within $\sim$10% of the expected noise. The first space-based companion detection of the tight binary star AB Dor AC through AMI was demonstrated.

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The JWST Early Release Science Program for Direct Observations of Exoplanetary Systems I: High Contrast Imaging of the Exoplanet HIP 65426 b from 2-16 $μ$m

We present JWST Early Release Science (ERS) coronagraphic observations of the super-Jupiter exoplanet, HIP 65426 b, with the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) from 2-5 $μ$m, and with the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) from 11-16 $μ$m. At a separation of $\sim$0.82" (86$^{+116}_{-31}$ au), HIP 65426 b is clearly detected in all seven of our observational filters, representing the first images of an exoplanet to be obtained by JWST, and the first ever direct detection of an exoplanet beyond 5 $μ$m. These observations demonstrate that JWST is exceeding its nominal predicted performance by up to a factor of 10, depending on separation and subtraction method, with measured 5$σ$ contrast limits of $\sim$1$\times10^{-5}$ and $\sim$2$\times10^{-4}$ at 1" for NIRCam at 4.4 $μ$m and MIRI at 11.3 $μ$m, respectively. These contrast limits provide sensitivity to sub-Jupiter companions with masses as low as 0.3$M_\mathrm{Jup}$ beyond separations of $\sim$100 au. Together with existing ground-based near-infrared data, the JWST photometry are well fit by a BT-SETTL atmospheric model from 1-16 $μ$m, and span $\sim$97% of HIP 65426 b's luminous range. Independent of the choice of model atmosphere we measure an empirical bolometric luminosity that is tightly constrained between $\mathrm{log}\!\left(L_\mathrm{bol}/L_{\odot}\right)$=-4.31 to $-$4.14, which in turn provides a robust mass constraint of 7.1$\pm$1.2 $M_\mathrm{Jup}$. In totality, these observations confirm that JWST presents a powerful and exciting opportunity to characterise the population of exoplanets amenable to high-contrast imaging in greater detail.

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The JWST Early Release Science Program for Direct Observations of Exoplanetary Systems: Best Practices for Data Collection in Cycle 2 and Beyond

We present a set of recommended best practices for JWST data collection for members of the community focussed on the direct imaging and spectroscopy of exoplanetary systems. These findings and recommendations are based on the early analysis of the JWST Early Release Science Program 1386, "High-Contrast Imaging of Exoplanets and Exoplanetary Systems with JWST." Our goal is for this information to be useful for observers in preparation of JWST proposals for Cycle 2 and beyond. In addition to compiling a set of best practices from our ERS program, in a few cases we also draw on the expertise gained within the instrument commissioning programs, as well as include a handful of data processing best practices. We anticipate that this document will be regularly updated and resubmitted to arXiv.org to ensure that we have distributed our knowledge of best-practices for data collection as widely and efficiently as possible.

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