arXiv subjects

Julien de Wit

Publications and source records attributed to Julien de Wit.

85 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2017

Seven temperate terrestrial planets around the nearby ultracool dwarf star TRAPPIST-1

One focus of modern astronomy is to detect temperate terrestrial exoplanets well-suited for atmospheric characterisation. A milestone was recently achieved with the detection of three Earth-sized planets transiting (i.e. passing in front of) a star just 8% the mass of the Sun 12 parsecs away. Indeed, the transiting configuration of these planets with the Jupiter-like size of their host star - named TRAPPIST-1 - makes possible in-depth studies of their atmospheric properties with current and future astronomical facilities. Here we report the results of an intensive photometric monitoring campaign of that star from the ground and with the Spitzer Space Telescope. Our observations reveal that at least seven planets with sizes and masses similar to the Earth revolve around TRAPPIST-1. The six inner planets form a near-resonant chain such that their orbital periods (1.51, 2.42, 4.04, 6.06, 9.21, 12.35 days) are near ratios of small integers. This architecture suggests that the planets formed farther from the star and migrated inward. The seven planets have equilibrium temperatures low enough to make possible liquid water on their surfaces.

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arXiv2016

A combined transmission spectrum of the Earth-sized exoplanets TRAPPIST-1 b and c

Three Earth-sized exoplanets were recently discovered close to the habitable zone of the nearby ultracool dwarf star TRAPPIST-1. The nature of these planets has yet to be determined, since their masses remain unmeasured and no observational constraint is available for the planetary population surrounding ultracool dwarfs, of which the TRAPPIST-1 planets are the first transiting example. Theoretical predictions span the entire atmospheric range from depleted to extended hydrogen-dominated atmospheres. Here, we report a space-based measurement of the combined transmission spectrum of the two inner planets made possible by a favorable alignment resulting in their simultaneous transits on 04 May 2016. The lack of features in the combined spectrum rules out cloud-free hydrogen-dominated atmospheres for each planet at 10-$σ$ levels; TRAPPIST-1 b and c are hence unlikely to harbor an extended gas envelope as they lie in a region of parameter space where high-altitude cloud/haze formation is not expected to be significant for hydrogen-dominated atmospheres. Many denser atmospheres remain consistent with the featureless transmission spectrum---from a cloud-free water vapour atmosphere to a Venus-like atmosphere.

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arXiv2016

Direct Measure of Radiative and Dynamical Properties of an Exoplanet Atmosphere

Two decades after the discovery of 51 Peg b, the formation processes and atmospheres of short-period gas giants remain poorly understood. Observations of eccentric systems provide key insights on those topics as they can illuminate how a planet's atmosphere responds to changes in incident flux. We report here the analysis of multi-day multi-channel photometry of the eccentric (e~ 0.93) hot Jupiter HD 80606 b obtained with the Spitzer Space Telescope. The planet's extreme eccentricity combined with the long coverage and exquisite precision of new periastron-passage observations allow us to break the degeneracy between the radiative and dynamical timescales of HD 80606 b's atmosphere and constrain its global thermal response. Our analysis reveals that the atmospheric layers probed heat rapidly (~4 hr radiative timescale) from $\lt$500 to 1400 K as they absorb ~ 20% of the incoming stellar flux during the periastron passage, while the planet's rotation period is 93$\pm_{35}^{85}$ hr, which exceeds the predicted pseudo-synchronous period (40 hr).

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arXiv2016

Temperate Earth-sized planets transiting a nearby ultracool dwarf star

Star-like objects with effective temperatures of less than 2,700 kelvin are referred to as ultracool dwarfs. This heterogeneous group includes stars of extremely low mass as well as brown dwarfs (substellar objects not massive enough to sustain hydrogen fusion), and represents about 15 per cent of the population of astronomical objects near the Sun. Core-accretion theory predicts that, given the small masses of these ultracool dwarfs, and the small sizes of their protoplanetary disk, there should be a large but hitherto undetected population of terrestrial planets orbiting them - ranging from metal-rich Mercury-sized planets to more hospitable volatile-rich Earth-sized planets. Here we report observations of three short-period Earth-sized planets transiting an ultracool dwarf star only 12 parsecs away. The inner two planets receive four times and two times the irradiation of Earth, respectively, placing them close to the inner edge of the habitable zone of the star. Our data suggest that 11 orbits remain possible for the third planet, the most likely resulting in irradiation significantly less than that received by Earth. The infrared brightness of the host star, combined with its Jupiter-like size, offers the possibility of thoroughly characterizing the components of this nearby planetary system.

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arXiv2016

Transiting Exoplanet Studies and Community Targets for JWST's Early Release Science Program

The James Webb Space Telescope will revolutionize transiting exoplanet atmospheric science due to its capability for continuous, long-duration observations and its larger collecting area, spectral coverage, and spectral resolution compared to existing space-based facilities. However, it is unclear precisely how well JWST will perform and which of its myriad instruments and observing modes will be best suited for transiting exoplanet studies. In this article, we describe a prefatory JWST Early Release Science (ERS) program that focuses on testing specific observing modes to quickly give the community the data and experience it needs to plan more efficient and successful future transiting exoplanet characterization programs. We propose a multi-pronged approach wherein one aspect of the program focuses on observing transits of a single target with all of the recommended observing modes to identify and understand potential systematics, compare transmission spectra at overlapping and neighboring wavelength regions, confirm throughputs, and determine overall performances. In our search for transiting exoplanets that are well suited to achieving these goals, we identify 12 objects (dubbed "community targets") that meet our defined criteria. Currently, the most favorable target is WASP-62b because of its large predicted signal size, relatively bright host star, and location in JWST's continuous viewing zone. Since most of the community targets do not have well-characterized atmospheres, we recommend initiating preparatory observing programs to determine the presence of obscuring clouds/hazes within their atmospheres. Measurable spectroscopic features are needed to establish the optimal resolution and wavelength regions for exoplanet characterization. Other initiatives from our proposed ERS program include testing the instrument brightness limits and performing phase-curve observations.(Abridged)

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arXiv2016

A map of the large day-night temperature gradient of a super-Earth exoplanet

Over the past decade, observations of giant exoplanets (Jupiter-size) have provided key insights into their atmospheres, but the properties of lower-mass exoplanets (sub-Neptune) remain largely unconstrained because of the challenges of observing small planets. Numerous efforts to observe the spectra of super-Earths (exoplanets with masses of one to ten times that of Earth) have so far revealed only featureless spectra. Here we report a longitudinal thermal brightness map of the nearby transiting super-Earth 55 Cancri e revealing highly asymmetric dayside thermal emission and a strong day-night temperature contrast. Dedicated space-based monitoring of the planet in the infrared revealed a modulation of the thermal flux as 55 Cancri e revolves around its star in a tidally locked configuration. These observations reveal a hot spot that is located 41 +- 12 degrees east of the substellar point (the point at which incident light from the star is perpendicular to the surface of the planet). From the orbital phase curve, we also constrain the nightside brightness temperature of the planet to 1380 +- 400 kelvin and the temperature of the warmest hemisphere (centred on the hot spot) to be about 1300 kelvin hotter (2700 +- 270 kelvin) at a wavelength of 4.5 microns, which indicates inefficient heat redistribution from the dayside to the nightside. Our observations are consistent with either an optically thick atmosphere with heat recirculation confined to the planetary dayside, or a planet devoid of atmosphere with low-viscosity magma flows at the surface.

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arXiv2015

Maps and Masses of Transiting Exoplanets: Towards New Insights into Atmospheric and Interior Properties of Planets

With over 1800 planets discovered outside of the Solar System in the past two decades, the field of exoplanetology has broadened our perspective on planetary systems. Research priorities are now moving from planet detection to planet characterization. In this context, transiting exoplanets are of special interest due to the wealth of data made available by their orbital configuration. Here, I introduce two methods to gain new insights into the atmospheric and interior properties of exoplanets. The first method aims to map an exoplanet's atmosphere based on the scanning obtained while it is occulted by its host star. I introduce the basics of eclipse mapping, its caveats, and a framework to mitigate their effects via global analyses including transits, phase curves, and radial velocity measurements. I use this method to create the first 2D map and the first cloud map of an exoplanet for the hot-Jupiters HD189733b and Kepler-7b, respectively. Ultimately temperature, composition, and circulation patterns could be constrained in 3D, a significant asset for informing atmospheric models. The second method, MassSpec, aims to determine transiting planet masses and atmospheric properties solely from transmission spectra. Determination of an exoplanet's mass is key to understanding its basic properties, including its potential for supporting life. To date, mass constraints for exoplanets are mainly based on radial velocity measurements, which are not suited for planets with low masses, large semi-major axes, or those orbiting faint or active stars. I demonstrate that a planet's mass has to be accounted for by atmospheric retrieval methods to avoid biases and that JWST could determine the mass and atmospheric properties of half a dozen Earth-sized planets in their host's habitable zones over its lifetime, which could lead to the first identification of a habitable exoplanet.

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arXiv2014

Unveiling the atmospheres of giant exoplanets with an EChO-class mission

More than a thousand exoplanets have been discovered over the last decade. Perhaps more excitingly, probing their atmospheres has become possible. With current data we have glimpsed the diversity of exoplanet atmospheres that will be revealed over the coming decade. However, numerous questions concerning their chemical composition, thermal structure, and atmospheric dynamics remain to be answered. More observations of higher quality are needed. In the next years, the selection of a space-based mission dedicated to the spectroscopic characterization of exoplanets would revolutionize our understanding of the physics of planetary atmospheres. Such a mission was proposed to the ESA cosmic vision program in 2014. Our paper is therefore based on the planned capabilities of the Exoplanet Characterization Observatory (EChO), but it should equally apply to any future mission with similar characteristics. With its large spectral coverage ($4-16\, \rm{μm}$), high spectral resolution ($Δλ/λ>300$ below $5\,\rm{μm}$ and $Δλ/λ>30$ above $5\,\rm{μm}$) and $1.5\rm{m}$ mirror, a future mission such as EChO will provide spectrally resolved transit lightcurves, secondary eclipses lightcurves, and full phase curves of numerous exoplanets with an unprecedented signal-to-noise ratio. In this paper, we review some of today's main scientific questions about gas giant exoplanets atmospheres, for which a future mission such as EChO will bring a decisive contribution.

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arXiv2014

Constraining Exoplanet Mass from Transmission Spectroscopy

Determination of an exoplanet's mass is a key to understanding its basic properties, including its potential for supporting life. To date, mass constraints for exoplanets are predominantly based on radial velocity (RV) measurements, which are not suited for planets with low masses, large semi-major axes, or those orbiting faint or active stars. Here, we present a method to extract an exoplanet's mass solely from its transmission spectrum. We find good agreement between the mass retrieved for the hot Jupiter HD189733b from transmission spectroscopy with that from RV measurements. Our method will be able to retrieve the masses of Earth-sized and super-Earth planets using data from future space telescopes that were initially designed for atmospheric characterization.

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arXiv2013

Inference of Inhomogeneous Clouds in an Exoplanet Atmosphere

We present new visible and infrared observations of the hot Jupiter Kepler-7b to determine its atmospheric properties. Our analysis allows us to 1) refine Kepler-7b's relatively large geometric albedo of Ag=0.35+-0.02, 2) place upper limits on Kepler-7b thermal emission that remains undetected in both Spitzer bandpasses and 3) report a westward shift in the Kepler optical phase curve. We argue that Kepler-7b's visible flux cannot be due to thermal emission or Rayleigh scattering from H2 molecules. We therefore conclude that high altitude, optically reflective clouds located west from the substellar point are present in its atmosphere. We find that a silicate-based cloud composition is a possible candidate. Kepler-7b exhibits several properties that may make it particularly amenable to cloud formation in its upper atmosphere. These include a hot deep atmosphere that avoids a cloud cold trap, very low surface gravity to suppress cloud sedimentation, and a planetary equilibrium temperature in a range that allows for silicate clouds to potentially form in the visible atmosphere probed by Kepler. Our analysis does not only present evidence of optically thick clouds on Kepler-7b but also yields the first map of clouds in an exoplanet atmosphere.

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arXiv2013

Searching for Terrestrial Planets Orbiting in the Habitable Zone of Ultra-Cool Stars and Brown Dwarfs

We propose to use Kepler in 2-wheel mode to conduct a detailed search for Earth-sized planets orbiting ultra-cool stars and brown dwarfs (spectral types from M7 to L3). This population of objects presents several advantages for exoplanet surveys. First, ultra-cool stars and brown dwarfs are small and thus result in favorable planet-to-star area ratios. Second, because of their low effective temperature, the inner edge of their habitable zone is extremely close (2 to 3 days only). Third, our targets are bright at infrared wavelengths, which will enable detailed follow-up studies. Our program therefore represents a unique opportunity to find a transiting Earth-size exoplanet for which atmospheric features (including biosignatures) could be detected with near-to-come facilities such as JWST. Such exoplanet has not been discovered yet. Kepler in 2-wheel mode provides the required stability and photometric precision to make this survey successful. Our initial target sample includes 60 ultra-cool stars and brown dwarfs from which we expect to detect at least one transiting planet. We propose to monitor each source for 4 days, resulting in a total program duration of ~240 days.

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arXiv2013

Towards the Minimum Inner Edge Distance of the Habitable Zone

We explore the minimum distance from a host star where an exoplanet could potentially be habitable in order not to discard close-in rocky exoplanets for follow-up observations. We find that the inner edge of the Habitable Zone for hot desert worlds can be as close as 0.38 AU around a solar-like star, if the greenhouse effect is reduced ($\sim$ 1% relative humidity) and the surface albedo is increased. We consider a wide range of atmospheric and planetary parameters such as the mixing ratios of greenhouse gases (water vapor and CO$_2$), surface albedo, pressure and gravity. Intermediate surface pressure ($\sim$1-10 bars) is necessary to limit water loss and to simultaneously sustain an active water cycle. We additionally find that the water loss timescale is influenced by the atmospheric CO$_2$ level, because it indirectly influences the stratospheric water mixing ratio. If the CO$_2$ mixing ratio of dry planets at the inner edge is smaller than 10$^{-4}$, the water loss timescale is $\sim$1 billion years, which is considered here too short for life to evolve. We also show that the expected transmission spectra of hot desert worlds are similar to an Earth-like planet. Therefore, an instrument designed to identify biosignature gases in an Earth-like atmosphere can also identify similarly abundant gases in the atmospheres of dry planets. Our inner edge limit is closer to the host star than previous estimates. As a consequence, the occurrence rate of potentially habitable planets is larger than previously thought.

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arXiv2012

Towards consistent mapping of distant worlds: secondary-eclipse scanning of the exoplanet HD189733b

Mapping distant worlds is the next frontier for exoplanet infrared photometry studies. Ultimately, constraining spatial and temporal properties of an exoplanet atmosphere will provide further insight into its physics. For tidally-locked hot Jupiters that transit and are eclipsed by their host star, the first steps are now possible. Our aim is to constrain an exoplanet's shape, brightness distribution (BD) and system parameters from its light curve. Notably, we rely on the eclipse scanning. We use archived Spitzer 8-μm data of HD189733 (6 transits, 8 secondary eclipses, and a phase curve) in a global MCMC procedure for mitigating systematics. We also include HD189733's out-of-transit radial velocity measurements. We find a 6-σ deviation from the expected occultation of a uniformly-bright disk. This deviation emerges mainly from HD189733b's thermal pattern, not from its shape. We indicate that the correlation of the orbital eccentricity, e, and BD (uniform time offset) does also depend on the stellar density, ρ*, and the impact parameter, b (e-b-ρ*-BD correlation). For HD189733b, we find that relaxing the e-constraint and using more complex BDs lead to lower stellar/planetary densities and a more localized and latitudinally-shifted hot spot. We obtain an improved constraint on the upper limit of HD189733b's orbital eccentricity, e<0.011 (95%), when including the RV measurements. Our study provides new insights into the analysis of exoplanet light curves and a proper framework for future eclipse-scanning observations. Observations of the same exoplanet at different wavelengths will improve the constraints on its system parameters while ultimately yielding a large-scale time-dependent 3D map of its atmosphere. Finally, we discuss the perspective of extending our method to observations in the visible, in particular to better understand exoplanet albedos.

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