We present here a reanalysis of the Spitzer Space Telescope phase curves of the hot Jupiter WASP43 b, using the wavelet pixel-Independent Component Analysis, a blind signal-source separation method. ...The data analyzed were recorded with the InfraRed Array Camera and consisted of two visits at 3.6 \(\mu\)m, and one visit at 4.5 \(\mu\)m, each visit covering one transit and two eclipse events. To test the robustness of our technique we repeated the analysis on smaller portions of the phase curves, and by employing different instrument ramp models. Our reanalysis presents significant updates of the planetary parameters compared to those reported in the original phase curve study of WASP43 b. In particular, we found (1) higher nightside temperatures, (2) smaller hotspot offsets, (3) a greater consistency (\(\sim\)1 \(\sigma\)) between the two 3.6~\(\mu\)m visits, and (4) a greater similarity with the predictions of the atmospheric circulation models. Our parameter results are consistent within 1 \(\sigma\) with those reported by a recent reanalysis of the same data sets. For each visit we studied the variation of the retrieved transit parameters as a function of various sets of stellar limb-darkening coefficients, finding significant degeneracy between the limb-darkening models and the analysis output. Furthermore, we performed the analysis of the single transit and eclipse events, and we examined the differences between these results with the ones obtained with the whole phase curve. Finally we provide a formula useful to optimize the trade-off between precision and duration of observations of transiting exoplanets.
We report the discovery of Cerberus, an extremely red object detected with the MIRI Deep Imaging Survey (MIDIS) observations in the F1000W filter of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field. The object is ...detected at S/N~6, with F1000W~27 mag, and it is extremely faint in both the NIRCam data gathered by the JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey, JADES, with ~30.5 mag \(5\sigma\) upper limits in individual bands, as well as in the MIDIS F560W ultra deep data (\(\sim\)29 mag, \(5\sigma\)). Analyzing the spectral energy distribution built with individual (low S/N) optical-to-mid-infrared filters and (S/N~5) stacks, we discuss the possible nature of this red NIRCam-dark source using a battery of codes. We discard the possibility of Cerberus being a Solar System body based on the \(<\)0.016" proper motion in the 1-year apart JADES and MIDIS observations. A sub-stellar Galactic nature is deemed unlikely, given that the Cerberus' relatively flat NIRCam-to-NIRCam and very red NIRCam-to-MIRI flux ratios are not consistent with any brown dwarf model. The extragalactic nature of Cerberus offers 3 possibilities: (1) A \(z\sim0.4\) galaxy with strong emission from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; the very low inferred stellar mass, \(\mathrm{M}_\star=10^{5-6}\) M\(_\odot\), makes this possibility highly improbable. (2) A dusty galaxy at \(z\sim4\) with an inferred stellar mass \(\mathrm{M}_\star\sim10^{8}\) M\(_\odot\). (3) A galaxy with observational properties similar to those of the reddest little red dots discovered around \(z\sim7\), but Cerberus lying at \(z\sim15\), presenting a spectral energy distribution in the rest-frame optical dominated by emission from a dusty torus or a dusty starburst.
We present here the first ever mid-infrared spectroscopic time series observation of the transiting exoplanet \object{L 168-9 b} with the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) on the James Webb Space ...Telescope. The data were obtained as part of the MIRI commissioning activities, to characterize the performance of the Low Resolution Spectroscopy (LRS) mode for these challenging observations. To assess the MIRI LRS performance, we performed two independent analyses of the data. We find that with a single transit observation we reached a spectro-photometric precision of \(\sim\)50 ppm in the 7-8 \micron range at R=50, consistent with \(\sim\)25 ppm systematic noise. The derived band averaged transit depth is 524 \(\pm\) 15 ppm and 547 \(\pm\) 13 ppm for the two applied analysis methods, respectively, recovering the known transit depth to within 1 \(\sigma\). The measured noise in the planet's transmission spectrum is approximately 15-20 \% higher than random noise simulations over wavelengths \(6.8 \lesssim \lambda \lesssim 11\) \(\mu\)m. \added{We observed an larger excess noise at the shortest wavelengths of up to a factor of two, for which possible causes are discussed.} This performance was achieved with limited in-flight calibration data, demonstrating the future potential of MIRI for the characterization of exoplanet atmospheres.
Mid-infrared emission features probe the properties of ionized gas, and hot or warm molecular gas. The Orion Bar is a frequently studied photodissociation region (PDR) containing large amounts of gas ...under these conditions, and was observed with the MIRI IFU aboard JWST as part of the "PDRs4All" program. The resulting IR spectroscopic images of high angular resolution (0.2") reveal a rich observational inventory of mid-IR emission lines, and spatially resolve the substructure of the PDR, with a mosaic cutting perpendicularly across the ionization front and three dissociation fronts. We extracted five spectra that represent the ionized, atomic, and molecular gas layers, and measured the most prominent gas emission lines. An initial analysis summarizes the physical conditions of the gas and the potential of these data. We identified around 100 lines, report an additional 18 lines that remain unidentified, and measured the line intensities and central wavelengths. The H I recombination lines originating from the ionized gas layer bordering the PDR, have intensity ratios that are well matched by emissivity coefficients from H recombination theory, but deviate up to 10% due contamination by He I lines. We report the observed emission lines of various ionization stages of Ne, P, S, Cl, Ar, Fe, and Ni, and show how certain line ratios vary between the five regions. We observe the pure-rotational H\(_2\) lines in the vibrational ground state from 0-0 S(1) to 0-0 S(8), and in the first vibrationally excited state from 1-1 S(5) to 1-1 S(9). We derive H\(_2\) excitation diagrams, and approximate the excitation with one thermal (~700 K) component representative of an average gas temperature, and one non-thermal component (~2700 K) probing the effect of UV pumping. We compare these results to an existing model for the Orion Bar PDR and highlight the differences with the observations.
Most low-mass stars form in stellar clusters that also contain massive stars, which are sources of far-ultraviolet (FUV) radiation. Theoretical models predict that this FUV radiation produces ...photo-dissociation regions (PDRs) on the surfaces of protoplanetary disks around low-mass stars, impacting planet formation within the disks. We report JWST and Atacama Large Millimetere Array observations of a FUV-irradiated protoplanetary disk in the Orion Nebula. Emission lines are detected from the PDR; modelling their kinematics and excitation allows us to constrain the physical conditions within the gas. We quantify the mass-loss rate induced by the FUV irradiation, finding it is sufficient to remove gas from the disk in less than a million years. This is rapid enough to affect giant planet formation in the disk.
Nature 621, 56-59 (2023) Forty years ago it was proposed that gas phase organic chemistry in the
interstellar medium was initiated by the methyl cation CH3+, but hitherto it
has not been observed ...outside the Solar System. Alternative routes involving
processes on grain surfaces have been invoked. Here we report JWST observations
of CH3+ in a protoplanetary disk in the Orion star forming region. We find that
gas-phase organic chemistry is activated by UV irradiation.
Water is a key ingredient for the emergence of life as we know it. Yet, its destruction and reformation in space remains unprobed in warm gas. Here, we detect the hydroxyl radical (OH) emission from ...a planet-forming disk exposed to external far-ultraviolet (FUV) radiation with the James Webb Space Telescope. The observations are confronted with the results of quantum dynamical calculations. The highly excited OH infrared rotational lines are the tell-tale signs of H2O destruction by FUV. The OH infrared ro-vibrational lines are attributed to chemical excitation via the key reaction O+H=OH+H which seeds the formation of water in the gas-phase. We infer that the equivalent of the Earth ocean's worth of water is destroyed per month and replenished. These results show that under warm and irradiated conditions water is destroyed and efficiently reformed via gas-phase reactions. This process, assisted by diffusive transport, could reduce the HDO/H2O ratio in the warm regions of planet-forming disks.
The James Webb Space Telescope Mission Abney, Faith E; Anderson, Harry James; Anderson, Kristen ...
arXiv (Cornell University),
04/2023
Paper, Journal Article
Odprti dostop
Twenty-six years ago a small committee report, building on earlier studies, expounded a compelling and poetic vision for the future of astronomy, calling for an infrared-optimized space telescope ...with an aperture of at least \(4m\). With the support of their governments in the US, Europe, and Canada, 20,000 people realized that vision as the \(6.5m\) James Webb Space Telescope. A generation of astronomers will celebrate their accomplishments for the life of the mission, potentially as long as 20 years, and beyond. This report and the scientific discoveries that follow are extended thank-you notes to the 20,000 team members. The telescope is working perfectly, with much better image quality than expected. In this and accompanying papers, we give a brief history, describe the observatory, outline its objectives and current observing program, and discuss the inventions and people who made it possible. We cite detailed reports on the design and the measured performance on orbit.
Massive stars disrupt their natal molecular cloud material through radiative and mechanical feedback processes. These processes have profound effects on the evolution of interstellar matter in our ...Galaxy and throughout the Universe, from the era of vigorous star formation at redshifts of 1-3 to the present day. The dominant feedback processes can be probed by observations of the Photo-Dissociation Regions (PDRs) where the far-ultraviolet photons of massive stars create warm regions of gas and dust in the neutral atomic and molecular gas. PDR emission provides a unique tool to study in detail the physical and chemical processes that are relevant for most of the mass in inter- and circumstellar media including diffuse clouds, proto-planetary disks and molecular cloud surfaces, globules, planetary nebulae, and star-forming regions. PDR emission dominates the infrared (IR) spectra of star-forming galaxies. Most of the Galactic and extragalactic observations obtained with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will therefore arise in PDR emission. In this paper we present an Early Release Science program using the MIRI, NIRSpec, and NIRCam instruments dedicated to the observations of an emblematic and nearby PDR: the Orion Bar. These early JWST observations will provide template datasets designed to identify key PDR characteristics in JWST observations. These data will serve to benchmark PDR models and extend them into the JWST era. We also present the Science-Enabling products that we will provide to the community. These template datasets and Science-Enabling products will guide the preparation of future proposals on star-forming regions in our Galaxy and beyond and will facilitate data analysis and interpretation of forthcoming JWST observations.
We have conducted an archival Spitzer study of 38 early-type galaxies (ETGs) in order to determine the origin of the dust in approximately half of this population. Our sample galaxies generally have ...good wavelength coverage from 3.6um to 160um, as well as visible-wavelength HST images. We use the Spitzer data to estimate dust masses, or establish upper limits, and find that all of the ETGs with dust lanes in the HST data are detected in all of the Spitzer bands and have dust masses of ~10^{5-6.5} Msun, while galaxies without dust lanes are not detected at 70um and 160um and typically have <10^5 Msun of dust. The apparently dust-free galaxies do have 24um emission that scales with the shorter wavelength flux, yet substantially exceeds the expectations of photospheric emission by approximately a factor of three. We conclude this emission is dominated by hot, circumstellar dust around evolved stars that does not survive to form a substantial interstellar component. The order of magnitude variations in dust masses between galaxies with similar stellar populations rules out a subtantial contribution from continual, internal production in spite of the clear evidence for circumstellar dust. We demonstrate that the interstellar dust is not due to purely external accretion, unless the product of the merger rate of dusty satellites and the dust lifetime is at least an order of magnitude higher than expected. We propose that dust in ETGs is seeded by external accretion, yet the accreted dust is maintained by continued growth in externally-accreted cold gas beyond the nominal lifetime of individual grains. The several Gyr depletion time of the cold gas is long enough to reconcile the fraction of dusty ETGs with the merger rate of gas-rich satellites. As the majority of dusty ETGs are also low-luminosity AGN and likely fueled by this cold gas, their lifetime should similarly be several Gyr.
