Aims. We explore the capabilities of CARMENES for characterising hot-Jupiter atmospheres by targeting multiple water bands, in particular, those at 1.15 and 1.4 μm. Hubble Space Telescope ...observations suggest that this wavelength region is relevant for distinguishing between hazy and/or cloudy and clear atmospheres. Methods. We observed one transit of the hot Jupiter HD 189733 b with CARMENES. Telluric and stellar absorption lines were removed using SYSREM, which performs a principal component analysis including proper error propagation. The residual spectra were analysed for water absorption with cross-correlation techniques using synthetic atmospheric absorption models. Results. We report a cross-correlation peak at a signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) of 6.6, revealing the presence of water in the transmission spectrum of HD 189733 b. The absorption signal appeared slightly blueshifted at –3.9 ± 1.3 km s−1. We measured the individual cross-correlation signals of the water bands at 1.15 and 1.4 μm, finding cross-correlation peaks at S/N of 4.9 and 4.4, respectively. The 1.4 μm feature is consistent with that observed with the Hubble Space Telescope. Conclusions. The water bands studied in this work have been mainly observed in a handful of planets from space. Being able also to detect them individually from the ground at higher spectral resolution can provide insightful information to constrain the properties of exoplanet atmospheres. Although the current multi-band detections can not yet constrain atmospheric haze models for HD 189733 b, future observations at higher S/N could provide an alternative way to achieve this aim.
Ultra-hot Jupiters are gas giants planets whose dayside temperature is greater than 2200 K as a consequence of the strong irradiation received from the host star. These kinds of objects are perfect ...laboratories to study the chemistry of exoplanetary upper atmospheres via transmission spectroscopy. Exo-atmospheric absorption features are buried in the noise of the in-transit residual spectra. However we can retrieve information of hundreds of atmospheric absorption lines by performing a cross-correlation with an atmospheric transmission model, which allows us to greatly increase the exo-atmospheric signal. The Rossiter–McLaughlin effect and centre-to-limb variation contribute strongly at the high spectral resolution of our data. We present the first detection of Fe
I
and confirmation of absorption features of Fe
II
in the atmosphere of the ultra-hot Jupiter MASCARA-2b/KELT-20b, by using three transit observations with HARPS-N. After combining all transit observations we find a high cross-correlation signal of Fe
I
and Fe
II
with signal-to-noise ratios of 10.5 ± 0.4 and 8.6 ± 0.5, respectively. The peak absorption for both species appear to be blue-shifted with velocities of − 6.3 ± 0.8 km s
−1
for Fe
I
and − 2.8 ± 0.8 km s
−1
for Fe
II
, suggesting the presence of winds from the day- to night-side of the atmosphere of the planet. These results confirm previous studies of this planet and add a new atomic species (Fe
I
) to the long list of detected species in the atmosphere of MASCARA-2b, making it, together with KELT-9b, the most feature-rich ultra-hot Jupiter to date.
Ultra-hot Jupiters are emerging as a new class of exoplanets. Studying their chemical compositions and temperature structures will improve our understanding of their mass loss rate as well as their ...formation and evolution. We present the detection of ionized calcium in the two hottest giant exoplanets – KELT-9b and WASP-33b. By using transit datasets from CARMENES and HARPS-N observations, we achieved high-confidence-level detections of Ca II using the cross-correlation method. We further obtain the transmission spectra around the individual lines of the Ca II H&K doublet and the near-infrared triplet, and measure their line profiles. The Ca II H&K lines have an average line depth of 2.02 ± 0.17% (effective radius of 1.56 Rp) for WASP-33b and an average line depth of 0.78 ± 0.04% (effective radius of 1.47 Rp) for KELT-9b, which indicates that the absorptions are from very high upper-atmosphere layers close to the planetary Roche lobes. The observed Ca II lines are significantly deeper than the predicted values from the hydrostatic models. Such a discrepancy is probably a result of hydrodynamic outflow that transports a significant amount of Ca II into the upper atmosphere. The prominent Ca II detection with the lack of significant Ca I detection implies that calcium is mostly ionized in the upper atmospheres of the two planets.
High resolution transit spectroscopy has proven to be a reliable technique for the characterization of the chemical composition of exoplanet atmospheres. Taking advantage of the broad spectral ...coverage of the CARMENES spectrograph, we initiated a survey aimed at characterizing a broad range of planetary systems. Here, we report our observations of three transits of GJ 3470 b with CARMENES in search of He (2
3
S) absorption. On one of the nights, the He
I
region was heavily contaminated by OH
−
telluric emission and, thus, it was not useful for our purposes. The remaining two nights had a very different signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) due to weather. They both indicate the presence of He (2
3
S) absorption in the transmission spectrum of GJ 3470 b, although a statistically valid detection can only be claimed for the night with higher S/N. For that night, we retrieved a 1.5 ± 0.3% absorption depth, translating into a
R
p
(
λ
)∕
R
p
= 1.15 ± 0.14 at this wavelength. Spectro-photometric light curves for this same night also indicate the presence of extra absorption during the planetary transit with a consistent absorption depth. The He (2
3
S) absorption is modeled in detail using a radiative transfer code, and the results of our modeling efforts are compared to the observations. We find that the mass-loss rate,
Ṁ
, is confined to a range of 3 × 10
10
g s
−1
for
T
= 6000 K to 10 × 10
10
g s
−1
for
T
= 9000 K. We discuss the physical mechanisms and implications of the He
I
detection in GJ 3470 b and put it in context as compared to similar detections and non-detections in other Neptune-size planets. We also present improved stellar and planetary parameter determinations based on our visible and near-infrared observations.
Global distributions of the six principal reactive nitrogen (NOy) compounds (HNO3, NO2, NO, N2O5, ClONO2, and HNO4) have been derived from midinfrared limb emission spectra taken by the Michelson ...Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding (MIPAS) on board Envisat during 2002–2012. The obtained data set provides a unique climatological record of NOy in the middle atmosphere. The contribution of NOy produced by energetic particle precipitation (EPP) has been discriminated from that produced by N2O oxidation using a tracer correlation method based on MIPAS CH4 and CO observations. The EPP‐NOy distributions, obtained in the vertical range 20–70km, allow to trace odd nitrogen polar winter descent from the mesosphere down to the middle and lower stratosphere, where it contributes to catalytic ozone destruction. Highest EPP‐NOy concentrations (up to 1 ppmv) are found in the winter solstice mesosphere, decreasing continuously with time and toward lower altitudes. Springtime peak concentrations of a few parts per billion by volume are observed at 22–25km, demonstrating a regular EPP impact on the entire stratosphere. The interannual variation shows a clear solar cycle signal in consonance with geomagnetic activity variations. A pronounced hemispheric asymmetry of EPP‐NOy is observed, with higher concentrations in the Southern Hemisphere (SH) and stronger variability in the Northern Hemisphere (NH). Poleward of 60°, EPP‐NOy contributes to the winter NOy column at 20–70km by 10–40% in the SH and 1–30% in the NH. Smaller contributions (0.1–1%) are found at midlatitudes (30°–60°). This study provides the first assessment of EPP‐NOy intrusions into the stratosphere based on globally available satellite data on a decadal scale.
Key PointsFirst assessment of EPP‐NOy from global satellite data on a decadal scaleEPP‐NOy is observed down to 25 km and contributes up to 40%Interannual variability follows solar cycle variation of geomagnetic activity
The nearby TRAPPIST-1 planetary system is an exciting target for characterizing the atmospheres of terrestrial planets. The planets e, f, and g lie in the circumstellar habitable zone and could ...sustain liquid water on their surfaces. During the extended pre-main-sequence phase of TRAPPIST-1, however, the planets may have experienced extreme water loss, leading to a desiccated mantle. The presence or absence of an ocean is challenging to determine with current and next-generation telescopes. Therefore, we investigate whether indirect evidence of an ocean and/or a biosphere can be inferred from observations of the planetary atmosphere. We introduce a newly developed photochemical model for planetary atmospheres, coupled to a radiative-convective model, and validate it against modern Earth, Venus, and Mars. The coupled model is applied to the TRAPPIST-1 planets e and f, assuming different surface conditions and varying amounts of CO2 in the atmosphere. As input for the model we use a constructed spectrum of TRAPPIST-1, based on near-simultaneous data from X-ray to optical wavelengths. We compute cloud-free transmission spectra of the planetary atmospheres and determine the detectability of molecular features using the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). We find that under certain conditions the existence or nonexistence of a biosphere and/or an ocean can be inferred by combining 30 transit observations with ELT and JWST within the K band. A nondetection of CO could suggest the existence of an ocean, whereas significant CH4 hints at the presence of a biosphere.
The He
I
λ
10833 Å triplet is a powerful tool for characterising the upper atmosphere of exoplanets and tracing possible mass loss. Here, we analysed one transit of GJ 1214 b observed with the ...CARMENES high-resolution spectrograph to study its atmosphere via transmission spectroscopy around the He
I
triplet. Although previous studies using lower resolution instruments have reported non-detections of He
I
in the atmosphere of GJ 1214 b, we report here the first potential detection. We reconcile the conflicting results arguing that previous transit observations did not present good opportunities for the detection of He
I
, due to telluric H
2
O absorption and OH emission contamination. We simulated those earlier observations, and show evidence that the planetary signal was contaminated. From our single non-telluric-contaminated transit, we determined an excess absorption of 2.10
−0.50
+0.45
% (4.6
σ
) with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 1.30
−0.25
+0.30
Å. The detection of He
I
is statistically significant at the 4.6
σ
level, but repeatability of the detection could not be confirmed due to the availability of only one transit. By applying a hydrodynamical model and assuming an H/He composition of 98/2, we found that GJ 1214 b would undergo hydrodynamic escape in the photon-limited regime, losing its primary atmosphere with a mass-loss rate of (1.5–18) × 10
10
g s
−1
and an outflow temperature in the range of 2900–4400 K. Further high-resolution follow-up observations of GJ 1214 b are needed to confirm and fully characterise the detection of an extended atmosphere surrounding GJ 1214 b. If confirmed, this would be strong evidence that this planet has a primordial atmosphere accreted from the original planetary nebula. Despite previous intensive observations from space- and ground-based observatories, our He
I
excess absorption is the first tentative detection of a chemical species in the atmosphere of this benchmark sub-Neptune planet.
We used temperature data from the Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding on board ESA's Envisat satellite to analyze the temperature responses in the mesosphere and thermosphere up ...to 170 km to a major stratospheric sudden warming (SSW) which occurred in January 2009. The temperature observations show clear signatures of a mesospheric cooling and a thermospheric warming, the latter peaking at 120–140 km in agreement with model predictions. From the analysis of the zonal temperature structure during the SSW a pronounced wave 1 pattern was found in the entire middle and upper polar atmosphere with maximum amplitudes around 50 and 140 km. In the mesosphere, the wave amplitude is significantly damped. The wave amplification above is most likely produced by in situ forced planetary waves in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere region. Our observations represent the first experimental evidence of a dynamical coupling of the lower atmosphere and the thermosphere in the 120–150 km range by means of satellite data.
Ultra-hot Jupiters (UHJs) are highly irradiated giant exoplanets with extremely high day-side temperatures, which lead to thermal dissociation of most molecular species. It is expected that the ...neutral hydrogen atom is one of the main species in the upper atmospheres of UHJs. Neutral hydrogen has been detected in several UHJs by observing their Balmer line absorption. In this work, we report four transit observations of the UHJ WASP-33b, performed with the CARMENES and HARPS-North spectrographs, and the detection of the H
α
, H
β
, and H
γ
lines in the planetary transmission spectrum. The combined H
α
transmission spectrum of the four transits has an absorption depth of 0.99 ± 0.05%, which corresponds to an effective radius of 1.31 ± 0.01
R
p
. The strong H
α
absorption indicates that the line probes the high-altitude thermosphere. We further fitted the three Balmer lines using the
PAWN
model, assuming that the atmosphere is hydrodynamic and in local thermodynamic equilibrium. We retrieved a thermosphere temperature 12 200
−1000
+1300
K and a mass-loss rate
Ṁ
= 1011.8
−0.5
+0.6
g s
−1
. The retrieved high mass-loss rate is compatible with the “Balmer-driven” atmospheric escape scenario, in which the stellar Balmer continua radiation in the near-ultraviolet is substantially absorbed by excited hydrogen atoms in the planetary thermosphere.
Context.
Theoretical studies predict the presence of thermal inversions in the atmosphere of highly irradiated gas giant planets. Recent observations have identified these inversion layers. However, ...the role of different chemical species in their formation remains unclear.
Aims.
We search for the signature of the thermal inversion agents TiO and Fe in the dayside emission spectrum of the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-33b.
Methods.
The spectra were obtained with CARMENES and HARPS-N, covering different wavelength ranges. Telluric and stellar absorption lines were removed with
SYSREM
. We cross-correlated the residual spectra with model spectra to retrieve the signals from the planetary atmosphere.
Results.
We find evidence for TiO at a significance of 4.9σ with CARMENES. The strength of the TiO signal drops close to the secondary eclipse. No TiO signal is found with HARPS-N. An injection-recovery test suggests that the TiO signal is below the detection level at the wavelengths covered by HARPS-N. The emission signature of Fe is detected with both instruments at significance levels of 5.7σ and 4.5σ, respectively. By combining all observations, we obtain a significance level of 7.3σ for Fe. We find the TiO signal at
K
p
= 248.0
−2.5
+2.0
km s
−1
, which is in disagreement with the Fe detection at
K
p
= 225.0
−3.5
+4.0
km s
−1
. The
K
p
value for Fe is in agreement with prior investigations. The model spectra require different temperature profiles for TiO and Fe to match the observations. We observe a broader line profile for Fe than for TiO.
Conclusions.
Our results confirm the existence of a temperature inversion layer in the planetary atmosphere. The observed
K
p
offset and different strengths of broadening in the line profiles suggest the existence of a TiO-depleted hot spot in the planetary atmosphere.
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