UNI-MB - logo
UMNIK - logo
 
E-resources
Peer reviewed Open access
  • Hydrogen and Sodium Absorpt...
    Jensen, Adam G.; Cauley, P. Wilson; Redfield, Seth; Cochran, William D.; Endl, Michael

    The Astronomical journal, 10/2018, Volume: 156, Issue: 4
    Journal Article

    We have obtained >10 hr of medium-resolution (R ∼ 15,000) spectroscopic exposures on the transiting exoplanet host star WASP-12, including ∼2 hr while its planet, WASP-12b, is in transit, with the Hobby-Eberly Telescope. The out-of-transit and in-transit spectra are coadded into master out-of-transit and in-transit spectra, from which we create a master transmission spectrum. Strong, statistically significant absorption features are seen in the transmission spectrum at H and Na i (the Na D doublet). There is the suggestion of pre- and post-transit absorption in both H and Na i when the transmission spectrum is examined as a function of phase. The timing of the pretransit absorption is roughly consistent with previous results for metal absorption in WASP-12b, and the level of the Na i absorption is consistent with a previous tentative detection. No absorption is seen in the control line of Ca i at λ6122. We discuss in particular whether or not the WASP-12b H absorption signal is of circumplanetary origin-an interpretation that is bolstered by the pre- and post-transit evidence-which would make it one of only a small number of detections of circumplanetary H absorption in an exoplanet to date, the most well-studied being HD 189733b. We further discuss the notable differences between the HD 189733 and WASP-12 systems and the implications for a physical understanding of the origin of the absorption.