1
|
Espinoza N, Steinrueck ME, Kirk J, MacDonald RJ, Savel AB, Arnold K, Kempton EMR, Murphy MM, Carone L, Zamyatina M, Lewis DA, Samra D, Kiefer S, Rauscher E, Christie D, Mayne N, Helling C, Rustamkulov Z, Parmentier V, May EM, Carter AL, Zhang X, López-Morales M, Allen N, Blecic J, Decin L, Mancini L, Molaverdikhani K, Rackham BV, Palle E, Tsai SM, Ahrer EM, Bean JL, Crossfield IJM, Haegele D, Hébrard E, Kreidberg L, Powell D, Schneider AD, Welbanks L, Wheatley P, Brahm R, Crouzet N. Inhomogeneous terminators on the exoplanet WASP-39 b. Nature 2024; 632:1017-1020. [PMID: 39009005 PMCID: PMC11357994 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07768-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/17/2024]
Abstract
Transmission spectroscopy has been a workhorse technique used over the past two decades to constrain the physical and chemical properties of exoplanet atmospheres1-5. One of its classical key assumptions is that the portion of the atmosphere it probes-the terminator region-is homogeneous. Several works from the past decade, however, have put this into question for highly irradiated, hot (Teq ≳ 1,000 K) gas giant exoplanets, both empirically6-10 and through three-dimensional modelling11-17. While models have predicted clear differences between the evening (day-to-night) and morning (night-to-day) terminators, direct morning and evening transmission spectra in a wide wavelength range have not been reported for an exoplanet so far. Under the assumption of precise and accurate orbital parameters for the exoplanet WASP-39 b, here we report the detection of inhomogeneous terminators on WASP-39 b, which has allowed us to retrieve its morning and evening transmission spectra in the near-infrared (2-5 μm) using the James Webb Space Telescope. We have observed larger transit depths in the evening, which are, on average, 405 ± 88 ppm larger than the morning ones, and also have qualitatively larger features than the morning spectrum. The spectra are best explained by models in which the evening terminator is hotter than the morning terminator by 17 7 - 57 + 65 K, with both terminators having C/O ratios consistent with solar. General circulation models predict temperature differences broadly consistent with the above value and point towards a cloudy morning terminator and a clearer evening terminator.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Néstor Espinoza
- Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA.
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - Maria E Steinrueck
- Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA), Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - James Kirk
- Department of Physics, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Ryan J MacDonald
- Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Arjun B Savel
- Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Kenneth Arnold
- Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Eliza M-R Kempton
- Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Matthew M Murphy
- Department of Astronomy and Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Ludmila Carone
- Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Graz, Austria
| | - Maria Zamyatina
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - David A Lewis
- Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Graz, Austria
- Institute for Theoretical Physics and Computational Physics, Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria
| | - Dominic Samra
- Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Graz, Austria
| | - Sven Kiefer
- Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Graz, Austria
- Institute of Astronomy, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Centre for Exoplanet Science, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
- Fakultät für Mathematik, Physik und Geodäsie, TU Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Emily Rauscher
- Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Duncan Christie
- Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Nathan Mayne
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Christiane Helling
- Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Graz, Austria
- Institute for Theoretical Physics and Computational Physics, Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria
| | - Zafar Rustamkulov
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Vivien Parmentier
- Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur, Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Nice, France
| | | | - Aarynn L Carter
- Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Xi Zhang
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | | | - Natalie Allen
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jasmina Blecic
- Department of Physics, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, UAE
- Center for Astro, Particle, and Planetary Physics (CAP3), New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, UAE
| | - Leen Decin
- Institute of Astronomy, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Luigi Mancini
- Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA), Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Physics, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy
- INAF - Turin Astrophysical Observatory, Pino Torinese, Italy
| | - Karan Molaverdikhani
- University Observatory Munich, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
- Exzellenzcluster Origins, Garching, Germany
| | - Benjamin V Rackham
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Enric Palle
- Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), Tenerife, Spain
| | - Shang-Min Tsai
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Eva-Maria Ahrer
- Centre for Exoplanets and Habitability, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | - Jacob L Bean
- Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Ian J M Crossfield
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - David Haegele
- Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Eric Hébrard
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Laura Kreidberg
- Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Diana Powell
- Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Aaron D Schneider
- Institute of Astronomy, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Centre for ExoLife Sciences, Niels Bohr Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Luis Welbanks
- School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Peter Wheatley
- Centre for Exoplanets and Habitability, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | - Rafael Brahm
- Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
- Millennium Institute for Astrophysics, Santiago, Chile
- Data Observatory Foundation, Santiago, Chile
| | - Nicolas Crouzet
- Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Hadad RE, Roy A, Rabani E, Redmer R, Baer R. Stochastic density functional theory combined with Langevin dynamics for warm dense matter. Phys Rev E 2024; 109:065304. [PMID: 39020867 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.109.065304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 07/19/2024]
Abstract
This study overviews and extends a recently developed stochastic finite-temperature Kohn-Sham density functional theory to study warm dense matter using Langevin dynamics, specifically under periodic boundary conditions. The method's algorithmic complexity exhibits nearly linear scaling with system size and is inversely proportional to the temperature. Additionally, a linear-scaling stochastic approach is introduced to assess the Kubo-Greenwood conductivity, demonstrating exceptional stability for dc conductivity. Utilizing the developed tools, we investigate the equation of state, radial distribution, and electronic conductivity of hydrogen at a temperature of 30 000 K. As for the radial distribution functions, we reveal a transition of hydrogen from gaslike to liquidlike behavior as its density exceeds 4g/cm^{3}. As for the electronic conductivity as a function of the density, we identified a remarkable isosbestic point at frequencies around 7 eV, which may be an additional signature of a gas-liquid transition in hydrogen at 30 000 K.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Eran Rabani
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA; Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA; and The Raymond and Beverly Sackler Center of Computational Molecular and Materials Science, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Pelletier S, Benneke B, Ali-Dib M, Prinoth B, Kasper D, Seifahrt A, Bean JL, Debras F, Klein B, Bazinet L, Hoeijmakers HJ, Kesseli AY, Lim O, Carmona A, Pino L, Casasayas-Barris N, Hood T, Stürmer J. Vanadium oxide and a sharp onset of cold-trapping on a giant exoplanet. Nature 2023; 619:491-494. [PMID: 37316661 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06134-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The abundance of refractory elements in giant planets can provide key insights into their formation histories1. Owing to the low temperatures of the Solar System giants, refractory elements condense below the cloud deck, limiting sensing capabilities to only highly volatile elements2. Recently, ultra-hot giant exoplanets have allowed for some refractory elements to be measured, showing abundances broadly consistent with the solar nebula with titanium probably condensed out of the photosphere3,4. Here we report precise abundance constraints of 14 major refractory elements on the ultra-hot giant planet WASP-76b that show distinct deviations from proto-solar and a sharp onset in condensation temperature. In particular, we find nickel to be enriched, a possible sign of the accretion of the core of a differentiated object during the evolution of the planet. Elements with condensation temperatures below 1,550 K otherwise closely match those of the Sun5 before sharply transitioning to being strongly depleted above 1,550 K, which is well explained by nightside cold-trapping. We further unambiguously detect vanadium oxide on WASP-76b, a molecule long suggested to drive atmospheric thermal inversions6, and also observe a global east-west asymmetry7 in its absorption signals. Overall, our findings indicate that giant planets have a mostly stellar-like refractory elemental content and suggest that temperature sequences of hot Jupiter spectra can show abrupt transitions wherein a mineral species is either present or completely absent if a cold trap exists below its condensation temperature8.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Pelletier
- Department of Physics, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
- Trottier Institute for Research on Exoplanets, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
| | - Björn Benneke
- Department of Physics, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Trottier Institute for Research on Exoplanets, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Mohamad Ali-Dib
- Center for Astro, Particle, and Planetary Physics, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Bibiana Prinoth
- Lund Observatory, Division of Astrophysics, Department of Physics, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - David Kasper
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Andreas Seifahrt
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Jacob L Bean
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | | | | | - Luc Bazinet
- Department of Physics, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Trottier Institute for Research on Exoplanets, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - H Jens Hoeijmakers
- Lund Observatory, Division of Astrophysics, Department of Physics, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | | | - Olivia Lim
- Department of Physics, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Trottier Institute for Research on Exoplanets, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | | | - Lorenzo Pino
- INAF - Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Florence, Italy
| | | | - Thea Hood
- Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRAP, Toulouse, France
| | | |
Collapse
|
4
|
Lothringer JD, Sing DK, Rustamkulov Z, Wakeford HR, Stevenson KB, Nikolov N, Lavvas P, Spake JJ, Winch AT. UV absorption by silicate cloud precursors in ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-178b. Nature 2022; 604:49-52. [PMID: 35388193 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04453-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Aerosols have been found to be nearly ubiquitous in substellar atmospheres1-3. The precise temperature at which these aerosols begin to form in exoplanets has yet to be observationally constrained. Theoretical models and observations of muted spectral features indicate that silicate clouds play an important role in exoplanets between at least 950 and 2,100 K (ref. 4). Some giant planets, however, are thought to be hot enough to avoid condensation altogether5,6. Here we report the near-ultraviolet transmission spectrum of the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-178b (approximately 2,450 K), which exhibits substantial absorption. Bayesian retrievals indicate the presence of gaseous refractory species containing silicon and magnesium, which are the precursors to condensate clouds at lower temperatures. SiO, in particular, has not previously, to our knowledge, been detected in exoplanets, but the presence of SiO in WASP-178b is consistent with theoretical expectations as the dominant Si-bearing species at high temperatures. These observations allow us to re-interpret previous observations of HAT-P-41b and WASP-121b that did not consider SiO, to suggest that silicate cloud formation begins on exoplanets with equilibrium temperatures between 1,950 and 2,450 K.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joshua D Lothringer
- Department of Physics, Utah Valley University, Orem, UT, USA. .,Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - David K Sing
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA. .,Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - Zafar Rustamkulov
- Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Hannah R Wakeford
- School of Physics, University of Bristol, HH Wills Physics Laboratory, Bristol, UK
| | - Kevin B Stevenson
- Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, MD, USA
| | | | - Panayotis Lavvas
- Groupe de Spectrométrie Moléculaire et Atmosphérique, Université de Reims, Champagne-Ardenne, CNRS UMR F-7331, Reims, France
| | - Jessica J Spake
- Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Autumn T Winch
- Department of Physics, Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, PA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
White AJ, Collins LA, Nichols K, Hu SX. Mixed stochastic-deterministic time-dependent density functional theory: application to stopping power of warm dense carbon. JOURNAL OF PHYSICS. CONDENSED MATTER : AN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS JOURNAL 2022; 34:174001. [PMID: 35081511 DOI: 10.1088/1361-648x/ac4f1a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Warm dense matter (WDM) describes an intermediate phase, between condensed matter and classical plasmas, found in natural and man-made systems. In a laboratory setting, WDM is often created dynamically. It is typically laser or pulse-power generated and can be difficult to characterize experimentally. Measuring the energy loss of high energy ions, caused by a WDM target, is both a promising diagnostic and of fundamental importance to inertial confinement fusion research. However, electron coupling, degeneracy, and quantum effects limit the accuracy of easily calculable kinetic models for stopping power, while high temperatures make the traditional tools of condensed matter, e.g. time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT), often intractable. We have developed a mixed stochastic-deterministic approach to TD-DFT which provides more efficient computation while maintaining the required precision for model discrimination. Recently, this approach showed significant improvement compared to models when compared to experimental energy loss measurements in WDM carbon. Here, we describe this approach and demonstrate its application to warm dense carbon stopping across a range of projectile velocities. We compare direct stopping-power calculation to approaches based on combining homogeneous electron gas response with bound electrons, with parameters extracted from our TD-DFT calculations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander J White
- Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, 87545 NM, United States of America
| | - Lee A Collins
- Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, 87545 NM, United States of America
| | - Katarina Nichols
- Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, 87545 NM, United States of America
- Laboratory of Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, Rochester 14623 NY, United States of America
| | - S X Hu
- Laboratory of Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, Rochester 14623 NY, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
White AJ, Collins LA. Fast and Universal Kohn-Sham Density Functional Theory Algorithm for Warm Dense Matter to Hot Dense Plasma. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2020; 125:055002. [PMID: 32794867 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.125.055002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2020] [Revised: 06/09/2020] [Accepted: 07/15/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Understanding many processes, e.g., fusion experiments, planetary interiors, and dwarf stars, depends strongly on microscopic physics modeling of warm dense matter and hot dense plasma. This complex state of matter consists of a transient mixture of degenerate and nearly free electrons, molecules, and ions. This regime challenges both experiment and analytical modeling, necessitating predictive ab initio atomistic computation, typically based on quantum mechanical Kohn-Sham density functional theory (KS-DFT). However, cubic computational scaling with temperature and system size prohibits the use of DFT through much of the warm dense matter regime. A recently developed stochastic approach to KS-DFT can be used at high temperatures, with the exact same accuracy as the deterministic approach, but the stochastic error can converge slowly and it remains expensive for intermediate temperatures (<50 eV). We have developed a universal mixed stochastic-deterministic algorithm for DFT at any temperature. This approach leverages the physics of KS-DFT to seamlessly integrate the best aspects of these different approaches. We demonstrate that this method significantly accelerated self-consistent field calculations for temperatures from 3 to 50 eV, while producing stable molecular dynamics and accurate diffusion coefficients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A J White
- Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA
| | - L A Collins
- Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA
| |
Collapse
|