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Alderson L, Wakeford HR, Alam MK, Batalha NE, Lothringer JD, Adams Redai J, Barat S, Brande J, Damiano M, Daylan T, Espinoza N, Flagg L, Goyal JM, Grant D, Hu R, Inglis J, Lee EKH, Mikal-Evans T, Ramos-Rosado L, Roy PA, Wallack NL, Batalha NM, Bean JL, Benneke B, Berta-Thompson ZK, Carter AL, Changeat Q, Colón KD, Crossfield IJM, Désert JM, Foreman-Mackey D, Gibson NP, Kreidberg L, Line MR, López-Morales M, Molaverdikhani K, Moran SE, Morello G, Moses JI, Mukherjee S, Schlawin E, Sing DK, Stevenson KB, Taylor J, Aggarwal K, Ahrer EM, Allen NH, Barstow JK, Bell TJ, Blecic J, Casewell SL, Chubb KL, Crouzet N, Cubillos PE, Decin L, Feinstein AD, Fortney JJ, Harrington J, Heng K, Iro N, Kempton EMR, Kirk J, Knutson HA, Krick J, Leconte J, Lendl M, MacDonald RJ, Mancini L, Mansfield M, May EM, Mayne NJ, Miguel Y, Nikolov NK, Ohno K, Palle E, Parmentier V, Petit Dit de la Roche DJM, Piaulet C, Powell D, Rackham BV, Redfield S, Rogers LK, Rustamkulov Z, Tan X, Tremblin P, Tsai SM, Turner JD, de Val-Borro M, Venot O, Welbanks L, Wheatley PJ, Zhang X. Early Release Science of the exoplanet WASP-39b with JWST NIRSpec G395H. Nature 2023; 614:664-669. [PMID: 36623549 PMCID: PMC9946835 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05591-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Measuring the abundances of carbon and oxygen in exoplanet atmospheres is considered a crucial avenue for unlocking the formation and evolution of exoplanetary systems1,2. Access to the chemical inventory of an exoplanet requires high-precision observations, often inferred from individual molecular detections with low-resolution space-based3-5 and high-resolution ground-based6-8 facilities. Here we report the medium-resolution (R ≈ 600) transmission spectrum of an exoplanet atmosphere between 3 and 5 μm covering several absorption features for the Saturn-mass exoplanet WASP-39b (ref. 9), obtained with the Near Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) G395H grating of JWST. Our observations achieve 1.46 times photon precision, providing an average transit depth uncertainty of 221 ppm per spectroscopic bin, and present minimal impacts from systematic effects. We detect significant absorption from CO2 (28.5σ) and H2O (21.5σ), and identify SO2 as the source of absorption at 4.1 μm (4.8σ). Best-fit atmospheric models range between 3 and 10 times solar metallicity, with sub-solar to solar C/O ratios. These results, including the detection of SO2, underscore the importance of characterizing the chemistry in exoplanet atmospheres and showcase NIRSpec G395H as an excellent mode for time-series observations over this critical wavelength range10.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lili Alderson
- School of Physics, HH Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
| | - Hannah R Wakeford
- School of Physics, HH Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
| | - Munazza K Alam
- Earth and Planets Laboratory, Carnegie Institution for Science, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | | | - Jea Adams Redai
- Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Saugata Barat
- Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jonathan Brande
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Mario Damiano
- Astrophysics Section, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Tansu Daylan
- Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Néstor Espinoza
- Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Laura Flagg
- Department of Astronomy, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
- Carl Sagan Institute, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Jayesh M Goyal
- School of Earth and Planetary Sciences (SEPS), National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI), Jatani, India
| | - David Grant
- School of Physics, HH Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Renyu Hu
- Astrophysics Section, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Julie Inglis
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Elspeth K H Lee
- Center for Space and Habitability, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Pierre-Alexis Roy
- Department of Physics, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Institute for Research on Exoplanets, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Nicole L Wallack
- Earth and Planets Laboratory, Carnegie Institution for Science, Washington, DC, USA
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Natalie M Batalha
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Jacob L Bean
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Björn Benneke
- Department of Physics, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Institute for Research on Exoplanets, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | | | - Aarynn L Carter
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Quentin Changeat
- European Space Agency, Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, London, UK
| | | | - Ian J M Crossfield
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Jean-Michel Désert
- Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Neale P Gibson
- School of Physics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | | | - Michael R Line
- School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | | | - Karan Molaverdikhani
- University Observatory Munich, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- Exzellenzcluster Origins, Garching, Germany
| | - Sarah E Moran
- Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Giuseppe Morello
- Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), Tenerife, Spain
- Departamento de Astrofísica, Universidad de La Laguna (ULL), Tenerife, Spain
- INAF - Palermo Astronomical Observatory, Palermo, Italy
| | | | - Sagnick Mukherjee
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | | | - David K Sing
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Kevin B Stevenson
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Jake Taylor
- Department of Physics, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Institute for Research on Exoplanets, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Physics, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Eva-Maria Ahrer
- Centre for Exoplanets and Habitability, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
- Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | - Natalie H Allen
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Joanna K Barstow
- School of Physical Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK
| | - Taylor J Bell
- Bay Area Environmental Research Institute, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, USA
| | - Jasmina Blecic
- Department of Physics, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- Center for Astro, Particle, and Planetary Physics (CAP3), New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Sarah L Casewell
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - Katy L Chubb
- Centre for Exoplanet Science, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Nicolas Crouzet
- Leiden Observatory, University of Leiden, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Patricio E Cubillos
- INAF - Osservatorio Astrofisico di Torino, Pino Torinese, Italy
- Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Graz, Austria
| | - Leen Decin
- Institute of Astronomy, Department of Physics and Astronomy, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Adina D Feinstein
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Joanthan J Fortney
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Joseph Harrington
- Planetary Sciences Group, Department of Physics, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA
- Florida Space Institute, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA
| | - Kevin Heng
- Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
- Universitäts-Sternwarte, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Nicolas Iro
- Institute for Astrophysics, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Eliza M-R Kempton
- Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - James Kirk
- Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Physics, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Heather A Knutson
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Jessica Krick
- California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Jérémy Leconte
- Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux, Université de Bordeaux, Pessac, France
| | - Monika Lendl
- Département d'Astronomie, Université de Genève Sauverny, Versoix, Switzerland
| | - Ryan J MacDonald
- Department of Astronomy, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
- Carl Sagan Institute, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
- Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Luigi Mancini
- Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Physics, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy
- INAF - Turin Astrophysical Observatory, Pino Torinese, Italy
| | | | - Erin M May
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Nathan J Mayne
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Yamila Miguel
- Leiden Observatory, University of Leiden, Leiden, The Netherlands
- SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | - Kazumasa Ohno
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Enric Palle
- Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), Tenerife, Spain
| | - Vivien Parmentier
- Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Physics, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Université Côte d'Azur, Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Laboratoire Lagrange, Nice, France
| | | | - Caroline Piaulet
- Department of Physics, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Institute for Research on Exoplanets, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Diana Powell
- Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - 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
| | - Seth Redfield
- Astronomy Department, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT, USA
- Van Vleck Observatory, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT, USA
| | - Laura K Rogers
- Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Zafar Rustamkulov
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Xianyu Tan
- Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Physics, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - P Tremblin
- Maison de la Simulation, CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, Université Versailles St Quentin, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Shang-Min Tsai
- Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Physics, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Jake D Turner
- Department of Astronomy, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
- Carl Sagan Institute, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | | | - Olivia Venot
- Université de Paris Cité and Université Paris-Est Creteil, CNRS, LISA, Paris, France
| | - Luis Welbanks
- School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Peter J Wheatley
- Centre for Exoplanets and Habitability, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
- Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | - Xi Zhang
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
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