A new look into the atmospheric composition of WASP-39 b
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arXiv
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| Autores principales: | , , , , , , |
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| Formato: | Preprint |
| Publicado: |
2025
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| author | Ma, Sushuang Saba, Arianna Al-Refaie, Ahmed Faris Tinetti, Giovanna Yurchenko, Sergei N. Tennyson, Jonathan Pestellini, Cesare Cecchi |
| author_facet | Ma, Sushuang Saba, Arianna Al-Refaie, Ahmed Faris Tinetti, Giovanna Yurchenko, Sergei N. Tennyson, Jonathan Pestellini, Cesare Cecchi |
| contents | Being one of the first exoplanets observed by the James Webb Space Telescope, WASP-39 b has become an iconic target and many transit spectra recorded with different instruments (NIRISS, NIRCAM, NIRSpec G395H, NIRSpec PRISM and MIRI) are currently available, allowing in-depth studies of its atmosphere. We present here a novel approach to interpret WASP-39 b's transit spectroscopic data, consisting of a multi-step process where ab initio equilibrium chemistry models and blind retrievals are used iteratively to find physically robust, optimal solutions. Following this approach, we have identified a new scenario to explain WASP-39 b's atmospheric composition, in which silicon-based chemistry plays a major role. In this scenario, SiO may explain the spectral absorption at 4.1 $μ$m, currently interpreted as being due to SO$_2$. SiO and the other gas species identified by the retrieval models, i.e. H$_2$O, CO$_2$, Na and K, are consistent with an atmosphere in chemical equilibrium with a temperature-pressure profile constrained by H$_2$O and CO$_2$ absorption bands. In addition, silicate clouds and hazes can produce the spectral features observed by MIRI in the spectral window 5-12 $μ$m. While we advocate the need for more data, possibly at higher spectral resolution, to confirm our results for WASP-39 b's atmospheric composition, we highlight a refined atmospheric retrieval strategy with pre-selection and post-reconstruction to guide the next generation of transit spectroscopy. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2504_07823 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | A new look into the atmospheric composition of WASP-39 b Ma, Sushuang Saba, Arianna Al-Refaie, Ahmed Faris Tinetti, Giovanna Yurchenko, Sergei N. Tennyson, Jonathan Pestellini, Cesare Cecchi Earth and Planetary Astrophysics Being one of the first exoplanets observed by the James Webb Space Telescope, WASP-39 b has become an iconic target and many transit spectra recorded with different instruments (NIRISS, NIRCAM, NIRSpec G395H, NIRSpec PRISM and MIRI) are currently available, allowing in-depth studies of its atmosphere. We present here a novel approach to interpret WASP-39 b's transit spectroscopic data, consisting of a multi-step process where ab initio equilibrium chemistry models and blind retrievals are used iteratively to find physically robust, optimal solutions. Following this approach, we have identified a new scenario to explain WASP-39 b's atmospheric composition, in which silicon-based chemistry plays a major role. In this scenario, SiO may explain the spectral absorption at 4.1 $μ$m, currently interpreted as being due to SO$_2$. SiO and the other gas species identified by the retrieval models, i.e. H$_2$O, CO$_2$, Na and K, are consistent with an atmosphere in chemical equilibrium with a temperature-pressure profile constrained by H$_2$O and CO$_2$ absorption bands. In addition, silicate clouds and hazes can produce the spectral features observed by MIRI in the spectral window 5-12 $μ$m. While we advocate the need for more data, possibly at higher spectral resolution, to confirm our results for WASP-39 b's atmospheric composition, we highlight a refined atmospheric retrieval strategy with pre-selection and post-reconstruction to guide the next generation of transit spectroscopy. |
| title | A new look into the atmospheric composition of WASP-39 b |
| topic | Earth and Planetary Astrophysics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.07823 |