Additional JWST/NIRSpec Transits of the Rocky M Dwarf Exoplanet GJ 1132 b Reveal a Featureless Spectrum

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Bennett, Katherine A., MacDonald, Ryan J., Peacock, Sarah, Perez, Junellie, May, E. M., Moran, Sarah E., Alderson, Lili, Lustig-Yaeger, Jacob, Wakeford, Hannah R., Sing, David K., Stevenson, Kevin B., Batalha, Natasha E., López-Morales, Mercedes, Alam, Munazza K., Lothringer, Joshua D., Fu, Guangwei, Kirk, James, Valenti, Jeff A., Mayorga, L. C., Sotzen, Kristin S.
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2025
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author Bennett, Katherine A.
MacDonald, Ryan J.
Peacock, Sarah
Perez, Junellie
May, E. M.
Moran, Sarah E.
Alderson, Lili
Lustig-Yaeger, Jacob
Wakeford, Hannah R.
Sing, David K.
Stevenson, Kevin B.
Batalha, Natasha E.
López-Morales, Mercedes
Alam, Munazza K.
Lothringer, Joshua D.
Fu, Guangwei
Kirk, James
Valenti, Jeff A.
Mayorga, L. C.
Sotzen, Kristin S.
author_facet Bennett, Katherine A.
MacDonald, Ryan J.
Peacock, Sarah
Perez, Junellie
May, E. M.
Moran, Sarah E.
Alderson, Lili
Lustig-Yaeger, Jacob
Wakeford, Hannah R.
Sing, David K.
Stevenson, Kevin B.
Batalha, Natasha E.
López-Morales, Mercedes
Alam, Munazza K.
Lothringer, Joshua D.
Fu, Guangwei
Kirk, James
Valenti, Jeff A.
Mayorga, L. C.
Sotzen, Kristin S.
contents As an archetypal M-dwarf rocky exoplanet, GJ 1132 b has a varied history of atmospheric measurements. At 1.13 $\rm R_{\oplus}$, 1.66 $\rm M_{\oplus}$, and 580 K, it orbits a bright, slowly rotating M dwarf in a 1.6-day period, making it a prime target for characterization. In this study, we combine two JWST NIRSpec/G395H transits previously reported by May and MacDonald et al. 2023 with two new NIRSpec/G395M transits to constrain the presence of an atmosphere. This marks the first time the G395H and G395M modes have been combined for a single target, and we report no difference in the quality of data between the two modes. For rocky M-dwarf studies, G395H may still be preferred if stacking transits to utilize the high-resolution flux-calibrated stellar spectra and assess evolving stellar heterogeneity. GJ 1132 b's co-added transmission spectrum is best-fit with a flat line. A thin steam atmosphere is also consistent with the data, but this interpretation is driven almost entirely by the first transit, which suggests an increase in cool spot coverage-fraction derived from the flux-calibrated stellar spectra. This demonstrates the importance of always considering stellar heterogeneity evolution in multi-visit transits, and also the importance of a "leave-one-transit-out" approach in modeling efforts of co-added transits. We combine these results with MIRI/LRS emission data (Xue et al. 2024) to show that together, transmission and emission are consistent with only the thinnest of atmospheres. Given GJ 1132 b's age and distance from the star, a thin atmosphere is not likely stable. Therefore, the simplest explanation is that GJ 1132 b is indeed a bare rock.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2508_10579
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Additional JWST/NIRSpec Transits of the Rocky M Dwarf Exoplanet GJ 1132 b Reveal a Featureless Spectrum
Bennett, Katherine A.
MacDonald, Ryan J.
Peacock, Sarah
Perez, Junellie
May, E. M.
Moran, Sarah E.
Alderson, Lili
Lustig-Yaeger, Jacob
Wakeford, Hannah R.
Sing, David K.
Stevenson, Kevin B.
Batalha, Natasha E.
López-Morales, Mercedes
Alam, Munazza K.
Lothringer, Joshua D.
Fu, Guangwei
Kirk, James
Valenti, Jeff A.
Mayorga, L. C.
Sotzen, Kristin S.
Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
As an archetypal M-dwarf rocky exoplanet, GJ 1132 b has a varied history of atmospheric measurements. At 1.13 $\rm R_{\oplus}$, 1.66 $\rm M_{\oplus}$, and 580 K, it orbits a bright, slowly rotating M dwarf in a 1.6-day period, making it a prime target for characterization. In this study, we combine two JWST NIRSpec/G395H transits previously reported by May and MacDonald et al. 2023 with two new NIRSpec/G395M transits to constrain the presence of an atmosphere. This marks the first time the G395H and G395M modes have been combined for a single target, and we report no difference in the quality of data between the two modes. For rocky M-dwarf studies, G395H may still be preferred if stacking transits to utilize the high-resolution flux-calibrated stellar spectra and assess evolving stellar heterogeneity. GJ 1132 b's co-added transmission spectrum is best-fit with a flat line. A thin steam atmosphere is also consistent with the data, but this interpretation is driven almost entirely by the first transit, which suggests an increase in cool spot coverage-fraction derived from the flux-calibrated stellar spectra. This demonstrates the importance of always considering stellar heterogeneity evolution in multi-visit transits, and also the importance of a "leave-one-transit-out" approach in modeling efforts of co-added transits. We combine these results with MIRI/LRS emission data (Xue et al. 2024) to show that together, transmission and emission are consistent with only the thinnest of atmospheres. Given GJ 1132 b's age and distance from the star, a thin atmosphere is not likely stable. Therefore, the simplest explanation is that GJ 1132 b is indeed a bare rock.
title Additional JWST/NIRSpec Transits of the Rocky M Dwarf Exoplanet GJ 1132 b Reveal a Featureless Spectrum
topic Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.10579