D. Ehrenreich

A Giant Planet Imaged in the Disk of the Young Star β Pictoris

Planet Is Born The 10-million-year-old star β Pictoris, has long been suspected to host a planet. Through images obtained with the Very Large Telescope, an array of four telescopes located in Chile, Lagrange et al. (p. 57, published online 10 June) now confirm the presence of a young, giant planet, β Pictoris b, orbiting within the dusty disk that surrounds the star. β Pictoris b orbits closer to its star than Uranus and Neptune do to the Sun in our solar system. This orbital separation is consistent with the in situ formation of the planet via a core accretion mechanism. Thus, giant planets can form within a stellar dust disk in only a few million years. The Very Large Telescope reveals that a huge planet formed within a star’s dusty disk in a few million years. Here, we show that the ~10-million-year-old β Pictoris system hosts a massive giant planet, β Pictoris b, located 8 to 15 astronomical units from the star. This result confirms that gas giant planets form rapidly within disks and validates the use of disk structures as fingerprints of embedded planets. Among the few planets already imaged, β Pictoris b is the closest to its parent star. Its short period could allow for recording of the full orbit within 17 years.

SEARCH FOR CARBON MONOXIDE IN THE ATMOSPHERE OF THE TRANSITING EXOPLANET HD 189733b

Water, methane, and carbon monoxide are expected to be among the most abundant molecules besides molecular hydrogen in the hot atmosphere of close-in extrasolar giant planets. Atmospheric models for these planets predict that the strongest spectrophotometric features of those molecules are located at wavelengths ranging from 1 to 10 ?m? making this region of particular interest. Consequently, transit observations in the mid-infrared (mid-IR) allow the atmospheric content of transiting planets to be determined. We present new primary transit observations of the hot-Jupiter HD?189733b, obtained simultaneously at 4.5 and 8 ?m with the Infrared Array Camera onboard the Spitzer Space Telescope. Together with a new refined analysis of previous observations at 3.6 and 5.8 ?m using the same instrument, we are able to derive the system parameters, including planet-to-star radius ratio, impact parameter, scale of the system, and central time of the transit from fits of the transit light curves at these four wavelengths. We measure the four planet-to-star radius ratios, to be (Rp /R )3.6 ?m = 0.1545 ? 0.0003, (Rp /R )4.5 ?m = 0.1557 ? 0.0003, (Rp /R )5.8 ?m = 0.1547 ? 0.0005, and (Rp /R )8 ?m = 0.1544 ? 0.0004. The high accuracy of the planet radii measurement allows the search for atmospheric molecular absorbers. Contrary to a previous analysis of the same data set, our study is robust against systematics and reveals that water vapor absorption at 5.8 ?m is not detected in this photometric data set. Furthermore, in the band centered around 4.5??m we find a hint of excess absorption with an apparent planetary radius ?Rp /R * = 0.00128 ? 0.00056 larger (2.3?) than the one measured simultaneously at 8??m. This value is 4? above what would be expected for an atmosphere where water vapor is the only absorbing species in the near-IR. This shows that an additional species absorbing around 4.5 ?m could be present in the atmosphere. Carbon monoxide (CO) being a strong absorber at this wavelength is a possible candidate and this may suggest a large CO/H2O ratio between 5 and 60.

Misaligned spin-orbit in the XO-3 planetary system? ?

The transiting extrasolar planet XO-3b is remarkable, with a high mass and eccentric orbit. These unusual characteristics make it interesting to test whether its orbital plane is parallel to the equator of its host star, as it is observed for other transiting planets. We performed radial velocity measurements of XO-3 with the SOPHIE spectrograph at the 1.93 m telescope of Haute-Provence Observatory during a planetary transit and at other orbital phases. This allowed us to observe the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect and, together with a new analysis of the transit light curve, to refine the parameters of the planet. The unusual shape of the radial velocity anomaly during the transit provides a hint of a nearly transverse Rossiter-McLaughlin effect. The sky-projected angle between the planetary orbital axis and the stellar rotation axis should be λ = 70 ◦ ± 15 ◦ to be compatible with our observations. This suggests that some close-in planets might result from gravitational interaction between planets and/or stars rather than migration due to interaction with the accretion disk. This surprising result requires confirmation by additional observations, especially at lower airmass, to fully exclude the possibility that the signal is due to systematic effects.

Temporal variations in the evaporating atmosphere of the exoplanet HD 189733b

Atmospheric escape has been detected from the exoplanet HD 209458b through transit observations of the hydrogen Lyman-α line. Here we present spectrally resolved Lyman-α transit observations of the exoplanet HD 189733b at two different epochs. These HST/STIS observations show for the first time that there are significant temporal variations in the physical conditions of an evaporating planetary atmosphere. While atmospheric hydrogen is not detected in the first epoch observations, it is observed at the second epoch, producing a transit absorption depth of 14.4 ± 3.6% between velocities of −230 to −140 km s −1 . Contrary to HD 209458b, these high velocities cannot arise from radiation pressure alone and require an additional acceleration mechanism, such as interactions with stellar wind protons. The observed absorption can be explained by an atmospheric escape rate of neutral hydrogen atoms of about 10 9 gs −1 , a stellar wind with a velocity of 190 km s −1 and a temperature of ∼10 5 K. An X-ray flare from the active star seen with Swift/XRT 8 h before the second-epoch observation supports the idea that the observed changes within the upper atmosphere of the planet can be caused by variations in the stellar wind properties, or by variations in the stellar energy input to the planetary escaping gas (or a mix of the two effects). These observations provide the first indication of interaction between the exoplanet’s atmosphere and stellar variations.

A giant comet-like cloud of hydrogen escaping the warm Neptune-mass exoplanet GJ 436b

Exoplanets orbiting close to their parent stars may lose some fraction of their atmospheres because of the extreme irradiation. Atmospheric mass loss primarily affects low-mass exoplanets, leading to the suggestion that hot rocky planets might have begun as Neptune-like, but subsequently lost all of their atmospheres; however, no confident measurements have hitherto been available. The signature of this loss could be observed in the ultraviolet spectrum, when the planet and its escaping atmosphere transit the star, giving rise to deeper and longer transit signatures than in the optical spectrum. Here we report that in the ultraviolet the Neptune-mass exoplanet GJ 436b (also known as Gliese 436b) has transit depths of 56.3 ± 3.5% (1σ), far beyond the 0.69% optical transit depth. The ultraviolet transits repeatedly start about two hours before, and end more than three hours after the approximately one hour optical transit, which is substantially different from one previous claim (based on an inaccurate ephemeris). We infer from this that the planet is surrounded and trailed by a large exospheric cloud composed mainly of hydrogen atoms. We estimate a mass-loss rate in the range of about 108–109 grams per second, which is far too small to deplete the atmosphere of a Neptune-like planet in the lifetime of the parent star, but would have been much greater in the past.

The transmission spectrum of Earth-size transiting planets

A variety of terrestrial planets with different physical parameters and exotic atmospheres might plausibly exist outside our Solar System, waiting to be detected by the next generation of space-exploration missions. Some of these planets might be transiting their parent star. We present here a detailed study of the atmospheric signatures of transiting Earth-size exoplanets. We focus on a limited number of significant examples, for which we discuss the detectability of some of the possible molecules present in their atmospheres, such as water (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), ozone (O-3), or molecular oxygen (O-2). To this purpose, we developed a model to simulate transmission spectra of Earth-size exoplanets from the ultraviolet (UV) to the near infrared (NIR). According to our calculations, the signatures of planetary atmospheres represent an absorption of a few parts-per-million (ppm) in the stellar flux. The atmospheres of a few Earth-like planets can be detected with a 30-40 m telescope. The detection of the extensive atmospheres of tens of small satellites of giant exoplanets and hundreds of hypothetical ocean-planets can be achieved with 20-30 m and 10-20 m instruments, respectively, provided all these planets are frequent and they are efficiently surveyed. We also found that planets around K stars are favored, mainly because these stars are more numerous and smaller compared to G or F stars. While not addressed in this study, limitations might come from stellar photometric micro-variability.

Gran Telescopio Canarias OSIRIS Transiting Exoplanet Atmospheric Survey: Detection of potassium in XO-2b from narrowband spectrophotometry

We present Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) optical transit narrow-band photometry of the hot-Jupiter exoplanet XO-2b using the OSIRIS instrument. This unique instrument has the capabilities to deliver high cadence narrow-band photometric lightcurves, allowing us to probe the atmospheric composition of hot Jupiters from the ground. The observations were taken during three transit events which cover four wavelengths at spectral resolutions near 500, necessary for observing atmospheric features, and have near-photon limited sub-mmag precisions. Precision narrow-band photometry on a large aperture telescope allows for atmospheric transmission spectral features to be observed for exoplanets around much fainter stars than those of the well studied targets HD 209458b and HD 189733b, providing access to the majority of known transiting planets. For XO-2b, we measure planet-to-star radius contrasts of Rpl/R?=0.10508 0.00052 at 6792 A, 0.10640 0.00058 at 7582 A, and 0.10686 0.00060 at 7664.9 A, and 0.10362 0.00051 at 8839 A. These measurements reveal signicant spectral features at two wavelengths, with an absorption level of 0.067

TiO and VO broad band absorption features in the optical spectrum of the atmosphere of the hot-Jupiter HD 209458b

Context. The presence of titanium oxide (TiO) and vanadium oxide (VO) gas phase species is searched for in the atmosphere of the hot Jupiter HD 209458b. Aims. We compared a model for the planet’s transmitted spectrum to multi-wavelength eclipse-depth measurements (from 3 000 to 10 000 A), obtained by Sing et al. (2008a) using archived HST-STIS time series spectra. We make use of these observations to search for spectral signatures from extra absorbers in the planet a tmosphere between 6 000 and 8 000 A. Methods. Along with sodium depletion and Rayleigh scattering recently published for this exoplanet atmosphere, an extra absorb er of uncertain origin, redward of the sodium lines, resides in the atmosphere of the planet. Furthermore, this planet has a stratosphere experiencing a thermal inversion caused by the capture of optical stellar flux by absorbers that resides at altitude. Rec ent models have predicted that the presence of TiO and VO in the atmosphere of HD 209458b may be responsible for this temperature inversion. Although no specific TiO and VO spectral band head signatures have been identified unambiguously in the observed spectrum , we suggest here that the opacities of those molecules are possi ble candidates to explain the remaining continuous broad band absorption observed between 6 200 and 8 000 A. To match reasonably well the data, the abundances of TiO and VO molecules are evaluated from ten to one thousand times below solar. This upper limit result is in agreement with expected variations with altitude due to depletion effects such as condensation. Results.

Mass-loss rates for transiting exoplanets

Exoplanets at small orbital distances from their host stars are submitted to intense levels of energetic radiations, X-rays, and extreme ultraviolet (EUV). Depending on the masses and densities of the planets and on the atmospheric heating efficiencies, the stellar energetic inputs can lead to atmospheric mass loss. These evaporation processes are observable in the ultraviolet during planetary transits. The aim of the present work is to quantify the mass-loss rates ( u m), heating efficiencies (η), and lifetimes for the whole sample of transiting exoplanets, now including hot Jupiters, hot Neptunes, and hot super-Earths. The mass-loss rates and lifetimes are estimated from an “energy diagram” for exoplanets, which compares the planet gravitational potential energy to the stellar X/EUV energy deposited in the atmosphere. We estimate the mass-loss rates of all detected transiting planets to be within 10 6 to 10 13 gs −1 for various conservative assumptions. High heating efficiencies would imply that hot exoplanets such the gas giants WASP-12b and WASP-17b could be completely evaporated within 1 Gyr. We also show that the heating efficiency can be constrained when u m is inferred from observations and the stellar X/EUV luminosity is known. This leads us to suggest that η ≈ 100% in the atmosphere of the hot Jupiter HD 209458b, while it could be lower for HD 189733b. Simultaneous observations of transits in the ultraviolet and X-rays are necessary to further constrain the exospheric properties of exoplanets.

Hint of a transiting extended atmosphere on 55 Cancri b

The naked-eye star 55 Cancri hosts a planetary system with five known planets, including a hot super-Earth (55 Cnc e) extremely close to its star and a farther out giant planet (55 Cnc b), found in milder irradiation conditions with respect to other known hot Jupiters. This system raises important questions on the evolution of atmospheres for close-in exoplanets, and the dependence with planetary mass and irradiation. These questions can be addressed by Lyman- transit observations of the extended hydrogen planetary atmospheres, complemented by contemporaneous measurements of the stellar X-ray flux. In fact, planet “e” has been detected in transit, suggesting the system is seen nearly edge-on. Yet, planet “b” has not been observed in transit so far. Here, we report on Hubble Space Telescope STIS Ly and Chandra ACIS-S X-ray observations of 55 Cnc. These simultaneous observations cover two transits of 55 Cnc e and two inferior conjunctions of 55 Cnc b. They reveal the star as a bright Ly target and a variable X-ray source. While no significant signal is detected during the transits of 55 Cnc e, we detect a surprising Ly absorption of 7:5 1:8% (4.2 ) at inferior conjunctions of 55 Cnc b. The absorption is only detected over the range of Doppler velocities where the stellar radiation repels hydrogen atoms towards the observer. We calculate a false-alarm probability of 4.4%, which takes the a-priori unknown transit parameters into account. This result suggests the possibility that 55 Cnc b has an extended upper Hi atmosphere, which undergoes partial transits when the planet grazes the stellar disc. If confirmed, it would show that planets cooler than hot Jupiters can also have extended atmospheres.