We present SCExAO/CHARIS high-contrast imaging/JHK integral field spectroscopy of κ And b, a directly-imaged low-mass companion orbiting a nearby B9V star. We detect κ And b at a high signal-to-noise and extract high precision spectrophotometry using a new forward-modeling algorithm for (A-)LOCI complementary to KLIP-FM developed by Corresponding author: Thayne Currie thayne.m.currie@nasa.gov,currie@naoj.org Currie et al. Pueyo et al. (2016). κ And b's spectrum best resembles that of a low-gravity L0-L1 dwarf (L0-L1γ). Its spectrum and luminosity are very well matched by 2MASSJ0141-4633 and several other 12.5-15 M J free floating members of the 40 M yr-old Tuc-Hor Association, consistent with a system age derived from recent interferometric results for the primary, a companion mass at/near the deuterium-burning limit (13 +12 −2 M J ), and a companion-to-primary mass ratio characteristic of other directly-imaged planets (q ∼ 0.005 +0.005 −0.001 ). We did not unambiguously identify additional, more closely-orbiting companions brighter and more massive than κ And b down to ρ ∼ 0. ′′ 3 (15 au). SCExAO/CHARIS and complementary Keck/NIRC2 astrometric points reveal clockwise orbital motion. Modeling points towards a likely eccentric orbit: a subset of acceptable orbits include those that are aligned with the star's rotation axis. However, κ And b's semimajor axis is plausibly larger than 75 au and in a region where disk instability could form massive companions.Deeper κ And high-contrast imaging and low-resolution spectroscopy from extreme AO systems like SCExAO/CHARIS and higher resolution spectroscopy from Keck/OSIRIS or, later, IRIS on the Thirty Meter Telescope could help clarify κ And b's chemistry and whether its spectrum provides an insight into its formation environment.

Two studies utilizing sparse aperture-masking (SAM) interferometry and H α differential imaging have reported multiple jovian companions around the young solar-mass star, LkCa 15 (LkCa 15 bcd): the first claimed direct detection of infant, newly formed planets ("protoplanets"). We present new near-infrared direct imaging/spectroscopy from the Subaru Coronagraphic Extreme Adaptive Optics (SCExAO) system coupled with the Coronagraphic High 2 Angular Resolution Imaging Spectrograph (CHARIS) integral field spectrograph and multi-epoch thermal infrared imaging from Keck/NIRC2 of LkCa 15 at high Strehl ratios. These data provide the first direct imaging look at the same wavelengths and in the same locations where previous studies identified the LkCa 15 protoplanets, and thus offer the first decisive test of their existence.The data do not reveal these planets. Instead, we resolve extended emission tracing a dust disk with a brightness and location comparable to that claimed for LkCa 15 bcd. Forward-models attributing this signal to orbiting planets are inconsistent with the combined SCExAO/CHARIS and Keck/NIRC2 data. An inner disk provides a more compelling explanation for the SAM detections and perhaps also the claimed H α detection of LkCa 15 b.We conclude that there is currently no clear, direct evidence for multiple protoplanets orbiting LkCa 15, although the system likely contains at least one unseen jovian companion. To identify jovian companions around LkCa 15 from future observations, the inner disk should be detected and its effect modeled, removed, and shown to be distinguishable from planets. Protoplanet candidates identified from similar systems should likewise be clearly distinguished from disk emission through modeling.

Direct images of protoplanets embedded in disks around infant stars provide the key to understanding the formation of gas giant planets like Jupiter. Using the Subaru Telescope and Hubble Space Telescope, we find evidence for a jovian protoplanet around AB Aurigae orbiting at a wide projected separation (~93 au), likely responsible for multiple planet-induced features in the disk. Its emission is reproducible as reprocessed radiation from an embedded protoplanet. We also identify two structures located at 430-580 au that are candidate sites of planet formation. These data reveal planet formation in the embedded phase and a protoplanet discovery at wide, > 50 au separations characteristic of most imaged exoplanets. With at least one clump-like protoplanet and multiple spiral arms, the AB Aur system may also provide the evidence for a long-considered alternative to the canonical model for Jupiter's formation: disk (gravitational) instability.

This paper presents the atmospheric characterization of three large, gaseous planets: WASP-127 b, WASP-79 b, and WASP-62 b. We analyzed spectroscopic data obtained with the G141 grism (1.088-1.68 μm) of the Wide Field Camera 3 on board the Hubble Space Telescope using the Iraclis pipeline and the TauREx3 retrieval code, both of which are publicly available. For WASP-127 b, which is the least dense planet discovered so far and is located in the shortperiod Neptune desert, our retrieval results found strong water absorption corresponding to an abundance of log(H 2 O)=−2.71-+ 1.05 0.78 and absorption compatible with an iron hydride abundance of log(FeH)=-+ 5.25 1.10 0.88 , with an extended cloudy atmosphere. We also detected water vapor in the atmospheres of WASP-79 b and WASP-62 b, with best-fit models indicating the presence of iron hydride, too. We used the Atmospheric Detectability Index as well as Bayesian log evidence to quantify the strength of the detection and compared our results to the hot Jupiter population study by Tsiaras et al. While all the planets studied here are suitable targets for characterization with upcoming facilities such as the James Webb Space Telescope and Ariel, WASP-127 b is of particular interest due to its low density, and a thorough atmospheric study would develop our understanding of planet formation and migration. Unified Astronomy Thesaurus concepts: Exoplanet astronomy (486); Exoplanet atmospheres (487); Astronomy data analysis (1858); Hubble Space Telescope (761)

We analyze the transmission and emission spectra of the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-76 b, observed with the G141 grism of the Hubble Space Telescope's (HST) Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3). We reduce and fit the raw data for each observation using the open-source software Iraclis before performing a fully Bayesian retrieval using the publicly available analysis suite TauREx 3. Previous studies of the WFC3 transmission spectra of WASP-76 b found hints of titanium oxide (TiO) and vanadium oxide (VO) or non-gray clouds. Accounting for a fainter stellar companion to WASP-76, we reanalyze this data and show that removing the effects of this background star changes the slope of the spectrum, resulting in these visible absorbers no longer being detected, eliminating the need for a non-gray cloud model to adequately fit the data but maintaining the strong water feature previously seen. However, our analysis of the emission spectrum suggests the presence of TiO and an atmospheric thermal inversion, along with a significant amount of water. Given the brightness of the host star and the size of the atmospheric features, WASP-76 b is an excellent target for further characterization with HST, or with future facilities, to better understand the nature of its atmosphere, to confirm the presence of TiO and to search for other optical absorbers.

We present a study on the spatially scanned spectroscopic observations of the transit of GJ 1132 b, a warm (∼500 K) super-Earth (1.13 R ⊕ ) that was obtained with the G141 grism (1.125-1.650 μm) of the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) on board the Hubble Space Telescope. We used the publicly available Iraclis pipeline to extract the planetary transmission spectra from the five visits and produced a precise transmission spectrum. We analyzed the spectrum using the TauREx3 atmospheric retrieval code, with which we show that the measurements do not contain molecular signatures in the investigated wavelength range and are best fit with a flat-line model. Our results suggest that the planet does not have a clear primordial, hydrogen-dominated atmosphere. Instead, GJ 1132 b could have a cloudy hydrogen-dominated atmosphere, have a very enriched secondary atmosphere, be airless, or have a tenuous atmosphere that has not been detected. Due to the narrow wavelength coverage of WFC3, these scenarios cannot be distinguished yet, but the James Webb Space Telescope may be capable of detecting atmospheric features, although several observations may be required to provide useful constraints.Unified Astronomy Thesaurus concepts: Exoplanet atmospheres (487); Astronomy data analysis (1858); Hubble Space Telescope (761); Exoplanets (498)

We present new, near-infrared (1.1-2.4 μm) high-contrast imaging of the debris disk around HD 15115 with the Subaru Coronagraphic Extreme Adaptive Optics (SCExAO) system coupled with the Coronagraphic High Angular Resolution Imaging Spectrograph (CHARIS). The SCExAO/CHARIS resolves the disk down to ρ∼0 2 (r proj ∼10 au), a factor of ∼3-5 smaller than previous recent studies. We derive a disk position angle of PA∼279°.4-280°.5 and an inclination of i∼85°.3-86.2°.. While recent SPHERE/IRDIS imagery of the system could suggest a significantly misaligned tworing disk geometry, CHARIS imagery does not reveal conclusive evidence for this hypothesis. Moreover, optimizing models of both one-and two-ring geometries using differential evolution, we find that a single ring having a Hong-like scattering phase function matches the data equally well within the CHARIS field of view (ρ1″). The disk's asymmetry, well evidenced at larger separations, is also recovered; the west side of the disk appears, on average, around 0.4 mag brighter across the CHARIS bandpass between 0 25 and 1″. Comparing Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) 50CCD optical photometry (2000-10500 Å) with CHARIS near-infrared photometry, we find a red (STIS/50CCD−CHARIS broadband) color for both sides of the disk throughout the 0 4-1″ region of overlap, in contrast to the blue color reported at similar wavelengths for regions exterior to ∼2″. Further, this color may suggest a smaller minimum grain size than previously estimated at larger separations. Finally, we provide constraints on planetary companions and discuss possible mechanisms for the observed inner disk flux asymmetry and color.

We present the analysis of the hot-Jupiter KELT-7 b using transmission and emission spectroscopy from the Hubble Space Telescope, both taken with the Wide Field Camera 3. Our study uncovers a rich transmission spectrum that is consistent with a cloud-free atmosphere and suggests the presence of H 2 O and H −. In contrast, the extracted emission spectrum does not contain strong absorption features and, although it is not consistent with a simple blackbody, it can be explained by a varying temperature-pressure profile, collision induced absorption, and H −. KELT-7 b had also been studied with other space-based instruments and we explore the effects of introducing these additional data sets. Further observations with Hubble, or the next generation of space-based telescopes, are needed to allow for the optical opacity source in transmission to be confirmed and for molecular features to be disentangled in emission. Unified Astronomy Thesaurus concepts: Transmission spectroscopy (2133); Exoplanet atmospheres (487); Astronomy data analysis (1858)