Habitable worlds with <i>JWST</i>: transit spectroscopy of the TRAPPIST-1 system?

Barstow, Joanna K.; Irwin, Patrick G. J.

doi:10.1093/mnrasl/slw109

Cited by 187 publications

(157 citation statements)

References 22 publications

(29 reference statements)

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“…As we are poised to learn more about the properties of these alien worlds (e.g., Barstow & Irwin 2016;de Wit et al 2016), our results suggest that, as is the case in the Solar System, we should consider the possibility of frequent material exchange between (adjacent) planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system, life-bearing or sterile.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Fast Litho-panspermia in the Habitable Zone of the TRAPPIST-1 System

Krijt

Bowling

Lyons

et al. 2017

ApJL

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With several short-period, Earth-mass planets in the habitable zone, the TRAPPIST-1 system potentially allows litho-panspermia to take place on very short timescales. We investigate the efficiency and speed of inter-planetary material transfer resulting from impacts onto the habitable zone planets. By simulating trajectories of impact ejecta from their moment of ejection until (re-)accretion, we find that transport between the habitable zone planets is fastest for ejection velocities around and just above planetary escape velocity. At these ejection velocities, ∼10% of the ejected material reaches another habitable zone planet within 10 2 yr, indicating litho-panspermia can be 4 to 5 orders of magnitude faster in TRAPPIST-1 than in the Solar System.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Fast Litho-panspermia in the Habitable Zone of the TRAPPIST-1 System

Krijt

Bowling

Lyons

et al. 2017

ApJL

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“…Nonetheless, the modeling efforts of the telescope performance in conjunction with models of exoplanet atmospheres have already been started and include Deming et al (2009), Batalha et al (2015), Mordasini et al (2016). Studies which additionally look into the question of retrievability of the atmospheric properties as a function of the planet-star parameters can be found Barstow et al (2015), Greene et al (2016), Barstow & Irwin (2016). Barstow et al (2015) also included time-dependent astrophysical noise (starspots) for stitched observations.…”

Section: While the Question Of The Origins Of Clouds Is Fundamentalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Observing transiting planets with JWST

Mollière

Boekel

Bouwman

et al. 2017

A&A

185

250

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Context. The James Webb Space Telescope will enable astronomers to obtain exoplanet spectra of unprecedented precision. The MIRI instrument especially may shed light on the nature of the cloud particles obscuring planetary transmission spectra in the optical and near-infrared. Aims. We provide self-consistent atmospheric models and synthetic JWST observations for prime exoplanet targets in order to identify spectral regions of interest and estimate the number of transits needed to distinguish between model setups. Methods. We select targets that span a wide range of planetary temperatures and surface gravities, ranging from super-Earths to giant planets, that have a high expected signal-to-noise ratio. For all targets, we vary the enrichment, C/O ratio, presence of optical absorbers (TiO/VO), and cloud treatment. We calculate atmospheric structures, emission, and transmission spectra for all targets and use a radiometric model to obtain simulated observations. Further, we analyze JWST's ability to distinguish between various scenarios. Results. We find that in very cloudy planets, such as GJ 1214b, less than ten transits with NIRSpec may be enough to reveal molecular features. Furthermore, the presence of small silicate grains in atmospheres of hot Jupiters may be detectable with a single JWST MIRI transit. For a more detailed characterization of such particles less than ten transits are necessary. Finally, we find that some of the hottest hot Jupiters are well fitted by models which neglect the redistribution of the insolation and harbor inversions, and that 1-4 eclipse measurements with NIRSpec are needed to distinguish between the inversion models.Conclusions. Wet thus demonstrate the capabilities of JWST for solving some of the most intriguing puzzles in current exoplanet atmospheric research. Further, by publishing all models calculated for this study we enable the community to carry out similar studies, as well as retrieval analyses for all planets included in our target list.

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“…With a scheduled launch for 2018 October, the large spectral coverage (0.7-28 μm) covered by its multiple instruments, combined with high sensitivity and a high degree of instrumental characterization and calibration, will ensure a significant advance in atmospheric characterization (Beichman et al 2014;Barstow et al 2015;Batalha et al 2015;Cowan et al 2015;Barstow & Irwin 2016;Greene et al 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring Biases of Atmospheric Retrievals in Simulated JWST Transmission Spectra of Hot Jupiters

Rocchetto

Waldmann

Venot

et al. 2016

ApJ

107

115

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With a scheduled launch in 2018 October, the James Webb Space Telescope ( JWST) is expected to revolutionize the field of atmospheric characterization of exoplanets. The broad wavelength coverage and high sensitivity of its instruments will allow us to extract far more information from exoplanet spectra than what has been possible with current observations. In this paper, we investigate whether current retrieval methods will still be valid in the era of JWST, exploring common approximations used when retrieving transmission spectra of hot Jupiters. To assess biases, we use 1D photochemical models to simulate typical hot Jupiter cloud-free atmospheres and generate synthetic observations for a range of carbon-to-oxygen ratios. Then, we retrieve these spectra using TauREx, a Bayesian retrieval tool, using two methodologies: one assuming an isothermal atmosphere, and one assuming a parameterized temperature profile. Both methods assume constant-with-altitude abundances. We found that the isothermal approximation biases the retrieved parameters considerably, overestimating the abundances by about one order of magnitude. The retrieved abundances using the parameterized profile are usually within 1σ of the true state, and we found the retrieved uncertainties to be generally larger compared to the isothermal approximation. Interestingly, we found that by using the parameterized temperature profile we could place tight constraints on the temperature structure. This opens the possibility of characterizing the temperature profile of the terminator region of hot Jupiters. Lastly, we found that assuming a constant-with-altitude mixing ratio profile is a good approximation for most of the atmospheres under study.

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Habitable worlds with JWST: transit spectroscopy of the TRAPPIST-1 system?

Cited by 187 publications

References 22 publications

Fast Litho-panspermia in the Habitable Zone of the TRAPPIST-1 System

Fast Litho-panspermia in the Habitable Zone of the TRAPPIST-1 System

Observing transiting planets with JWST

Exploring Biases of Atmospheric Retrievals in Simulated JWST Transmission Spectra of Hot Jupiters

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