Skip to main content
Home
Department Of Physics text logo
  • Research
    • Our research
    • Our research groups
    • Our research in action
    • Research funding support
    • Summer internships for undergraduates
  • Study
    • Undergraduates
    • Postgraduates
  • Engage
    • For alumni
    • For business
    • For schools
    • For the public
Menu
Jupiter's atmosphere

The incredible and intricate details of Jupiter's atmosphere, showing storms and clouds, that we one day hope to image on other worlds beyond our Solar System. Image: Seán Doran Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/seandoran

Credit: NASA / SwRI / MSSS / Gerald Eichstädt / Seán Doran

Prof Jayne Birkby

Associate Professor of Exoplanetary Science

Research theme

  • Astronomy and astrophysics
  • Instrumentation
  • Exoplanets and planetary physics

Sub department

  • Astrophysics

Research groups

  • Astronomical instrumentation
  • Exoplanet atmospheres
  • Exoplanets and Stellar Physics
  • Planet formation and dynamics
  • Planetary surfaces
  • Extremely Large Telescope
jayne.birkby@physics.ox.ac.uk
Denys Wilkinson Building, room 761
Personal research page
  • About
  • Books
  • Publications

Prospects for Characterizing the Haziest Sub-Neptune Exoplanets with High Resolution Spectroscopy

(2020)

Authors:

Callie E Hood, Jonathan J Fortney, Michael R Line, Emily C Martin, Caroline V Morley, Jayne L Birkby, Zafar Rustamkulov, Roxana E Lupu, Richard S Freedman
More details from the publisher

Molecular cross-sections for high-resolution spectroscopy of super-Earths, warm Neptunes, and hot Jupiters

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Oxford University Press 495:1 (2020) 224-237

Authors:

Siddharth Gandhi, Matteo Brogi, Sergei N Yurchenko, Jonathan Tennyson, Phillip A Coles, Rebecca K Webb, Jayne L Birkby, Gloria Guilluy, George A Hawker, Nikku Madhusudhan, Aldo S Bonomo, Alessandro Sozzetti

Abstract:

High-resolution spectroscopy (HRS) has been used to detect a number of species in the atmospheres of hot Jupiters. Key to such detections is accurately and precisely modelled spectra for cross-correlation against the R ≳ 20 000 observations. There is a need for the latest generation of opacities which form the basis for high signal-to-noise detections using such spectra. In this study we present and make publicly available cross-sections for six molecular species, H2O, CO, HCN, CH4, NH3, and CO2 using the latest line lists most suitable for low- and high-resolution spectroscopy. We focus on the infrared (0.95–5 μm) and between 500 and 1500 K where these species have strong spectral signatures. We generate these cross-sections on a grid of pressures and temperatures typical for the photospheres of super-Earth, warm Neptunes, and hot Jupiters using the latest H2 and He pressure broadening. We highlight the most prominent infrared spectral features by modelling three representative exoplanets, GJ 1214 b, GJ 3470 b, and HD 189733 b, which encompass a wide range in temperature, mass, and radii. In addition, we verify the line lists for H2O, CO, and HCN with previous high-resolution observations of hot Jupiters. However, we are unable to detect CH4 with our new cross-sections from HRS observations of HD 102195 b. These high-accuracy opacities are critical for atmospheric detections with HRS and will be continually updated as new data become available.
More details from the publisher
Details from ORA

Molecular Cross Sections for High Resolution Spectroscopy of Super Earths, Warm Neptunes and Hot Jupiters

(2020)

Authors:

Siddharth Gandhi, Matteo Brogi, Sergei N Yurchenko, Jonathan Tennyson, Phillip A Coles, Rebecca K Webb, Jayne L Birkby, Gloria Guilluy, George A Hawker, Nikku Madhusudhan, Aldo S Bonomo, Alessandro Sozzetti
More details from the publisher

A weak spectral signature of water vapour in the atmosphere of HD 179949 b at high spectral resolution in the L band

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Oxford University Press 494:1 (2020) 108-119

Authors:

Rebecca K Webb, Matteo Brogi, Siddharth Gandhi, Michael R Line, Jayne L Birkby, Katy L Chubb, Ignas AG Snellen, Sergey N Yurchenko

Abstract:

High-resolution spectroscopy (⁠R⩾20000⁠) is currently the only known method to constrain the orbital solution and atmospheric properties of non-transiting hot Jupiters. It does so by resolving the spectral features of the planet into a forest of spectral lines and directly observing its Doppler shift while orbiting the host star. In this study, we analyse VLT/CRIRES (⁠R=100000⁠) L-band observations of the non-transiting giant planet HD 179949 b centred around 3.5 μm⁠. We observe a weak (3.0σ, or S/N = 4.8) spectral signature of H2O in absorption contained within the radial velocity of the planet at superior-conjunction, with a mild dependence on the choice of line list used for the modelling. Combining this data with previous observations in the K band, we measure a detection significance of 8.4 σ for an atmosphere that is most consistent with a shallow lapse-rate, solar C/O ratio, and with CO and H2O being the only major sources of opacity in this wavelength range. As the two sets of data were taken 3 yr apart, this points to the absence of strong radial-velocity anomalies due, e.g. to variability in atmospheric circulation. We measure a projected orbital velocity for the planet of KP = (145.2 ± 2.0) km s−1 (1σ) and improve the error bars on this parameter by ∼70 per cent. However, we only marginally tighten constraints on orbital inclination (⁠66.2+3.7−3.1 deg) and planet mass (⁠0.963+0.036−0.031 Jupiter masses), due to the dominant uncertainties of stellar mass and semimajor axis. Follow ups of radial-velocity planets are thus crucial to fully enable their accurate characterization via high-resolution spectroscopy.
More details from the publisher
Details from ORA

A weak spectral signature of water vapour in the atmosphere of HD 179949 b at high spectral resolution in the L-band

(2020)

Authors:

Rebecca K Webb, Matteo Brogi, Siddharth Gandhi, Michael R Line, Jayne L Birkby, Katy L Chubb, Ignas AG Snellen, Sergey N Yurchenko
More details from the publisher

Pagination

  • First page First
  • Previous page Prev
  • …
  • Page 8
  • Page 9
  • Page 10
  • Page 11
  • Current page 12
  • Page 13
  • Page 14
  • Page 15
  • Page 16
  • …
  • Next page Next
  • Last page Last

Footer Menu

  • Contact us
  • Giving to the Dept of Physics
  • Work with us
  • Media

User account menu

  • Log in

Follow us

FIND US

Clarendon Laboratory,

Parks Road,

Oxford,

OX1 3PU

CONTACT US

Tel: +44(0)1865272200

University of Oxfrod logo Department Of Physics text logo
IOP Juno Champion logo Athena Swan Silver Award logo

© University of Oxford - Department of Physics

Cookies | Privacy policy | Accessibility statement

Built by: Versantus

  • Home
  • Research
  • Study
  • Engage
  • Our people
  • News & Comment
  • Events
  • Our facilities & services
  • About us
  • Current students
  • Staff intranet