Exoplanet atmospheres

Abstract:

The recently adopted Ariel ESA mission will measure the atmospheric composition of a large number of exoplanets. This information will then be used to better constrain planetary bulk compositions. While the connection between the composition of a planetary atmosphere and the bulk interior is still being investigated, the combination of the atmospheric composition with the measured mass and radius of exoplanets will push the field of exoplanet characterisation to the next level, and provide new insights of the nature of planets in our galaxy. In this white paper, we outline the ongoing activities of the interior working group of the Ariel mission, and list the desirable theoretical developments as well as the challenges in linking planetary atmospheres, bulk composition and interior structure.

Abstract:

Characterizing the atmospheres of planets orbiting M dwarfs requires understanding the spectral energy distributions of M dwarfs over planetary lifetimes. Surveys like MUSCLES, HAZMAT, and FUMES have collected multiwavelength spectra across the spectral type's range of Teff and activity, but the extreme ultraviolet (EUV, 100–912 Å) flux of most of these stars remains unobserved because of obscuration by the interstellar medium compounded with limited detector sensitivity. While targets with observable EUV flux exist, there is no currently operational facility observing between 150 and 912 Å. Inferring the spectra of exoplanet hosts in this regime is critical to studying the evolution of planetary atmospheres because the EUV heats the top of the thermosphere and drives atmospheric escape. This paper presents our implementation of the differential emission measure technique to reconstruct the EUV spectra of cool dwarfs. We characterize our method's accuracy and precision by applying it to the Sun and AU Mic. We then apply it to three fainter M dwarfs: GJ 832, Barnard's star, and TRAPPIST-1. We demonstrate that with the strongest far-ultraviolet (FUV, 912–1700 Å) emission lines, observed with the Hubble Space Telescope and/or Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer, and a coarse X-ray spectrum from either the Chandra X-ray Observatory or XMM-Newton, we can reconstruct the Sun's EUV spectrum to within a factor of 1.8, with our model's formal uncertainties encompassing the data. We report the integrated EUV flux of our M dwarf sample with uncertainties of a factor of 2–7 depending on available data quality.

Abstract:

A number of transiting, potentially habitable Earth-sized exoplanets have recently been detected around several nearby M dwarf stars. These worlds represent important targets for atmospheric characterization for the upcoming NASA James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Given that available time for exoplanet characterization will be limited, it is critically important to first understand the capabilities and limitations of JWST when attempting to detect atmospheric constituents for potentially Earth-like worlds orbiting cool stars. Here, we explore coupled climate-chemistry atmospheric models for Earth-like planets orbiting a grid of M dwarf hosts. Using a newly-developed and validated JWST instrument model—the JWST Exoplanet Transit Simulator—we investigate the detectability of key biosignature and habitability indicator gaseous species for a variety of relevant instruments and observing modes. Spectrally resolved detection scenarios as well as cases where the spectral impact of a given species is integrated across the entire range of an instrument/mode are considered and serve to highlight the importance of considering information gained over an entire observable spectral range. Our results indicate that detectability of gases at individual wavelengths is overly challenging for JWST but integrating the spectral impact of a species across the entire wavelength range of an instrument/mode significantly improves requisite detection times. When considering the entire spectral coverage of an instrument/mode, detections of methane, carbon dioxide, oxygen and water at signal-to-noise ratio 5 could be achieved with observations of several tens of transits (or less) for cloud-free Earth-like worlds orbiting mid-to late-type M dwarfs at system distances of up to 10–15 pc. When compared to previous results, requisite exposure times for gas species detection depend on approaches to quantifying the spectral impact of the species as well as underlying photochemical model assumptions. Thus, constraints on atmospheric abundances, even if just upper limits, by JWST have the potential to further our understanding of terrestrial atmospheric chemistry.