Characterizing a World Within the Hot-Neptune Desert: Transit Observations of LTT 9779 b with the Hubble Space Telescope/WFC3
Article
Lowson, Nataliea. 2023. "Characterizing a World Within the Hot-Neptune Desert: Transit Observations of LTT 9779 b with the Hubble Space Telescope/WFC3." The Astronomical Journal. 166 (4). https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/acea77
| Article Title | Characterizing a World Within the Hot-Neptune Desert: Transit Observations of LTT 9779 b with the Hubble Space Telescope/WFC3 |
|---|---|
| ERA Journal ID | 1048 |
| Article Category | Article |
| Authors | Lowson, Nataliea |
| Journal Title | The Astronomical Journal |
| Journal Citation | 166 (4) |
| Article Number | 158 |
| Number of Pages | 26 |
| Year | 2023 |
| Publisher | IOP Publishing |
| Place of Publication | United States |
| ISSN | 0004-6256 |
| 1538-3881 | |
| Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/acea77 |
| Web Address (URL) | https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-3881/acea77 |
| Abstract | We present an atmospheric analysis of LTT 9779 b, a rare planet situated in the hot-Neptune desert, that has been observed with Hubble Space Telescope (HST)/WFC3 with G102 and G141. The combined transmission spectrum, which covers 0.8–1.6 μm, shows a gradual increase in transit depth with wavelength. Our preferred atmospheric model shows evidence for H2O, CO2, and FeH with a significance of 3.1σ, 2.4σ, and 2.1σ, respectively. In an attempt to constrain the rate of atmospheric escape for this planet, we search for the 1.083 μm helium line in the G102 data but find no evidence of excess absorption that would indicate an escaping atmosphere using this tracer. We refine the orbital ephemerides of LTT 9779 b using our HST data and observations from TESS, searching for evidence of orbital decay or apsidal precession, which are not found. The phase-curve observation of LTT 9779 b with JWST NIRISS should provide deeper insights into the atmosphere of this planet and the expected atmospheric escape might be detected with further observations concentrated on other tracers such as Lyα. |
| Keywords | Hubble Space Telescope; Infrared spectroscopy; Hot Neptunes; Exoplanets |
| Contains Sensitive Content | Does not contain sensitive content |
| ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 5101. Astronomical sciences |
| Byline Affiliations | Centre for Astrophysics |
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