Transmission Spectroscopy of Extrasolar Planets

• Applicant: Dr. Andreas Schweitzer, since 7/2021
• Subject Area: Astrophysics and Astronomy
• Term: from 2017 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 362051986

• Final Report Year: 2023

Final Report Abstract

The project focuses on high-resolution spectroscopy and its applications in the context of exoplanetary atmospheres. The primary data sources are the CARMENES spectrograph at Calar Alto Observatory in Spain and the new CRIRES+ spectrograph at ESO’s VLT. Both instruments operate primarily in the nearinfrared domain, with CARMENES extending its capabilities to encompass the red portion of the visible wavelength range. To extract the extremely weak planetary signals present in the spectra of extrasolar planetary systems, the data must be carefully processed. One of the primary challenges in this process is addressing telluric contamination, which arises from the interaction between radiation emitted by celestial objects and Earth’s atmosphere. A new technique, named Template Division Telluric Modeling (TDTM), has been developed to effectively mitigate this issue. TDTM separates telluric and stellar spectral components and has been integrated into the CARMENES data reduction pipeline. With the implementation of this accurate telluric correction, significant advancements have been made possible in the field of exoplanetary atmospheric characterization. Contributions could be made to the indepth analysis of planetary atmospheres using atomic lines such as the Hydrogen-alpha (Hα) line, the Helium I triplet at 1083 nm, and the Ca IRT lines, as exemplified by studies of HAT-P-32 b, GJ 1214 b, or WASP-76 b. Additionally, contributions to numereous published studies targeting planetary and stellar spectroscopy could be achieved.

Publications

• Detection of the hydrogen Balmer lines in the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-33b. Astronomy & Astrophysics, 645(c(2020, 12, 22)), A22.
  Yan, F.; Wyttenbach, A.; Casasayas-Barris, N.; Reiners, A.; Pallé, E.; Henning, Th.; Mollière, P.; Czesla, S.; Nortmann, L.; Molaverdikhani, K.; Chen, G.; Snellen, I. A. G.; Zechmeister, M.; Huang, C.; Ribas, I.; Quirrenbach, A.; Caballero, J. A.; Amado, P. J.; Cont, D.; ... & Stangret, M.
  
• A Multiwavelength Look at the GJ 9827 System: No Evidence of Extended Atmospheres in GJ 9827b and d from HST and CARMENES Data. The Astronomical Journal, 161(3), 136.
  Carleo, Ilaria; Youngblood, Allison; Redfield, Seth; Barris, Nuria Casasayas; Ayres, Thomas R.; Vannier, Hunter; Fossati, Luca; Palle, Enric; Livingston, John H.; Lanza, Antonino F.; Niraula, Prajwal; Alvarado-Gómez, Julián D.; Chen, Guo; Gandolfi, Davide; Guenther, Eike W.; Linsky, Jeffrey L.; Nagel, Evangelos; Narita, Norio; Nortmann, Lisa; ... & Stangret, Monika
  
• CARMENES detection of the Ca II infrared triplet and possible evidence of He I in the atmosphere of WASP-76b. Astronomy & Astrophysics, 654(c(2021, 10)), A163.
  Casasayas-Barris, N.; Orell-Miquel, J.; Stangret, M.; Nortmann, L.; Yan, F.; Oshagh, M.; Palle, E.; Sanz-Forcada, J.; López-Puertas, M.; Nagel, E.; Luque, R.; Morello, G.; Snellen, I. A. G.; Zechmeister, M.; Quirrenbach, A.; Caballero, J. A.; Ribas, I.; Reiners, A.; Amado, P. J.; ... & Sedaghati, E.
  
• Detection of Fe and evidence for TiO in the dayside emission spectrum of WASP-33b. Astronomy & Astrophysics (c(2021, 5, 19)).
  Cont, D.; Yan, F.; Reiners, A.; Casasayas-Barris, N.; Mollière, P.; Pallé, E.; Henning, Th.; Nortmann, L.; Stangret, M.; Czesla, S.; López-Puertas, M.; Sánchez-López, A.; Rodler, F.; Ribas, I.; Quirrenbach, A.; Caballero, J. A.; Amado, P. J.; Carone, L.; Khaimova, J. & al, et
  
• Hα and He I absorption in HAT-P-32 b observed with CARMENES. Astronomy & Astrophysics, 657(c(2021, 12, 20)), A6.
  Czesla, S.; Lampón, M.; Sanz-Forcada, J.; García Muñoz, A.; López-Puertas, M.; Nortmann, L.; Yan, D.; Nagel, E.; Yan, F.; Schmitt, J. H. M. M.; Aceituno, J.; Amado, P. J.; Caballero, J. A.; Casasayas-Barris, N.; Henning, Th.; Khalafinejad, S.; Molaverdikhani, K.; Montes, D.; Pallé, E.; ... & Zechmeister, M.
  
• Modelling the He I triplet absorption at 10 830 Å in the atmospheres of HD 189733 b and GJ 3470 b. Astronomy & Astrophysics, 647(c(2021, 3)), A129.
  Lampón, M.; López-Puertas, M.; Sanz-Forcada, J.; Sánchez-López, A.; Molaverdikhani, K.; Czesla, S.; Quirrenbach, A.; Pallé, E.; Caballero, J. A.; Henning, T.; Salz, M.; Nortmann, L.; Aceituno, J.; Amado, P. J.; Bauer, F. F.; Montes, D.; Nagel, E.; Reiners, A. & Ribas, I.
  
• Probing the atmosphere of WASP-69 b with low- and high-resolution transmission spectroscopy. Astronomy & Astrophysics, 656(c(2021, 12)), A142.
  Khalafinejad, S.; Molaverdikhani, K.; Blecic, J.; Mallonn, M.; Nortmann, L.; Caballero, J. A.; Rahmati, H.; Kaminski, A.; Sadegi, S.; Nagel, E.; Carone, L.; Amado, P. J.; Azzaro, M.; Bauer, F. F.; Casasayas-Barris, N.; Czesla, S.; von Essen, C.; Fossati, L.; Güdel, M.; ... & Zechmeister, M.
  
• The CARMENES search for exoplanets around M dwarfs. Astronomy & Astrophysics, 654(c(2021, 10)), A118.
  Shan, Y.; Reiners, A.; Fabbian, D.; Marfil, E.; Montes, D.; Tabernero, H. M.; Ribas, I.; Caballero, J. A.; Quirrenbach, A.; Amado, P. J.; Aceituno, J.; Béjar, V. J. S.; Cortés-Contreras, M.; Dreizler, S.; Hatzes, A. P.; Henning, Th.; Jeffers, S. V.; Kaminski, A.; Kürster, M.; ... & Zechmeister, M.
  
• The CARMENES search for exoplanets around M dwarfs. Astronomy & Astrophysics, 656(c(2021, 12)), A162.
  Marfil, E.; Tabernero, H. M.; Montes, D.; Caballero, J. A.; Lázaro, F. J.; González Hernández, J. I.; Nagel, E.; Passegger, V. M.; Schweitzer, A.; Ribas, I.; Reiners, A.; Quirrenbach, A.; Amado, P. J.; Cifuentes, C.; Cortés-Contreras, M.; Dreizler, S.; Duque-Arribas, C.; Galadí-Enríquez, D.; Henning, Th.; ... & Zechmeister, M.
  
• Wolf 503 b: Characterization of a Sub-Neptune Orbiting a Metal-poor K Dwarf. The Astronomical Journal, 162(6), 238.
  Polanski, Alex S.; Crossfield, Ian J. M.; Burt, Jennifer A.; Nowak, Grzegorz; López-Morales, Mercedes; Mortier, Annelies; Poretti, Ennio; Behmard, Aida; Benneke, Björn; Blunt, Sarah; Bonomo, Aldo S.; Butler, R. Paul; Chontos, Ashley; Cosentino, Rosario; Crane, Jeffrey D.; Dumusque, Xavier; Fulton, Benjamin J.; Ghedina, Adriano; Gorjian, Varoujan; ... & Weiss, Lauren M.
  
• A multi-planetary system orbiting the early-M dwarf TOI-1238. Astronomy & Astrophysics, 658(c(2022, 2)), A138.
  González-Álvarez, E.; Zapatero Osorio, M. R.; Sanz-Forcada, J.; Caballero, J. A.; Reffert, S.; Béjar, V. J. S.; Hatzes, A. P.; Herrero, E.; Jeffers, S. V.; Kemmer, J.; López-González, M. J.; Luque, R.; Molaverdikhani, K.; Morello, G.; Nagel, E.; Quirrenbach, A.; Rodríguez, E.; Rodríguez-López, C.; Schlecker, M.; ... & Winn, J. N.
  
• A tentative detection of He I in the atmosphere of GJ 1214 b. Astronomy & Astrophysics, 659(c(2022, 3)), A55.
  Orell-Miquel, J.; Murgas, F.; Pallé, E.; Lampón, M.; López-Puertas, M.; Sanz-Forcada, J.; Nagel, E.; Kaminski, A.; Casasayas-Barris, N.; Nortmann, L.; Luque, R.; Molaverdikhani, K.; Sedaghati, E.; Caballero, J. A.; Amado, P. J.; Bergond, G.; Czesla, S.; Hatzes, A. P.; Henning, Th.; ... & Zapatero Osorio, M. R.
  
• Atmospheric characterization of the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-33b. Astronomy & Astrophysics, 668(c(2022, 12)), A53.
  Cont, D.; Yan, F.; Reiners, A.; Nortmann, L.; Molaverdikhani, K.; Pallé, E.; Henning, Th.; Ribas, I.; Quirrenbach, A.; Caballero, J. A.; Amado, P. J.; Czesla, S.; Lesjak, F.; López-Puertas, M.; Mollière, P.; Montes, D.; Morello, G.; Nagel, E.; Pedraz, S. & Sánchez-López, A.
  
• Detection of iron emission lines and a temperature inversion on the dayside of the ultra-hot Jupiter KELT-20b. Astronomy & Astrophysics, 659(c(2022, 2, 25)), A7.
  Yan, F.; Reiners, A.; Pallé, E.; Shulyak, D.; Stangret, M.; Molaverdikhani, K.; Nortmann, L.; Mollière, P.; Henning, Th.; Casasayas-Barris, N.; Cont, D.; Chen, G.; Czesla, S.; Sánchez-López, A.; López-Puertas, M.; Ribas, I.; Quirrenbach, A.; Caballero, J. A.; Amado, P. J.; ... & Zechmeister, M.
  
• Magnetism, rotation, and nonthermal emission in cool stars. Astronomy & Astrophysics, 662(c(2022, 6)), A41.
  Reiners, A.; Shulyak, D.; Käpylä, P. J.; Ribas, I.; Nagel, E.; Zechmeister, M.; Caballero, J. A.; Shan, Y.; Fuhrmeister, B.; Quirrenbach, A.; Amado, P. J.; Montes, D.; Jeffers, S. V.; Azzaro, M.; Béjar, V. J. S.; Chaturvedi, P.; Henning, Th.; Kürster, M. & Pallé, E.
  
• Probable dormant neutron star in a short-period binary system. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 517(3), 4005-4021.
  Mazeh, Tsevi; Faigler, Simchon; Bashi, Dolev; Shahaf, Sahar; Davidson, Niv; Green, Matthew; Gomel, Roy; Maoz, Dan; Sussholz, Amitay; Dong, Subo; Zhang, Haotong; Liu, Jifeng; Wang, Song; Luo, Ali; Zheng, Zheng; Hallakoun, Na’ama; Perdelwitz, Volker; Latham, David W.; Ribas, Ignasi; ... & Winn, Joshua N.
  
• Silicon in the dayside atmospheres of two ultra-hot Jupiters. Astronomy & Astrophysics, 657(c(2022, 1)), L2.
  Cont, D.; Yan, F.; Reiners, A.; Nortmann, L.; Molaverdikhani, K.; Pallé, E.; Stangret, M.; Henning, Th.; Ribas, I.; Quirrenbach, A.; Caballero, J. A.; Zapatero Osorio, M. R.; Amado, P. J.; Aceituno, J.; Casasayas-Barris, N.; Czesla, S.; Kaminski, A.; López-Puertas, M.; Montes, D.; ... & Zechmeister, M.
  
• The CARMENES search for exoplanets around M dwarfs. Astronomy & Astrophysics, 657(c(2022, 1)), A125.
  Fuhrmeister, B.; Czesla, S.; Nagel, E.; Reiners, A.; Schmitt, J. H. M. M.; Jeffers, S. V.; Caballero, J. A.; Shulyak, D.; Johnson, E. N.; Zechmeister, M.; Montes, D.; López-Gallifa, Á.; Ribas, I.; Quirrenbach, A.; Amado, P. J.; Galadí-Enríquez, D.; Hatzes, A. P.; Kürster, M.; Danielski, C.; ... & Zapatero Osorio, M. R.
  
• TOI-1468: A system of two transiting planets, a super-Earth and a mini-Neptune, on opposite sides of the radius valley. Astronomy & Astrophysics, 666(c(2022, 10)), A155.
  Chaturvedi, P.; Bluhm, P.; Nagel, E.; Hatzes, A. P.; Morello, G.; Brady, M.; Korth, J.; Molaverdikhani, K.; Kossakowski, D.; Caballero, J. A.; Guenther, E. W.; Pallé, E.; Espinoza, N.; Seifahrt, A.; Lodieu, N.; Cifuentes, C.; Furlan, E.; Amado, P. J.; Barclay, T.; ... & Zechmeister, M.
  
• CRIRES+ detection of CO emissions lines and temperature inversions on the dayside of WASP-18b and WASP-76b. Astronomy & Astrophysics, 672(c(2023, 4)), A107.
  Yan, F.; Nortmann, L.; Reiners, A.; Piskunov, N.; Hatzes, A.; Seemann, U.; Shulyak, D.; Lavail, A.; Rains, A. D.; Cont, D.; Rengel, M.; Lesjak, F.; Nagel, E.; Kochukhov, O.; Czesla, S.; Boldt-Christmas, L.; Heiter, U.; Smoker, J. V.; Rodler, F.; ... & Stempels, E.