| Full text | |
| Author(s): |
Swain, Mark R.
[1]
;
Estrela, Raissa
[1, 2]
;
Roudier, Gael M.
[1]
;
Sotin, Christophe
[1]
;
Rimmer, Paul B.
[3, 4, 5]
;
Valio, Adriana
[2]
;
West, Robert
[1]
;
Pearson, Kyle
[1]
;
Huber-Feely, Noah
[6]
;
Zellem, Robert T.
[1]
Total Authors: 10
|
| Affiliation: | [1] CALTECH, Jet Prop Lab, 4800 Oak Grove Dr, Pasadena, CA 91109 - USA
[2] Univ Prebiteriana Mackenzie, Ctr Radio Astron & Astrophys Mackenzie CRAAM, Rua Consolacao 896, Sao Paulo - Brazil
[3] Univ Cambridge, Dept Earth Sci, Downing St, Cambridge CB2 3EQ - England
[4] MRC Lab Mol Biol, Francis Crick Ave, Cambridge CB2 0QH - England
[5] Univ Cambridge, Cavendish Lab, JJ Thomson Ave, Cambridge CB3 0HE - England
[6] Columbia Univ, New York, NY 10027 - USA
Total Affiliations: 6
|
| Document type: | Journal article |
| Source: | ASTRONOMICAL JOURNAL; v. 161, n. 5 MAY 2021. |
| Web of Science Citations: | 0 |
| Abstract | |
We report the detection of an atmosphere on a rocky exoplanet, GJ 1132 b, which is similar to Earth in terms of size and density. The atmospheric transmission spectrum was detected using Hubble WFC3 measurements and shows spectral signatures of aerosol scattering, HCN, and CH4 in a low mean molecular weight atmosphere. We model the atmospheric loss process and conclude that GJ 1132 b likely lost the original H/He envelope, suggesting that the atmosphere that we detect has been reestablished. We explore the possibility of H-2 mantle degassing, previously identified as a possibility for this planet by theoretical studies, and find that outgassing from ultra-reduced magma could produce the observed atmosphere. In this way we use the observed exoplanet transmission spectrum to gain insights into magma composition for a terrestrial planet. The detection of an atmosphere on this rocky planet raises the possibility that the numerous powerfully irradiated super-Earth planets, believed to be the evaporated cores of sub-Neptunes, may, under favorable circumstances, host detectable atmospheres. (AU) | |
| FAPESP's process: | 18/09984-7 - Unveiling haze formation and energy balance in the exoplanets atmospheres with the Hubble Space Telescope |
| Grantee: | Raissa de Lourdes Freitas Estrela |
| Support Opportunities: | Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate |