THE OPTICAL AND NEAR-INFRARED TRANSMISSION SPECTRUM OF THE SUPER-EARTH GJ 1214b: FURTHER EVIDENCE FOR A METAL-RICH ATMOSPHERE

We present an investigation of the transmission spectrum of the 6.5 M {circled plus} planet GJ 1214b based on new ground-based observations of transits of the planet in the optical and near-infrared, and on previously published data. Observations with the VLT + FORS and Magellan + MMIRS using the te...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Astrophysical journal 2011-12, Vol.743 (1), p.92-jQuery1323901027630='48'
Main Authors: BEAN, Jacob L, DESERT, Jean-Michel, KABATH, Petr, STALDER, Brian, SEAGER, Sara, MILLER-RICCI KEMPTON, Eliza, BERTA, Zachory K, HOMEIER, Derek, WALSH, Shane, SEIFAHRT, Andreas
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
ALGORITHMS
Astronomy
ASTROPHYSICS
ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
PHOTOMETRY
PLANETS
SATELLITE ATMOSPHERES
SATELLITES
SPECTRA
SPECTROSCOPY
WAVELENGTHS
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:We present an investigation of the transmission spectrum of the 6.5 M {circled plus} planet GJ 1214b based on new ground-based observations of transits of the planet in the optical and near-infrared, and on previously published data. Observations with the VLT + FORS and Magellan + MMIRS using the technique of multi-object spectroscopy with wide slits yielded new measurements of the planet's transmission spectrum from 0.61 to 0.85 Delta *mm, and in the J, H, and K atmospheric windows. We also present a new measurement based on narrow-band photometry centered at 2.09 Delta *mm with the VLT + HAWKI. We combined these data with results from a reanalysis of previously published FORS data from 0.78 to 1.00 Delta *mm using an improved data reduction algorithm, and previously reported values based on Spitzer data at 3.6 and 4.5 Delta *mm. All of the data are consistent with a featureless transmission spectrum for the planet. Our K-band data are inconsistent with the detection of spectral features at these wavelengths reported by Croll and collaborators at the level of 4.1 Delta *s. The planet's atmosphere must either have at least 70% H2O by mass or optically thick high-altitude clouds or haze to be consistent with the data.
ISSN:0004-637X
1538-4357
DOI:10.1088/0004-637x/743/1/92