GROUND-BASED, NEAR-INFRARED EXOSPECTROSCOPY. II. TENTATIVE DETECTION OF EMISSION FROM THE EXTREMELY HOT JUPITER WASP-12b

We report the tentative detection of the near-infrared emission of the hot Jupiter WASP-12b with the low-resolution prism on Infrared Telescope Facility/SpeX. We find a K - H contrast color of 0.137% + or - 0.054%, corresponding to a blackbody of temperature 2400 super(+1500) sub(-500) K and consist...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Astrophysical journal 2012-02, Vol.746 (1), p.1-17
Main Authors: CROSSFIELD, Ian J. M, HANSEN, Brad M. S, BARMAN, Travis
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
ALBEDO
Astronomy
ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
COLOR
Earth, ocean, space
ECLIPSE
Emission
ENERGY BALANCE
Exact sciences and technology
Extrasolar planets
Gas giant planets
Infrared telescopes
JUPITER PLANET
LUMINOSITY
Observers
OPACITY
Photometry
PLANETARY ATMOSPHERES
Slits
SPECTROSCOPY
STARS
TELESCOPES
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Summary:We report the tentative detection of the near-infrared emission of the hot Jupiter WASP-12b with the low-resolution prism on Infrared Telescope Facility/SpeX. We find a K - H contrast color of 0.137% + or - 0.054%, corresponding to a blackbody of temperature 2400 super(+1500) sub(-500) K and consistent with previous, photometric observations. We also revisit WASP-12b's energy budget on the basis of secondary eclipse observations: the dayside luminosity is a relatively poorly constrained (2.0-4.3) x 10 super(30) erg s super(-1), but this still allows us to predict a day/night effective temperature contrast of 200-1000 K (assuming A sub(B) = 0). Thus, we conclude that WASP-12b probably does not have both a low albedo and low recirculation efficiency. Our results show the promise and pitfalls of using single-slit spectrographs for characterization of extrasolar planet atmospheres, and we suggest future observing techniques and instruments which could lead to further progress. Limiting systematic effects include the use of too narrow a slit on one night-which observers could avoid in the future-and chromatic slit losses (resulting from the variable size of the seeing disk) and variations in telluric transparency-which observers cannot control. Single-slit observations of the type we present remain the best option for obtaining [lambda] > 1.7 mu m spectra of transiting exoplanets in the brightest systems. Further and more precise spectroscopy is needed to better understand the atmospheric chemistry, structure, and energetics of this, and other, intensely irradiated planet.
ISSN:0004-637X
1538-4357
DOI:10.1088/0004-637x/746/1/46