Re-evaluating Hot Jupiter WASP-12b: An Update
Ian J. M. Crossfield, Travis Barman, Brad M. S. Hansen, Ichi Tanaka,, Tadayuki Kodama
TL;DR
This paper re-evaluates the atmospheric composition of hot Jupiter WASP-12b using recent near-infrared spectra, concluding that current data are consistent with a featureless blackbody and do not definitively determine its atmospheric makeup.
Contribution
The study provides an updated analysis of WASP-12b's emission spectrum, clarifying that recent measurements do not conclusively support complex atmospheric compositions.
Findings
Spectrum is consistent with a blackbody model
Current data cannot distinguish between different atmospheric compositions
WASP-12b's atmosphere appears nearly isothermal
Abstract
The hot Jupiter WASP-12b is one of the largest, hottest, and best-studied extrasolar planets. We revisit our recent analysis of WASP-12b's emission spectrum in light of near-infrared spectroscopic measurements which have been claimed to support either a hydride-dominated or carbon-rich atmospheric composition. We show that this new spectrum is still consistent with a featureless blackbody, indicating a nearly isothermal photosphere on the planet's day side. Thus the ensemble of occultation measurements for WASP-12b is still insufficient to constrain the planet's atmospheric composition.
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