A Characteristic Transmission Spectrum dominated by H$_{2}$O applies to the majority of HST/WFC3 exoplanet observations

TL;DR

This study analyzes HST/WFC3 exoplanet transmission spectra, revealing a common characteristic spectrum dominated by water vapor with clouds or aerosols significantly affecting atmospheric measurements.

Contribution

It provides a uniform analysis of 19 exoplanet spectra, establishing a characteristic water-dominated spectrum and quantifying cloud coverage effects in hot Jupiter atmospheres.

Findings

Water spectral modulation ranges from 0.9 to 2.9 Hs with a mean of 1.8 Hs.

Clouds or aerosols block at least half of the atmospheric column.

A minimum water mixing ratio of 17 ppm is identified.

Abstract

Currently, 19 transiting exoplanets have published transmission spectra obtained with the Hubble/WFC3 G141 near-IR grism. Using this sample, we have undertaken a uniform analysis incorporating measurement-error debiasing of the spectral modulation due to H$_{2}$O, measured in terms of the estimated atmospheric scale height, ${H_s}$. For those planets with a reported H$_{2}$O detection (10 out of 19), the spectral modulation due to H$_{2}$O ranges from 0.9 to 2.9~${H_s}$ with a mean value of 1.8~$\pm$~0.5~${H_s}$. This spectral modulation is significantly less than predicted for clear atmospheres. For the group of planets in which H$_{2}$O has been detected, we find the individual spectra can be coherently averaged to produce a characteristic spectrum in which the shape, together with the spectral modulation of the sample, are consistent with a range of H$_{2}$O mixing ratios and cloud-top pressures, with a minimum H$_{2}$O mixing ratio of 17~$^{+12}_{-6}$~ppm corresponding to the cloud-free case. Using this lower limit, we show that clouds or aerosols must block at least half of the atmospheric column that would otherwise be sampled by transmission spectroscopy in the case of a cloud-free atmosphere. We conclude that terminator-region clouds, with sufficient opacity to be opaque in slant-viewing geometry, are common in hot Jupiters.