Detectable Abundance of Cyanoacetylene (HC$_3$N) Predicted on Reduced Nitrogen-Rich Super-Earth Atmospheres

TL;DR

This study predicts detectable levels of cyanoacetylene in the atmosphere of GJ 1132 b using JWST, highlighting its significance for atmospheric characterization of nitrogen-rich super-Earths.

Contribution

The paper introduces a new model for HC$_3$N$ line list and demonstrates its detectability in exoplanet atmospheres with JWST, emphasizing its role in future atmospheric retrievals.

Findings

HC$_3$N$ features are detectable at 4.5 μm after one transit.

Detectability depends on stratospheric temperature and mixing.

HC$_3$N$ significantly affects atmospheric opacity models.

Abstract

We predict that cyanoacetylene (HC$_3$N) is produced photochemically in the atmosphere of GJ 1132 b in abundances detectable by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), assuming that the atmosphere is hydrogen dominated and rich in molecular nitrogen (N$_2$), methane (CH$_4$) and hydrogen cyanide (HCN), as described by Swain et al. (2021). First, we construct line list and cross-sections for HC$_3$N. Then we apply these cross-sections and the model atmosphere of Swain et al. (2021) to a radiative transfer model in order to simulate the transmission spectrum of GJ 1132 b as it would be seen by JWST, accounting for the uncertainty in the retrieved abundances. We predict that cyanoacetylene features at various wavelengths, with a clear lone feature at 4.5 $\mu$m, observable by JWST after one transit. This feature persists within the $1-\sigma$ uncertainty of the retrieved abundances of HCN and CH$_4$. The signal is detectable for stratospheric temperatures $\lesssim 600$ K and moderate stratospheric mixing ($10^6 \, {\rm cm^2 \, s^{-1}} \lesssim K_{zz} \lesssim 10^8 \, {\rm cm^2 \, s^{-1}}$). Our results also indicate that HC$_3$N is an important source of opacity that future retrieval models should consider.