Clouds form on the hot Saturn JWST ERO target WASP-96b
Dominic Samra, Christiane Helling, Katy Chubb, Michiel Min, Ludmila, Carone, Aaron Schneider

TL;DR
This study uses JWST data and advanced modeling to demonstrate that clouds are prevalent in WASP-96b's atmosphere, challenging previous assumptions of a cloud-free atmosphere and highlighting the impact of clouds on spectral observations.
Contribution
The paper combines 3D GCM simulations, kinetic cloud formation models, and retrieval frameworks to reveal widespread clouds in WASP-96b's atmosphere, providing new insights into cloud properties and their spectral effects.
Findings
Clouds are ubiquitous throughout WASP-96b's atmosphere.
Silicate and metal oxide clouds significantly influence the spectra.
Cloud properties affect the visibility of molecular features in observations.
Abstract
WASP-96b is a hot Saturn exoplanet, with an equilibrium temperature well within the regime of thermodynamically expected extensive cloud formation. Prior observations with Hubble/WFC3, Spitzer/IRAC, and VLT/FORS2 have been combined into a single spectra for which retrievals suggest a cold but cloud-free atmosphere. Recently, the planet was observed with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) as part of the Early Release Observations (ERO). 1D profiles are extracted from the 3D GCM expeRT/MITgcm results and used as input for a kinetic, non-equilibrium model to study the formation of mineral cloud particles of mixed composition. The ARCiS retrieval framework is applied to the pre-JWST WASP-96b transit spectra to investigate the apparent contradiction between cloudy models and assumed cloud-free transit spectra. Clouds are predicted to be ubiquitous throughout the atmosphere of WASP-96b.…
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Taxonomy
TopicsAstro and Planetary Science · Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies · Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies
