Simulated performance of the molecular mapping for young giant exoplanets with the Medium Resolution Spectrometer of JWST/MIRI

TL;DR

This study evaluates the potential of JWST/MIRI's Medium Resolution Spectrometer to detect and characterize molecules in the atmospheres of young giant exoplanets through simulated data, highlighting its capabilities and limitations.

Contribution

First assessment of MIRI/MRS performance for molecular detection in exoplanet atmospheres using simulated data and atmospheric models.

Findings

MIRI/MRS can detect key molecules like H2O, CO, NH3, CH4, HCN, PH3, CO2 in exoplanet atmospheres.

Detection efficiency is highest for planets below 1500 K, bright targets, and separations >1 arcsecond.

The method enables characterization of atmospheric composition and planetary formation scenarios.

Abstract

Young giant planets are the best targets for characterization with direct imaging. The Medium Resolution Spectrometer (MRS) of the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) of the recently launched James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will give access to the first spectroscopic data for direct imaging above 5 $\mu$m with unprecedented sensitivity at a spectral resolution up to 3700. This will provide a valuable complement to near-infrared data from ground-based instruments for characterizing these objects. We aim to evaluate the performance of MIRI/MRS to detect molecules in the atmosphere of exoplanets and to constrain atmospheric parameters using Exo-REM atmospheric models. The molecular mapping technique, based on cross-correlation with synthetic models, has been introduced recently. This promising detection and characterization method is tested on simulated MIRI/MRS data. Directly imaged planets can be detected with MIRI/MRS, and we are able to detect molecules (H$_2$O, CO, NH$_3$, CH$_4$, HCN, PH$_3$, CO$_2$) at various angular separation depending on the strength of the molecular features and brightness of the target. We find that the stellar spectral type has a weak impact on the detection level. This method is globally most efficient for planets with temperatures below 1500 K, for bright targets and angular separation greater than 1$''$. Our parametric study allows us to anticipate the ability to characterize planets that would be detected in the future. The MIRI/MRS will give access to molecular species not yet detected in exoplanetary atmospheres. The detection of molecules as indicators of the temperature of the planets will make it possible to discriminate between the various hypotheses of the preceding studies, and the derived molecular abundance ratios should bring new constraints on planetary formation scenarios.