A Two-limb Explanation for the Optical-to-infrared Transmission Spectrum of the Hot Jupiter HAT-P-32Ab

TL;DR

This study presents a detailed optical to infrared transmission spectrum of the hot Jupiter HAT-P-32Ab, revealing atmospheric features and asymmetries, and introduces a two-limb atmospheric model with high metallicity and temperature differences.

Contribution

The paper introduces a two-limb atmospheric model explaining the transmission spectrum of HAT-P-32Ab, highlighting asymmetries and complex atmospheric composition.

Findings

Detection of water absorption at 1.4 μm

Observation of an enhanced scattering slope blueward of the optical continuum

Identification of a carbon dioxide feature at 4.4 μm

Abstract

We present a new optical transmission spectrum of the hot Jupiter HAT-P-32Ab acquired with the Carnegie Observatories Spectrograph and Multiobject Imaging Camera (COSMIC) on the Palomar 200 inch Hale Telescope (P200). The P200/COSMIC transmission spectrum, covering a wavelength range of 3990--9390 \AA, is composed of 25 spectrophotometric bins with widths ranging from 200 to 400 \AA and consistent with previous transit measurements obtained in the common wavelength range. We derive a combined optical transmission spectrum based on measurements from five independent instruments, which, along with the 1.1--1.7 $\mu$m spectrum acquired by the Hubble Space Telescope and two Spitzer measurements, exhibits an enhanced scattering slope blueward of a relatively flat optical continuum, a water absorption feature at 1.4 $\mu$m, and a carbon dioxide feature at 4.4 $\mu$m. We perform Bayesian spectral retrieval analyses on the 0.3--5.1 $\mu$m transmission spectrum and find that it can be well explained by a two-limb approximation of $134^{+45}_{-33}\times$ solar metallicity, with a strongly hazy morning limb of $1134^{+232}_{-194}$ K and a haze-free evening limb of $1516^{+33}_{-44}$~K. This makes HAT-P-32Ab a promising target for James Webb Space Telescope to look for asymmetric signatures directly in the light curves.