A precise blue-optical transmission spectrum from the ground: Evidence for haze in the atmosphere of WASP-74b

TL;DR

This study presents a ground-based optical transmission spectrum of exoplanet WASP-74b, revealing evidence for atmospheric hazes, achieved through a novel method that enhances measurement precision without needing a reference star.

Contribution

The paper introduces a new technique for measuring exoplanet transit depths across wavelengths, improving precision and removing the need for a reference star, and applies it to ground-based optical spectroscopy of WASP-74b.

Findings

Evidence of hazes in WASP-74b's atmosphere from spectral slope.

The new method achieves 211 ppm transit depth uncertainty.

Ground-based optical data complements infrared observations.

Abstract

We report transmission spectroscopy of the bloated hot Jupiter WASP-74b in the wavelength range from 4000 to 6200 \r{A}. We observe two transit events with the Very Large Telescope FOcal Reducer and Spectrograph (VLT FORS2) and present a new method to measure the exoplanet transit depth as a function of wavelength. The new method removes the need for a reference star in correcting the spectroscopic light curves for the impact of atmospheric extinction. It also provides improved precision, compared to other techniques, reaching an average transit depth uncertainty of 211 ppm for a solar-type star of V=9.8 mag and over wavelength bins of 80 \r{A}. The VLT transmission spectrum is analysed both individually and in combination with published data from Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and Spitzer. The spectrum is found to exhibit a mostly featureless slope and equilibrium chemistry retrievals with PLATON favour hazes in the upper atmosphere of the exoplanet. Free chemistry retrievals with AURA further support the presence of hazes. While additional constraints are possible depending on the choice of atmospheric model, they are not robust and may be influenced by residual systematics in the data sets. Our results demonstrate the utility of new techniques in the analysis of optical, ground-based spectroscopic data and can be highly complementary to follow-up observations in the infrared with JWST.