Time-resolved transmission spectroscopy of the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-189 b

TL;DR

This study uses high-resolution, time-resolved spectroscopy over multiple transits to detect and analyze various atomic and molecular species in the atmosphere of the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-189 b, revealing atmospheric asymmetries and new detections.

Contribution

It presents the first detection of Sr, Sr+, and Ba+ in WASP-189 b's transmission spectrum and demonstrates the use of time-resolved spectroscopy to infer atmospheric structure and dynamics.

Findings

Detected multiple atoms and molecules, including first-time detections of Sr, Sr+, and Ba+.

Confirmed TiO presence with multiple instruments.

Observed variations in signal strength indicating atmospheric heterogeneity and ionization effects.

Abstract

Ultra-hot Jupiters are tidally locked with their host stars dividing their atmospheres into a hot dayside and a colder nightside. As the planet moves through transit, different regions of the atmosphere rotate into view revealing different chemical regimes. High-resolution spectrographs can observe asymmetries and velocity shifts, and offer the possibility for time-resolved spectroscopy. In this study, we search for other atoms and molecules in the planet`s transmission spectrum and investigate asymmetric signals. We analyse and combine eight transits of the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-189 b taken with the HARPS, HARPS-N, ESPRESSO and MAROON-X high-resolution spectrographs. Using the cross-correlation technique, we search for neutral and ionised atoms, and oxides and compare the obtained signals to model predictions. We report significant detections for H, Na, Mg, Ca, Ca+, Ti, Ti+, TiO, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Fe+, Ni, Sr, Sr+, and Ba+. Of these, Sr, Sr+, and Ba+ are detected for the first time in the transmission spectrum of WASP-189 b. In addition, we robustly confirm the detection of titanium oxide based on observations with HARPS and HARPS-N using the follow-up observations performed with MAROON-X and ESPRESSO. By fitting the orbital traces of the detected species by means of time-resolved spectroscopy using a Bayesian framework, we infer posterior distributions for orbital parameters as well as lineshapes. Our results indicate that different species must originate from different regions of the atmosphere to be able to explain the observed time dependence of the signals. Throughout the course of the transit, most signal strengths are expected to increase due to the larger atmospheric scale height at the hotter trailing terminator. For some species, however, the signals are instead observed to weaken due to ionisation for atoms and their ions, or the dissociation of molecules on the dayside.