Detection of atmospheric species and dynamics in the bloated hot Jupiter WASP-172~b with ESPRESSO

TL;DR

This study used ESPRESSO to analyze the atmosphere of the bloated hot Jupiter WASP-172b, detecting multiple species and atmospheric dynamics, providing insights into its composition and jet-like features.

Contribution

First detailed atmospheric characterization of WASP-172b using high-resolution spectroscopy, revealing multiple species and dynamic atmospheric features in a single transit.

Findings

Detection of sodium, hydrogen, and tentative iron absorption lines.

Observation of blue-shifted absorption indicating atmospheric jets.

Potential link between planetary inflation and iron detectability.

Abstract

The population of strongly irradiated Jupiter-sized planets has no equivalent in the Solar System. It is characterised by strongly bloated atmospheres and atmospheric large-scale heights. Recent space-based observations of SO2 photochemistry demonstrated the knowledge that can be gained from detailed atmospheric studies of these unusual planets about Earth's uniqueness. Aims. Here we explore the atmosphere of WASP-172b a similar planet in temperature and bloating to the recently studied HD~149026~b. In this work, we characterise the atmospheric composition and subsequently the atmospheric dynamics of this prime target. Methods. We observed a particular transit of WASP-172b in front of its host star with ESO's ESPRESSO spectrograph and analysed the spectra obtained before during and after transit. Results. We detect the absorption of starlight by WASP-172b's atmosphere by sodium (5.6sigma), hydrogen (19.5sigma) and obtained a tentative detection of iron (4.1sigma). We detect strong - yet varying - blue shifts, relative to the planetary rest frame, of all of these absorption features. This allows for a preliminary study of the atmospheric dynamics of WASP-172b. Conclusions. With only one transit, we were able to detect a wide variety of species, clearly tracking different atmospheric layers with possible jets. WASP-172b is a prime follow-up target for a more in-depth characterisation both for ground and space-based observatories. If the detection of Fe is confirmed, this may suggest that radius inflation is an important determinant for the detectability of Fe in hot Jupiters, as several non-detections of Fe have been published for planets that are hotter but less inflated than WASP-172b.