Simultaneous retrieval of orbital phase resolved JWST/MIRI emission spectra of the hot Jupiter WASP-43b: evidence of water, ammonia and carbon monoxide

TL;DR

This study uses JWST/MIRI phase-resolved spectra of hot Jupiter WASP-43b to detect water, ammonia, and carbon monoxide, providing new insights into its atmospheric composition and formation history.

Contribution

It introduces a simultaneous fitting method for multiple spectra to improve atmospheric composition constraints, revealing first-time detection of ammonia in a hot Jupiter.

Findings

Detection of NH3 at 4σ significance

Detection of H2O at 6.5σ significance

Detection of CO at 3.1σ significance

Abstract

Spectroscopic phase curves of hot Jupiters measure their emission spectra at multiple orbital phases, thus enabling detailed characterisation of their atmospheres. Precise constraints on the atmospheric composition of these exoplanets offer insights into their formation and evolution. We analyse four phase-resolved emission spectra of the hot Jupiter WASP-43b, generated from a phase curve observed with the MIRI/LRS onboard the JWST, to retrieve its atmospheric properties. Using a parametric 2D temperature model and assuming a chemically homogeneous atmosphere within the observed pressure region, we simultaneously fit the four spectra to constrain the abundances of atmospheric constituents, thereby yielding more precise constraints than previous work that analysed each spectrum independently. Our analysis reveals statistically significant evidence of NH3 (4$\sigma$) in a hot Jupiter's emission spectra for the first time, along with evidence of H2O (6.5$\sigma$), CO (3.1$\sigma$), and a non-detection of CH4. With our abundance constraints, we tentatively estimate the metallicity of WASP-43b at 0.6-6.5$\times$solar and its C/O ratio at 0.6-0.9. Our findings offer vital insights into the atmospheric conditions and formation history of WASP-43b by simultaneously constraining the abundances of carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen-bearing species.