The CHEOPS view on the climate of WASP-3 b

TL;DR

This study analyzes CHEOPS, TESS, and Spitzer photometry of WASP-3 b to characterize its atmosphere, measure eclipse depths, and infer properties like albedo and energy recirculation mechanisms, revealing unexpected atmospheric behavior.

Contribution

It provides new measurements of eclipse depths across multiple passbands and proposes explanations for the planet's energy recirculation, advancing understanding of ultra-hot Jupiter atmospheres.

Findings

Measured eclipse depths: CHEOPS 92±21 ppm, TESS 83±27 ppm, Spitzer >2000 ppm.

Estimated geometric albedo of 0.21±0.07 in CHEOPS band.

WASP-3 b shows efficient energy recirculation despite low Bond albedo.

Abstract

Hot Jupiters are giant planets subject to intense stellar radiation. The physical and chemical properties of their atmosphere makes them the most amenable targets for the atmospheric characterization. In this paper we analyze the photometry collected during the secondary eclipses of the hot Jupiter WASP-3 b by CHEOPS, TESS and Spitzer. Our aim is to characterize the atmosphere of the planet by measuring the secondary eclipse depth in several passbands and constrain the planetary dayside spectrum. Our update of the stellar and planetary properties is consistent with previous works. The analysis of the occultations returns an eclipse depth of 92+-21 ppm in the CHEOPS passband, 83+-27 ppm for TESS and >2000 ppm in the IRAC 1-2-4 Spitzer passbands. Using the eclipse depths in the Spitzer bands we propose a set of likely emission spectra which constrain the emission contribution in the \cheops and TESS passbands to approximately a few dozens of parts per million. This allowed us to measure a geometric albedo of 0.21+-0.07 in the CHEOPS passband, while the TESS data lead to a 95\% upper limit of $\sim$0.2. WASP-3 b belongs to the group of ultra-hot Jupiters which are characterized by low Bond albedo (<0.3+-0.1), as predicted by different atmospheric models. On the other hand, it unexpectedly seems to efficiently recirculate the absorbed stellar energy, unlike similar highly irradiated planets. To explain this inconsistency, we propose that other energy recirculation mechanisms may be at play other than advection (for example, dissociation and recombination of H_2). Another possibility is that the observations in different bandpasses probe different atmospheric layers, making the atmospheric analysis difficult without an appropriate modeling of the thermal emission spectrum of WASP-3 b, which is not feasible with the limited spectroscopic data available to date.