The Roasting Marshmallows Program with IGRINS on Gemini South II -- WASP-121 b has super-stellar C/O and refractory-to-volatile ratios

TL;DR

This study measures the atmospheric C/O and refractory-to-volatile ratios of exoplanet WASP-121 b using high-resolution spectroscopy, providing insights into its formation location and chemical composition.

Contribution

First measurement of both C/O and refractory-to-volatile ratios for an ultra hot Jupiter using high-resolution near-infrared spectroscopy.

Findings

WASP-121 b has a super-stellar C/O ratio of approximately 0.70.

The refractory-to-volatile ratio is also super-stellar, around 3.83 times stellar.

Velocity offsets suggest chemical inhomogeneity on the planet's day side.

Abstract

A primary goal of exoplanet science is to measure the atmospheric composition of gas giants in order to infer their formation and migration histories. Common diagnostics for planet formation are the atmospheric metallicity ([M/H]) and the carbon-to-oxygen (C/O) ratio as measured through transit or emission spectroscopy. The C/O ratio in particular can be used to approximately place a planet's initial formation radius from the stellar host, but a given C/O ratio may not be unique to formation location. This degeneracy can be broken by combining measurements of both the C/O ratio and the atmospheric refractory-to-volatile ratio. We report the measurement of both quantities for the atmosphere of the canonical ultra hot Jupiter WASP-121 b using the high resolution (R=45,000) IGRINS instrument on Gemini South. Probing the planet's direct thermal emission in both pre- and post-secondary eclipse orbital phases, we infer that WASP-121 b has a significantly super-stellar C/O ratio of 0.70$^{+0.07}_{-0.10}$ and a moderately super-stellar refractory-to-volatile ratio at 3.83$^{+3.62}_{-1.67} \times$ stellar. This combination is most consistent with formation between the soot line and H$_2$O snow line, but we cannot rule out formation between the H$_2$O and CO snow lines or beyond the CO snow line. We also measure velocity offsets between H$_2$O, CO, and OH, potentially an effect of chemical inhomogeneity on the planet day side. This study highlights the ability to measure both C/O and refractory-to-volatile ratios via high resolution spectroscopy in the near-infrared H and K bands.