Re-analysis of 10 Hot-Jupiter Atmospheres with disequilibrium chemistry retrieval

TL;DR

This study reanalyzed ten hot-Jupiter atmospheres using disequilibrium chemistry models, revealing significant impacts on inferred atmospheric compositions and emphasizing the importance of advanced spectral data for accurate characterization.

Contribution

It introduces a novel retrieval framework combining TauREx 3.1 with disequilibrium chemistry, improving atmospheric property constraints over traditional equilibrium assumptions.

Findings

Disequilibrium chemistry significantly alters metallicity and C/O ratio estimates.

Transit and eclipse temperature profiles are consistent in deeper layers but not in upper atmospheres.

Results depend heavily on spectral resolution and priors, highlighting data limitations.

Abstract

Constraining the chemical structure of exoplanetary atmospheres is pivotal for interpreting spectroscopic data and understanding planetary evolution. Traditional retrieval methods often assume thermochemical equilibrium or free profiles, which may fail to capture disequilibrium processes like photodissociation and vertical mixing. This study leverages the TauREx 3.1 retrieval framework coupled with FRECKLL, a disequilibrium chemistry model, to address these challenges. The study aims to (1) assess the impact of disequilibrium chemistry on constraining metallicity and C/O ratios; (2) evaluate the role of refractory species (TiO and VO) in spectral retrievals; (3) explore consistency between transit and eclipse observations for temperature and chemical profiles; and (4) determine the effects of retrieval priors and data reduction methods. Ten hot-Jupiter atmospheres were reanalyzed using Hubble Space Telescope (HST) WFC3 data in eclipse and transit. The TauREx-FRECKLL model incorporated disequilibrium chemistry calculations with a Bayesian framework to infer atmospheric properties. The disequilibrium approach significantly altered retrieved metallicity and C/O ratios compared to equilibrium models, impacting planet formation insights. Retrievals reconciled transit and eclipse temperature profiles in deeper atmospheric layers but not in upper layers. Results were highly dependent on spectral resolution and retrieval priors, emphasizing limitations of HST data and the need for broader spectral coverage from instruments like JWST. This study demonstrates the feasibility and importance of incorporating disequilibrium chemistry in atmospheric retrievals, highlighting its potential for advancing our understanding of exoplanetary atmospheres with next-generation telescopes.