The mid-infrared spectrum of $\beta$ Pictoris b. First VLTI/MATISSE interferometric observations of an exoplanet

TL;DR

This paper reports the first mid-infrared interferometric spectrum of an exoplanet, $eta$ Pictoris b, obtained with VLTI/MATISSE, revealing atmospheric features and demonstrating the technique's potential for characterizing close-in exoplanets.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method for mid-infrared interferometry of exoplanets using VLTI/MATISSE and presents the first spectrum of $eta$ Pictoris b in this wavelength range.

Findings

Detected broad H$_2$O and CO absorption features.

Modeled the planet's atmosphere with a solar C/O ratio.

Demonstrated the capability to characterize faint, close-in exoplanets.

Abstract

Few spectra of directly-imaged exoplanets have been obtained in the mid-infrared (> 3 $\mu$m). This region is particularly rich in molecular spectral signatures, whose measurements can help recover atmospheric parameters and provide a better understanding of giant planet formation and atmospheric dynamics. In the past years, exoplanet interferometry with the VLTI/GRAVITY instrument has provided medium-resolution spectra of a dozen substellar companions in the near infrared. The 100-meter interferometric baselines allow for the stellar and planetary signals to be efficiently disentangled at close angular separations (< 0.3''). We aim to extend this technique to the mid-infrared using MATISSE, the VLTI's mid-infrared spectro-interferometer. We take advantage of the fringe tracking and off-axis pointing capabilities recently brought by the GRA4MAT upgrade. Using this new mode, we observed the giant planet $\beta$ Pictoris b in L and M bands (2.75-5 $\mu$m) at a spectral resolution of 500. We developed a method to correct chromatic dispersion and non-common paths effects in the fringe phase and modelled the planet astrometry and stellar contamination. We obtained a high-signal-to-noise spectrum of $\beta$ Pictoris b, showing the planet continuum in L (for the first time) and M bands, which contains broad absorption features of H$_2$O and CO. In conjunction with a new GRAVITY spectrum, we modelled it with the ForMoSA nested sampling tool and the Exo-REM grid of atmospheric models, and found a solar carbon-to-oxygen ratio in the planet atmosphere. This study opens the way to the characterization of fainter and closer-in planets with MATISSE, which could complement the JWST at angular separations too close for it to obtain exoplanet spectra. Starting in 2025, the new adaptive optics system brought by the GRAVITY+ upgrade will further extend the detection limits of MATISSE.