Evidence for stellar contamination and water absorption in NGTS-5b's transmission spectra with GTC/OSIRIS

TL;DR

This study uses optical transmission spectroscopy from GTC/OSIRIS to investigate NGTS-5b's atmosphere, revealing stellar contamination effects and evidence of water vapor, suggesting a relatively clear, water-rich atmosphere.

Contribution

First optical transmission spectra of NGTS-5b were obtained and analyzed, demonstrating stellar contamination effects and constraining atmospheric composition with Bayesian retrievals.

Findings

Evidence of stellar surface heterogeneity affecting spectra

Detection of water vapor in NGTS-5b's atmosphere

Indications of a relatively clear, water-rich atmosphere

Abstract

Transmission spectroscopy serves as a valuable tool for probing atmospheric absorption features in the terminator regions of exoplanets. Stellar surface heterogeneity can introduce wavelength-dependent contamination that complicates the interpretation of planetary spectra. We aim to investigate the atmosphere of the warm sub-Saturn NGTS-5b through optical transmission spectroscopy. Two transits were observed with the low-resolution Optical System for Imaging and low-Intermediate-Resolution Integrated Spectroscopy (OSIRIS) on the 10.4 m Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC). Chromatic transit light curves were modeled to derive optical transmission spectra and multiple Bayesian spectral retrievals were performed to characterize the atmospheric properties. Model comparisons provide strong evidence for contamination from unocculted stellar spots. A joint retrieval of the transmission spectra, assuming equilibrium chemistry, indicates a relatively clear atmosphere with a sub-solar C/O ratio of $<$0.22 (90% upper limit) and a low metallicity of $0.10^{+0.34}_{-0.05} \times$ solar. Retrievals assuming free chemistry yield strong evidence for the presence of $\rm H_2O$, with its abundance constrained to $\log X_{\mathrm{H_2O}} = -0.79^{+0.14}_{-0.17}$. However, the abundances of other species remain unconstrained due to the limited optical wavelength coverage. The discrepancies between the two NGTS-5b transit spectra can be attributed to varying levels of stellar contamination. NGTS-5b thus appears to host a relatively clear, water-rich atmosphere, pending confirmation from additional observations of molecular bands in the infrared.