JWST COMPASS: NIRSpec/G395H Transmission Observations of the Sub-Neptune HD 15337 c

TL;DR

This study presents JWST NIRSpec transmission spectra of the sub-Neptune HD 15337 c, revealing a featureless spectrum consistent with high metallicity or aerosols, and demonstrates JWST's capability to measure transit timing variations with high precision.

Contribution

First JWST NIRSpec transmission observations of HD 15337 c, showing a featureless spectrum and high-precision TTV measurements, advancing understanding of sub-Neptune atmospheres and JWST's capabilities.

Findings

Transmission spectrum is featureless, indicating high metallicity or aerosols.

JWST achieved 10-second timing precision, detecting TTVs >20 minutes.

Atmospheres with metallicities below 600x solar are ruled out at >3σ.

Abstract

We present the 3-5 $\mu$m transmission spectrum of HD 15337 c (TOI-402.02), a sub-Neptune (2.526 R$_{\oplus}$, 6.792 M$_{\oplus}$, T$_{\rm eq}$$\sim$656 K) around a K1V star observed as part of the JWST COMPASS program. We reduce these observations with two pipelines and find consistent transmission spectra. The resulting median precisions in 30 pixel spectroscopic bins for visit 1 are $\sim$40 ppm and $\sim$70 ppm and for visit 2 are $\sim$30 ppm and $\sim$54 ppm for NRS1 and NRS2, respectively. We attribute the differing precisions to the lack of adequate pre-transit baseline in visit 1 from an early transit arrival caused by previously undetected transit timing variations (TTVs), hinting at a potential exterior companion. Our median JWST timing precision is 10 seconds, revealing TTVs $>$20 minutes when combined with previous TESS and CHEOPS data, highlighting JWST's TTV measurement capabilities. The transmission spectrum of HD 15337 c is featureless and can best be described by a step function with an offset between the NRS1 and NRS2 detectors, likely caused by instrumental systematics. From thermochemical equilibrium retrievals we find that, to $>$3$\sigma$, the data can rule out atmospheres with metallicities $<$600 or $<$310 $\times$ solar, depending on the reduction, for opaque pressures greater than a few millibars. HD 15337 c joins other sub-Neptunes with similar masses, radii, and temperatures in possessing a featureless transmission spectrum indicative of high metallicity and/or high-altitude aerosols and adds support to recent studies showing that aerosol opacity reaches a maximum for planets with equilibrium temperatures of 500-700 K.