Silicon in the dayside atmospheres of two ultra-hot Jupiters

Abstract

Atmospheres of highly irradiated gas giant planets host a large variety of atomic and ionic species. Here we observe the thermal emission spectra of the two ultra-hot Jupiters WASP-33b and KELT-20b/MASCARA-2b in the near-infrared wavelength range with CARMENES. Via high-resolution Doppler spectroscopy, we searched for neutral silicon (Si) in their dayside atmospheres. We detect the Si spectral signature of both planets via cross-correlation with model spectra. Detection levels of 4.8$\sigma$ and 5.4$\sigma$, respectively, are observed when assuming a solar atmospheric composition. This is the first detection of Si in exoplanet atmospheres. The presence of Si is an important finding due to its fundamental role in cloud formation and, hence, for the planetary energy balance. Since the spectral lines are detected in emission, our results also confirm the presence of an inverted temperature profile in the dayside atmospheres of both planets.

Accepted for publication in A&A

References in corpus (39)

• petitRADTRANS: a Python radiative transfer package for exoplanet characterization and retrieval
• An ultrahot gas-giant exoplanet with a stratosphere
• Aerosol Composition of Hot Giant Exoplanets Dominated by Silicates and Hydrocarbon Hazes
• A spectral survey of an ultra-hot Jupiter: Detection of metals in the transmission spectrum of KELT-9 b
• Detection of Fe I in the atmosphere of the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-121b, and a new likelihood-based approach for Doppler-resolved spectroscopy
• Observing transiting planets with JWST -- Prime targets and their synthetic spectral observations
• Hot Exoplanet Atmospheres Resolved with Transit Spectroscopy (HEARTS) IV. A spectral inventory of atoms and molecules in the high-resolution transmission spectrum of WASP-121 b
• High-Resolution Spectroscopic Detection of TiO and Stratosphere in the Day-side of WASP-33b
• Atmospheric Rossiter-McLaughlin effect and transmission spectroscopy of WASP-121b with ESPRESSO
• Neutral Iron Emission Lines From The Day-side Of KELT-9b -- The GAPS Programme With HARPS-N At TNG XX
• Ionized calcium in the atmospheres of two ultra-hot exoplanets WASP-33b and KELT-9b
• ESPRESSO high resolution transmission spectroscopy of WASP-76b
• KELT-20b: A giant planet with a period of P~ 3.5 days transiting the V~ 7.6 early A star HD 185603
• Evidence for a Dayside Thermal Inversion and High Metallicity for the Hot Jupiter WASP-18b
• Searching for Thermal Inversion Agents in the Transmission Spectrum of MASCARA-2b/KELT-20b: Detection of Neutral Iron and Ionised Calcium H$\&$K Lines
• Non-detection of TiO and VO in the atmosphere of WASP-121b using high-resolution spectroscopy
• A temperature inversion with atomic iron in the ultra-hot dayside atmosphere of WASP-189b
• ARES I: WASP-76 b, A Tale of Two HST Spectra
• First Detection of Hydroxyl Radical Emission from an Exoplanet Atmosphere: High-dispersion Characterization of WASP-33b using Subaru/IRD
• Detection of Fe and evidence for TiO in the dayside emission spectrum of WASP-33b
• Detection of Fe I and Fe II in the atmosphere of MASCARA-2b using a cross-correlation method
• Sparkling nights and very hot days on WASP-18b: the formation of clouds and the emergence of an ionosphere
• Re-visit of HST FUV observations of hot-Jupiter system HD 209458: No Si III detection and the need for COS transit observations
• Confirmation of water emission in the dayside spectrum of the ultrahot Jupiter WASP-121b
• Non-local thermodynamic equilibrium effects determine the upper atmospheric temperature structure of the ultra-hot Jupiter KELT-9b
• High-resolution Transmission Spectroscopy of MASCARA-2 b with EXPRES
• Detection of Fe\,{\sc i} Emission in the Day-side Spectrum of WASP-33b
• Neutral Cr and V in the atmosphere of ultra hot jupiter WASP-121 b
• Detection of the hydrogen Balmer lines in the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-33b
• Confirmation of Iron Emission Lines and Non-detection of TiO on the Dayside of KELT-9b with MAROON-X
• Time-resolved rotational velocities in the upper atmosphere of WASP-33 b
• Comprehensive time series analysis of the transiting extrasolar planet WASP-33b
• A Search for FeH in Hot-Jupiter Atmospheres with High-Dispersion Spectroscopy
• A Universal Cloud Composition on the Nightsides of Hot Jupiters
• Is TiO emission present in the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-33b? A reassessment using the improved ExoMol Toto line list
• Search for TiO and Optical Night-side Emission from the Exoplanet WASP-33b
• The GAPS programme at TNG XXX. Atmospheric Rossiter-McLaughlin effect and atmospheric dynamics of KELT-20b
• The GAPS Programme with HARPS-N at TNG. XXXI. The WASP-33 system revisited with HARPS-N
• Doppler Tomographic Measurement of the Nodal Precession of WASP-33b

Cited by in corpus (19)

• Carbon monoxide emission lines reveal an inverted atmosphere in the ultra hot Jupiter WASP-33 b consistent with an eastward hot spot
• Atmospheric characterization of the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-33b: Detection of Ti and V emission lines and retrieval of a broadened line profile
• Detection of CO emission lines in the dayside atmospheres of WASP-33b and WASP-189b with GIANO
• CRIRES+ detection of CO emissions lines and temperature inversions on the dayside of WASP-18b and WASP-76b
• Keck/KPIC Emission Spectroscopy of WASP-33b
• The PEPSI Exoplanet Transit Survey (PETS). II. A Deep Search for Thermal Inversion Agents in KELT-20 b/MASCARA-2 b with Emission and Transmission Spectroscopy
• The GAPS Programme at TNG XXXIII. HARPS-N detects multiple atomic species in emission from the dayside of KELT-20b
• The GAPS programme at TNG. XLV. HI Balmer lines transmission spectroscopy and NLTE atmospheric modelling of the ultra-hot Jupiter KELT-20b/MASCARA-2b
• Detection of Paschen $\beta$ absorption in the atmosphere of KELT-9 b: A new window into the atmospheres of ultra-hot Jupiters
• Dynamics and Clouds in Planetary Atmospheres from Telescopic Observations
• High-resolution Emission Spectroscopy of the Ultrahot Jupiter KELT-9b: Little Variation in Day- and Nightside Emission Line Contrasts
• A spectroscopic thermometer: individual vibrational band spectroscopy with the example of OH in the atmosphere of WASP-33b
• A formally motivated retrieval framework applied to the high resolution transmission spectrum of HD 189733 b
• The GAPS programme at TNG: TBD. Studies of atmospheric FeII winds in ultra-hot Jupiters KELT-9b and KELT-20b using HARPS-N spectrograph
• Retrieving day- and nightside atmospheric properties of the ultra-hot Jupiter TOI-2109b. Detection of Fe and CO emission lines and evidence for inefficient heat transport
• Strong NUV Refractory Absorption and Dissociated Water in the Hubble Transmission Spectrum of the Ultra Hot Jupiter KELT-20 b
• An Early Look at the Performance of IGRINS-2 at Gemini-North with Application to the ultrahot Jupiter, WASP-33 b
• PEPSI Investigation, Retrieval, and Atlas of Numerous Giant Atmospheres (PIRANGA). IV. High-Resolution Phased-Resolved Spectroscopy of The Ultra Hot Jupiter KELT-20 b
• Thermal emission spectra of the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-33 b