The Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) on the James Webb Space Telescope IV. Capabilities and predicted performance for exoplanet characterization

Abstract

The Near-Inrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a very versatile instrument, offering multiobject and integral field spectroscopy with varying spectral resolution ($\sim$30 to $\sim$3000) over a wide wavelength range from 0.6 to 5.3 micron, enabling scientists to study many science themes ranging from the first galaxies to bodies in our own Solar System. In addition to its integral field unit and support for multiobject spectroscopy, NIRSpec features several fixed slits and a wide aperture specifically designed to enable high precision time-series and transit as well as eclipse observations of exoplanets. In this paper we present its capabilities regarding time-series observations, in general, and transit and eclipse spectroscopy of exoplanets in particular. Due to JWST's large collecting area and NIRSpec's excellent throughput, spectral coverage, and detector performance, this mode will allow scientists to characterize the atmosphere of exoplanets with unprecedented sensitivity.

Accepted for publication in A&A. 15 pages, 15 figures

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Cited by in corpus (42)

• The Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) on the James Webb Space Telescope I. Overview of the instrument and its capabilities
• The James Webb Space Telescope Mission
• The Science Performance of JWST as Characterized in Commissioning
• Early Release Science of the exoplanet WASP-39b with JWST NIRSpec PRISM
• Early Release Science of the Exoplanet WASP-39b with JWST NIRSpec G395H
• The Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) on the James Webb Space Telescope II. Multi-object spectroscopy (MOS)
• The Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) on the James Webb Space Telescope III. Integral-field spectroscopy
• Identification of carbon dioxide in an exoplanet atmosphere
• In-orbit Performance of the Near-Infrared Spectrograph NIRSpec on the James Webb Space Telescope
• High Tide or Riptide on the Cosmic Shoreline? A Water-Rich Atmosphere or Stellar Contamination for the Warm Super-Earth GJ~486b from JWST Observations
• A JWST transmission spectrum of a nearby Earth-sized exoplanet
• Double Trouble: Two Transits of the Super-Earth GJ 1132 b Observed with JWST NIRSpec G395H
• A warm Neptune's methane reveals core mass and vigorous atmospheric mixing
• Awesome SOSS: Transmission Spectroscopy of WASP-96b with NIRISS/SOSS
• A Benchmark JWST Near-Infrared Spectrum for the Exoplanet WASP-39b
• The Near Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph for the James Webb Space Telescope -- III. Single Object Slitless Spectroscopy
• The JWST Early Release Science Program for the Direct Imaging & Spectroscopy of Exoplanetary Systems
• Hints of a sulfur-rich atmosphere around the 1.6 R${}_{\oplus }$ Super-Earth L98-59 d from JWST NIRSpec G395H transmission spectroscopy
• Spectroscopic Time-series Performance of JWST/NIRSpec from Commissioning Observations
• Atmospheric retrievals suggest the presence of a secondary atmosphere and possible sulfur species on L 98-59 d from JWST NIRSpec G395H transmission spectroscopy
• A JWST NIRSpec Phase Curve for WASP-121b: Dayside Emission Strongest Eastward of the Substellar Point and Nightside Conditions Conducive to Cloud Formation
• Escaping Helium and a Highly Muted Spectrum Suggest a Metal-Enriched Atmosphere on Sub-Neptune GJ3090b from JWST Transit Spectroscopy
• A super-Earth and a mini-Neptune near the 2:1 MMR straddling the radius valley around the nearby mid-M dwarf TOI-2096
• Hubble WFC3 Spectroscopy of the Terrestrial Planets L~98-59~c \& d: No Evidence for a Clear Hydrogen Dominated Primary Atmosphere
• Detection of carbon monoxide's 4.6 micron fundamental band structure in WASP-39b's atmosphere with JWST NIRSpec G395H
• JWST NIRCam Defocused Imaging: Photometric Stability Performance and How it Can Sense Mirror Tilts
• Importance of Sample Selection in Exoplanet Atmosphere Population Studies
• GCM Constraints on the Detectability of the CO${}_2$-CH${}_4$ Biosignature Pair on TRAPPIST-1e with JWST
• Detecting Planetary Oblateness in the Era of JWST: A Case Study of Kepler-167e
• Direct Spectroscopy of 51 Eridani b with JWST NIRSpec
• Diversity in the haziness and chemistry of temperate sub-Neptunes
• Possible Evidence for the Presence of Volatiles on the Warm Super-Earth TOI-270 b
• An extremely low-density exoplanet spins slow
• GEMS JWST: Transmission spectroscopy of TOI-5205b reveals significant stellar contamination and a metal-poor atmosphere
• CEERS: Forging the First Dust Grains in the Universe? A Population of Galaxies with spectroscopically-derived Extremely Low Dust Attenuation (GELDA) at 4.0<z<11.4
• Under the magnifying glass: A combined 3D model applied to cloudy warm Saturn type exoplanets around M-dwarfs
• Exploring Exoplanet Dynamics with JWST: Tides, Rotation, Rings, and Moons
• Detection of CO${}_2$, CO, and H${}_2$O in the atmosphere of the warm sub-Saturn HAT-P-12b
• Knobs and dials of retrieving JWST transmission spectra. II. Impacts of pipeline-level differences on retrieval posteriors
• A Panchromatic JWST Spectrum of a Giant Starspot on the Fully Convective M-dwarf TOI-3884
• Methane on the temperate exo-Saturn TOI-199b
• Chemistry, Climate, and Transmission Spectra of TRAPPIST-1 e Explored with a Multimodel Sparse Sampled Ensemble