The JWST Early Release Science Program for the Direct Imaging & Spectroscopy of Exoplanetary Systems

Abstract

The direct characterization of exoplanetary systems with high contrast imaging is among the highest priorities for the broader exoplanet community. As large space missions will be necessary for detecting and characterizing exo-Earth twins, developing the techniques and technology for direct imaging of exoplanets is a driving focus for the community. For the first time, JWST will directly observe extrasolar planets at mid-infrared wavelengths beyond 5$\mu$m, deliver detailed spectroscopy revealing much more precise chemical abundances and atmospheric conditions, and provide sensitivity to analogs of our solar system ice-giant planets at wide orbital separations, an entirely new class of exoplanet. However, in order to maximise the scientific output over the lifetime of the mission, an exquisite understanding of the instrumental performance of JWST is needed as early in the mission as possible. In this paper, we describe our 55-hour Early Release Science Program that will utilize all four JWST instruments to extend the characterisation of planetary mass companions to $\sim$15$\mu$m as well as image a circumstellar disk in the mid-infrared with unprecedented sensitivity. Our program will also assess the performance of the observatory in the key modes expected to be commonly used for exoplanet direct imaging and spectroscopy, optimize data calibration and processing, and generate representative datasets that will enable a broad user base to effectively plan for general observing programs in future cycles.

21 pages, 7 figures. Accepted for Publication in PASP

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Cited by in corpus (24)

• The James Webb Space Telescope Mission
• The JWST Early Release Science Program for Direct Observations of Exoplanetary Systems II: A 1 to 20 Micron Spectrum of the Planetary-Mass Companion VHS 1256-1257 b
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• On the Masses, Age, and Architecture of the VHS J1256-1257AB b System
• JWST/NIRSpec Observations of the Planetary Mass Companion TWA 27B
• Roaring Storms in the Planetary-Mass Companion VHS 1256-1257 b: Hubble Space Telescope Multi-epoch Monitoring Reveals Vigorous Evolution in an Ultra-cool Atmosphere
• X-SHYNE: X-shooter spectra of young exoplanet analogs. I. A medium-resolution 0.65-2.5$\mu \mathrm{m}$ one-shot spectrum of VHS\,1256-1257 b
• Imaging detection of the inner dust belt and the four exoplanets in the HR8799 system with JWST's MIRI coronagraph
• Hubble WFC3 Spectroscopy of the Terrestrial Planets L~98-59~c \& d: No Evidence for a Clear Hydrogen Dominated Primary Atmosphere
• Hubble WFC3 Spectroscopy of the Rocky Planet L 98-59 b: No Evidence for a Cloud-Free Primordial Atmosphere
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• Comparing Apples with Apples: Robust Detection Limits for Exoplanet High-Contrast Imaging in the Presence of non-Gaussian Noise
• Dynamics and Clouds in Planetary Atmospheres from Telescopic Observations
• Leaning Sideways: VHS 1256-1257 b is a Super-Jupiter with a Uranus-like Obliquity
• Measuring the variability of directly imaged exoplanets using vector Apodizing Phase Plates combined with ground-based differential spectrophotometry
• Thermal Behavior of Astrophysical Amorphous Molecular Ices
• Exploring the directly imaged HD 1160 system through spectroscopic characterization and high-cadence variability monitoring
• Detecting planetary mass companions near the water frost-line using JWST interferometry
• Cascade adaptive optics with a second stage based on a Zernike wavefront sensor for exoplanet observations
• Walking the Line: Young Stars on the Boundary of the Epsilon Cha and Lower Centaurus-Crux Associations
• Planet Search with the Keck/NIRC2 Vortex Coronagraph in Ms-band for Vega
• NMF-based GPU accelerated coronagraphy pipeline
• JWST/MIRI coronagraphic performances as measured on-sky
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