paper

A secondary atmosphere on the rocky exoplanet 55 Cancri e

arXiv:2405.04744 · doi:10.1038/s41586-024-07432-x

Abstract

Characterizing rocky exoplanets is a central endeavor of astronomy, and yet the search for atmospheres on rocky exoplanets has hitherto resulted in either tight upper limits on the atmospheric mass or inconclusive results. The 1.95-REarth and 8.8-MEarth planet 55 Cnc e, with a predominantly rocky composition and an equilibrium temperature of ~2000 K, may have a volatile envelope (containing molecules made from a combination of C, H, O, N, S, and P elements) that accounts for up to a few percent of its radius. The planet has been observed extensively with transmission spectroscopy, and its thermal emission has been measured in broad photometric bands. These observations disfavor a primordial H2/He-dominated atmosphere but cannot conclusively determine whether the planet has a secondary atmosphere. Here we report a thermal emission spectrum of the planet obtained by JWST's NIRCam and MIRI instruments from 4 to 12 μm. The measurements rule out the scenario where the planet is a lava world shrouded by a tenuous atmosphere made of vaporized rock, and indicate a bona fide volatile atmosphere likely rich in CO2 or CO. This atmosphere can be outgassed from and sustained by a magma ocean.

Published online in Nature on May 8, 2024. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07432-x. Authors' preprint

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