Transiting Exoplanet Studies and Community Targets for JWST's Early Release Science Program. (23rd June 2016)
- Record Type:
- Journal Article
- Title:
- Transiting Exoplanet Studies and Community Targets for JWST's Early Release Science Program. (23rd June 2016)
- Main Title:
- Transiting Exoplanet Studies and Community Targets for JWST's Early Release Science Program
- Authors:
- Stevenson, Kevin B.
Lewis, Nikole K.
Bean, Jacob L.
Beichman, Charles
Fraine, Jonathan
Kilpatrick, Brian M.
Krick, J. E.
Lothringer, Joshua D.
Mandell, Avi M.
Valenti, Jeff A.
Agol, Eric
Angerhausen, Daniel
Barstow, Joanna K.
Birkmann, Stephan M.
Burrows, Adam
Charbonneau, David
Cowan, Nicolas B.
Crouzet, Nicolas
Cubillos, Patricio E.
Curry, S. M.
Dalba, Paul A.
de Wit, Julien
Deming, Drake
Désert, Jean-Michel
Doyon, René
Dragomir, Diana
Ehrenreich, David
Fortney, Jonathan J.
García Muñoz, Antonio
Gibson, Neale P.
Gizis, John E.
Greene, Thomas P.
Harrington, Joseph
Heng, Kevin
Kataria, Tiffany
Kempton, Eliza M.-R.
Knutson, Heather
Kreidberg, Laura
Lafrenière, David
Lagage, Pierre-Olivier
Line, Michael R.
Lopez-Morales, Mercedes
Madhusudhan, Nikku
Morley, Caroline V.
Rocchetto, Marco
Schlawin, Everett
Shkolnik, Evgenya L.
Shporer, Avi
Sing, David K.
Todorov, Kamen O.
Tucker, Gregory S.
Wakeford, Hannah R.
… (more) - Abstract:
- Abstract: The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will likely revolutionize transiting exoplanet atmospheric science, due to a combination of its capability for continuous, long duration observations and its larger collecting area, spectral coverage, and spectral resolution compared to existing space-based facilities. However, it is unclear precisely how well JWST will perform and which of its myriad instruments and observing modes will be best suited for transiting exoplanet studies. In this article, we describe a prefatory JWST Early Release Science (ERS) Cycle 1 program that focuses on testing specific observing modes to quickly give the community the data and experience it needs to plan more efficient and successful transiting exoplanet characterization programs in later cycles. We propose a multi-pronged approach wherein one aspect of the program focuses on observing transits of a single target with all of the recommended observing modes to identify and understand potential systematics, compare transmission spectra at overlapping and neighboring wavelength regions, confirm throughputs, and determine overall performances. In our search for transiting exoplanets that are well suited to achieving these goals, we identify 12 objects (dubbed "community targets") that meet our defined criteria. Currently, the most favorable target is WASP-62b because of its large predicted signal size, relatively bright host star, and location in JWST 's continuous viewing zone. Since most ofAbstract: The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will likely revolutionize transiting exoplanet atmospheric science, due to a combination of its capability for continuous, long duration observations and its larger collecting area, spectral coverage, and spectral resolution compared to existing space-based facilities. However, it is unclear precisely how well JWST will perform and which of its myriad instruments and observing modes will be best suited for transiting exoplanet studies. In this article, we describe a prefatory JWST Early Release Science (ERS) Cycle 1 program that focuses on testing specific observing modes to quickly give the community the data and experience it needs to plan more efficient and successful transiting exoplanet characterization programs in later cycles. We propose a multi-pronged approach wherein one aspect of the program focuses on observing transits of a single target with all of the recommended observing modes to identify and understand potential systematics, compare transmission spectra at overlapping and neighboring wavelength regions, confirm throughputs, and determine overall performances. In our search for transiting exoplanets that are well suited to achieving these goals, we identify 12 objects (dubbed "community targets") that meet our defined criteria. Currently, the most favorable target is WASP-62b because of its large predicted signal size, relatively bright host star, and location in JWST 's continuous viewing zone. Since most of the community targets do not have well-characterized atmospheres, we recommend initiating preparatory observing programs to determine the presence of obscuring clouds/hazes within their atmospheres. Measurable spectroscopic features are needed to establish the optimal resolution and wavelength regions for exoplanet characterization. Other initiatives from our proposed ERS program include testing the instrument brightness limits and performing phase-curve observations. The latter are a unique challenge compared to transit observations because of their significantly longer durations. Using only a single mode, we propose to observe a full-orbit phase curve of one of the previously characterized, short-orbital-period planets to evaluate the facility-level aspects of long, uninterrupted time-series observations. … (more)
- Is Part Of:
- Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. Volume 128:Number 967(2016)
- Journal:
- Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
- Issue:
- Volume 128:Number 967(2016)
- Issue Display:
- Volume 128, Issue 967 (2016)
- Year:
- 2016
- Volume:
- 128
- Issue:
- 967
- Issue Sort Value:
- 2016-0128-0967-0000
- Page Start:
- Page End:
- Publication Date:
- 2016-06-23
- Subjects:
- planets and satellites: atmospheres -- planets and satellites: individual -- telescopes
Astronomy -- Periodicals
Astronomy
Periodicals
Periodicals
520.5 - Journal URLs:
- http://ejournals.ebsco.com/direct.asp?JournalID=101605 ↗
http://iopscience.iop.org/journal/1538-3873 ↗
http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/PASP/journal/ ↗
http://www.jstor.org/journals/00046280.html ↗
http://www.iop.org/ ↗ - DOI:
- 10.1088/1538-3873/128/967/094401 ↗
- Languages:
- English
- ISSNs:
- 0004-6280
- Deposit Type:
- Legaldeposit
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- Available online (eLD content is only available in our Reading Rooms) ↗
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