The PEPSI exoplanet transit survey (PETS) I: investigating the presence of a silicate atmosphere on the super-earth 55 Cnc e. Issue 1 (28th March 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Keles, Engin; Mallonn, Matthias; Kitzmann, Daniel; Poppenhaeger, Katja; Hoeijmakers, H Jens; Ilyin, Ilya; Alexoudi, Xanthippi; Carroll, Thorsten A; Alvarado-Gomez, Julian; Ketzer, Laura; Bonomo, Aldo S; Borsa, Francesco; Gaudi, B Scott; Henning, Thomas; Malavolta, Luca; Molaverdikhani, Karan; Nascimbeni, Valerio; Patience, Jennifer; Pino, Lorenzo; Scandariato, Gaetano; Schlawin, Everett; Shkolnik, Evgenya; Sicilia, Daniela; Sozzetti, Alessandro; Foster, Mary G; Veillet, Christian; Wang, Ji; Yan, Fei; Strassmeier, Klaus G
• Is Part Of: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. Volume 513:Issue 1(2022)
• Page Start: 1544
• Page End: 1556
• Publication Date: 2022-03-28
• Subjects: planets and satellites: atmospheres -- planets and satellites: composition; Astronomy -- Periodicals; Periodicals; 520.5
• DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stac810
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0035-8711

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The study of exoplanets and especially their atmospheres can reveal key insights on their evolution by identifying specific atmospheric species. For such atmospheric investigations, high-resolution transmission spectroscopy has shown great success, especially for Jupiter-type planets. Towards the atmospheric characterization of smaller planets, the super-Earth exoplanet 55 Cnc e is one of the most promising terrestrial exoplanets studied to date. Here, we present a high-resolution spectroscopic transit observation of this planet, acquired with the PEPSI instrument at the Large Binocular Telescope. Assuming the presence of Earth-like crust species on the surface of 55 Cnc e, from which a possible silicate-vapor atmosphere could have originated, we search in its transmission spectrum for absorption of various atomic and ionized species such as Fe , Fe +, Ca , Ca +, Mg, and K , among others. Not finding absorption for any of the investigated species, we are able to set absorption limits with a median value of 1.9 × RP . In conclusion, we do not find evidence of a widely extended silicate envelope on this super-Earth reaching several planetary radii.