Detection of supersonic jet and temperature differences between equatorial regions and poles of exoplanet WASP-127b

Paper Title:

CRIRES$^+$ transmission spectroscopy of WASP-127b. Detection of the resolved signatures of a supersonic equatorial jet and cool poles in a hot planet

Published on:

18 April 2024

Primary Category:

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

Paper Authors:

L. Nortmann,

F. Lesjak,

F. Yan,

D. Cont,

S. Czesla,

A. Lavail,

A. D. Rains,

E. Nagel,

L. Boldt-Christmas,

A. Hatzes,

A. Reiners,

N. Piskunov,

O. Kochukhov,

U. Heiter,

D. Shulyak,

M. Renge,

U. Seemann

Bullets

Key Details

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Detected spectral signals from morning and evening terminators of WASP-127b

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Signals indicate presence of a supersonic equatorial jet streaming at 7.7 km/s

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Retrieved distinct atmospheric properties for equatorial and polar regions

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Evening terminator is 175 K hotter than morning terminator

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Poles likely significantly cooler than equatorial regions

Explore the topics in this paper

atmospheric circulation

atmospheric retrieval

exoplanet atmospheres

high-resolution spectroscopy

hot jupiters

AI generated summary

Detection of supersonic jet and temperature differences between equatorial regions and poles of exoplanet WASP-127b

The atmosphere of the hot Jupiter exoplanet WASP-127b was studied using high-resolution spectroscopy. Analysis revealed distinct spectral signals from the planet's morning and evening terminators, indicating an equatorial jet streaming at supersonic velocity of 7.7 km/s. Retrieval of atmospheric properties for the equatorial regions and poles found significantly hotter temperatures at the evening terminator compared to the morning terminator and poles. The results showcase the power of high-resolution techniques for probing three-dimensional structures and circulation in exoplanet atmospheres.