An HST Transmission Spectrum of the Closest M Dwarf Transiting Rocky Planet LTT 1445Ab

Which rocky exoplanets have atmospheres? This presumably simple question is the first that must be answered to understand the prevalence of nearby habitable planets. A mere 6.9 pc from Earth, LTT 1445A is the closest transiting M dwarf system, and its largest known planet, at 1.31 R _⊕ and 424 K, is...

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Main Authors: Katherine A. Bennett, David K. Sing, Kevin B. Stevenson, Hannah R. Wakeford, Zafar Rustamkulov, Natalie H. Allen, Joshua D. Lothringer, Ryan J. MacDonald, Nathan J. Mayne, Guangwei Fu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IOP Publishing 2025-01-01
Series:The Astronomical Journal
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/ad9dd1
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author Katherine A. Bennett
David K. Sing
Kevin B. Stevenson
Hannah R. Wakeford
Zafar Rustamkulov
Natalie H. Allen
Joshua D. Lothringer
Ryan J. MacDonald
Nathan J. Mayne
Guangwei Fu
author_facet Katherine A. Bennett
David K. Sing
Kevin B. Stevenson
Hannah R. Wakeford
Zafar Rustamkulov
Natalie H. Allen
Joshua D. Lothringer
Ryan J. MacDonald
Nathan J. Mayne
Guangwei Fu
author_sort Katherine A. Bennett
collection DOAJ
description Which rocky exoplanets have atmospheres? This presumably simple question is the first that must be answered to understand the prevalence of nearby habitable planets. A mere 6.9 pc from Earth, LTT 1445A is the closest transiting M dwarf system, and its largest known planet, at 1.31 R _⊕ and 424 K, is one of the most promising targets in which to search for an atmosphere. We use Hubble Space Telescope/Wide Field Camera 3 transmission spectroscopy with the G280 and G141 grisms to study the spectrum of LTT 1445Ab between 0.2 and 1.65 μ m. In doing so, we uncover an ultraviolet (UV) flare on the neighboring star LTT 1445C that is completely invisible at optical wavelengths; we report one of the first simultaneous near-UV/optical spectra of an M dwarf flare. The planet spectrum is consistent with a flat line (with median transit depth uncertainties of 128 and 52 ppm for the G280 and G141 observations, respectively), though the infrared (IR) portion displays potential features that could be explained by known opacity sources such as HCN. Some atmospheric retrievals weakly favor (∼2 σ ) an atmosphere, but it remains challenging to discern between stellar contamination, an atmosphere, and a featureless spectrum at this time. We do, however, confidently rule out ≤100× solar metallicity atmospheres. Although stellar contamination retrievals cannot fit the IR features well, the overall spectrum is consistent with stellar contamination from hot or cold spots. Based on the UV/optical data, we place limits on the extent of stellar variability expected in the near-IR (30–40 ppm), which will be critical for future James Webb Space Telescope observations.
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spelling doaj-art-00ca2edc02af49d38aa19180da1602732025-02-03T13:46:44ZengIOP PublishingThe Astronomical Journal1538-38812025-01-01169211110.3847/1538-3881/ad9dd1An HST Transmission Spectrum of the Closest M Dwarf Transiting Rocky Planet LTT 1445AbKatherine A. Bennett0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9030-0132David K. Sing1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6050-7645Kevin B. Stevenson2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7352-7941Hannah R. Wakeford3https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4328-3867Zafar Rustamkulov4https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4408-0463Natalie H. Allen5https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0832-710XJoshua D. Lothringer6https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3667-8633Ryan J. MacDonald7https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4816-3469Nathan J. Mayne8https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6707-4563Guangwei Fu9https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3263-2251Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, MD 21218, USA ; kbenne50@jhu.eduDepartment of Earth & Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, MD 21218, USA ; kbenne50@jhu.edu; Department of Physics & Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, MD 21218, USAJohns Hopkins APL , Laurel, MD 20723, USA; Consortium on Habitability and Atmospheres of M-dwarf Planets (CHAMPs) , Laurel, MD, USAConsortium on Habitability and Atmospheres of M-dwarf Planets (CHAMPs) , Laurel, MD, USA; School of Physics, HH Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol , Bristol, BS8 1TL, UKDepartment of Earth & Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, MD 21218, USA ; kbenne50@jhu.eduDepartment of Physics & Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, MD 21218, USASpace Telescope Science Institute , Baltimore, MD 21218, USADepartment of Astronomy, University of Michigan , 1085 S. University Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USADepartment of Physics & Astronomy, University of Exeter , Exeter, EX4 4QF, UKDepartment of Physics & Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, MD 21218, USAWhich rocky exoplanets have atmospheres? This presumably simple question is the first that must be answered to understand the prevalence of nearby habitable planets. A mere 6.9 pc from Earth, LTT 1445A is the closest transiting M dwarf system, and its largest known planet, at 1.31 R _⊕ and 424 K, is one of the most promising targets in which to search for an atmosphere. We use Hubble Space Telescope/Wide Field Camera 3 transmission spectroscopy with the G280 and G141 grisms to study the spectrum of LTT 1445Ab between 0.2 and 1.65 μ m. In doing so, we uncover an ultraviolet (UV) flare on the neighboring star LTT 1445C that is completely invisible at optical wavelengths; we report one of the first simultaneous near-UV/optical spectra of an M dwarf flare. The planet spectrum is consistent with a flat line (with median transit depth uncertainties of 128 and 52 ppm for the G280 and G141 observations, respectively), though the infrared (IR) portion displays potential features that could be explained by known opacity sources such as HCN. Some atmospheric retrievals weakly favor (∼2 σ ) an atmosphere, but it remains challenging to discern between stellar contamination, an atmosphere, and a featureless spectrum at this time. We do, however, confidently rule out ≤100× solar metallicity atmospheres. Although stellar contamination retrievals cannot fit the IR features well, the overall spectrum is consistent with stellar contamination from hot or cold spots. Based on the UV/optical data, we place limits on the extent of stellar variability expected in the near-IR (30–40 ppm), which will be critical for future James Webb Space Telescope observations.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/ad9dd1Exoplanet astronomyExoplanet atmospheresExtrasolar rocky planetsM dwarf starsStellar flaresExoplanet atmospheric composition
spellingShingle Katherine A. Bennett
David K. Sing
Kevin B. Stevenson
Hannah R. Wakeford
Zafar Rustamkulov
Natalie H. Allen
Joshua D. Lothringer
Ryan J. MacDonald
Nathan J. Mayne
Guangwei Fu
An HST Transmission Spectrum of the Closest M Dwarf Transiting Rocky Planet LTT 1445Ab
The Astronomical Journal
Exoplanet astronomy
Exoplanet atmospheres
Extrasolar rocky planets
M dwarf stars
Stellar flares
Exoplanet atmospheric composition
title An HST Transmission Spectrum of the Closest M Dwarf Transiting Rocky Planet LTT 1445Ab
title_full An HST Transmission Spectrum of the Closest M Dwarf Transiting Rocky Planet LTT 1445Ab
title_fullStr An HST Transmission Spectrum of the Closest M Dwarf Transiting Rocky Planet LTT 1445Ab
title_full_unstemmed An HST Transmission Spectrum of the Closest M Dwarf Transiting Rocky Planet LTT 1445Ab
title_short An HST Transmission Spectrum of the Closest M Dwarf Transiting Rocky Planet LTT 1445Ab
title_sort hst transmission spectrum of the closest m dwarf transiting rocky planet ltt 1445ab
topic Exoplanet astronomy
Exoplanet atmospheres
Extrasolar rocky planets
M dwarf stars
Stellar flares
Exoplanet atmospheric composition
url https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/ad9dd1
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