51. Transiting Exoplanet Studies and Community Targets for JWST 's Early Release Science Program
- Author
-
Jonathan J. Fortney, Jonathan Fraine, Tiffany Kataria, Kevin Heng, Heather A. Knutson, Nicolas Crouzet, Caroline V. Morley, Joanna K. Barstow, Brian M. Kilpatrick, Gregory S. Tucker, Charles A. Beichman, Eric Agol, David K. Sing, Nicolas B. Cowan, David Ehrenreich, Thomas P. Greene, David Charbonneau, Michael R. Line, Drake Deming, Shannon Curry, Nikku Madhusudhan, Kamen O. Todorov, Jessica Krick, Hannah R. Wakeford, Adam Burrows, Marco Rocchetto, David Lafrenière, Everett Schlawin, Joseph Harrington, John E. Gizis, Avi Shporer, Patricio E. Cubillos, Stephan M. Birkmann, Nikole K. Lewis, Diana Dragomir, Paul A. Dalba, Jeff A. Valenti, Laura Kreidberg, Evgenya L. Shkolnik, Avi Mandell, Neale P. Gibson, Kevin B. Stevenson, Antonio García Muñoz, Jean-Michel Desert, Mercedes Lopez-Morales, Julien de Wit, Jacob L. Bean, Daniel Angerhausen, Joshua D. Lothringer, Eliza M.-R. Kempton, René Doyon, Pierre Olivier Lagage, and Low Energy Astrophysics (API, FNWI)
- Subjects
Brightness ,010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,Computer science ,Science program ,FOS: Physical sciences ,Astrophysics::Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics ,Astronomy & Astrophysics ,01 natural sciences ,0103 physical sciences ,Spectral resolution ,Early release ,010303 astronomy & astrophysics ,Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics (astro-ph.IM) ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP) ,James Webb Space Telescope ,Astrophysics::Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics ,Astronomy ,Astronomy and Astrophysics ,telescopes ,atmospheres [planets and satellites] ,Exoplanet ,3. Good health ,Space and Planetary Science ,individual [planets and satellites] ,astro-ph.EP ,Astrophysics::Earth and Planetary Astrophysics ,Astrophysics - Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics ,Astronomical and Space Sciences ,Astrophysics - Earth and Planetary Astrophysics ,astro-ph.IM - Abstract
The James Webb Space Telescope will revolutionize transiting exoplanet atmospheric science due to 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) 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 future transiting exoplanet characterization programs. 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.(Abridged), This is a white paper that originated from an open discussion at the Enabling Transiting Exoplanet Science with JWST workshop held November 16 - 18, 2015 at STScI (http://www.stsci.edu/jwst/science/exoplanets). Accepted for publication in PASP
- Full Text
- View/download PDF