TY - JOUR
T1 - The PEPSI exoplanet transit survey (PETS) I
T2 - Investigating the presence of a silicate atmosphere on the super-earth 55 Cnc e
AU - Keles, Engin
AU - Mallonn, Matthias
AU - Kitzmann, Daniel
AU - Poppenhaeger, Katja
AU - Hoeijmakers, H. Jens
AU - Ilyin, Ilya
AU - Alexoudi, Xanthippi
AU - Carroll, Thorsten A.
AU - Alvarado-Gomez, Julian
AU - Ketzer, Laura
AU - Bonomo, Aldo S.
AU - Borsa, Francesco
AU - Gaudi, B. Scott
AU - Henning, Thomas
AU - Malavolta, Luca
AU - Molaverdikhani, Karan
AU - Nascimbeni, Valerio
AU - Patience, Jennifer
AU - Pino, Lorenzo
AU - Scandariato, Gaetano
AU - Schlawin, Everett
AU - Shkolnik, Evgenya
AU - Sicilia, Daniela
AU - Sozzetti, Alessandro
AU - Foster, Mary G.
AU - Veillet, Christian
AU - Wang, Ji
AU - Yan, Fei
AU - Strassmeier, Klaus G.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Author(s) Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Astronomical Society.
PY - 2022/6/1
Y1 - 2022/6/1
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
KW - planets and satellites: Atmospheres
KW - planets and satellites: Composition
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85130631758
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85130631758#tab=citedBy
U2 - 10.1093/mnras/stac810
DO - 10.1093/mnras/stac810
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85130631758
SN - 0035-8711
VL - 513
SP - 1544
EP - 1556
JO - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
JF - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
IS - 1
ER -