Detection of Thermal Emission of XO-2b: Evidence for a Weak Temperature Inversion

Pavel Machalek; Peter R. McCullough; Adam Burrows; Christopher J. Burke; Joseph L. Hora; Christopher M. Johns-Krull

doi:10.1088/0004-637X/701/1/514

Detection of Thermal Emission of XO-2b: Evidence for a Weak Temperature Inversion

Solar and Stellar Astrophysics 2011-02-11 v1 Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

Authors: Pavel Machalek , Peter R. McCullough , Adam Burrows , Christopher J. Burke , Joseph L. Hora , Christopher M. Johns-Krull

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Abstract

We estimate flux ratios of the extrasolar planet XO-2b to its host star XO-2 at 3.6, 4.5, 5.8 and 8.0 micron with IRAC on the Spitzer Space Telescope to be 0.00081 +- 0.00017, 0.00098 +- 0.00020, 0.00167 +- 0.00036 and 0.00133 +- 0.00049, respectively. The fluxes provide tentative evidence for a weak temperature inversion in the upper atmosphere, the precise nature of which would need to be confirmed by longer wavelength observations. XO-2b substellar flux of 0.76 x 10^9 ergs cm^-2 s^-1 lies in the predicted transition region between atmospheres with and without upper atmospheric temperature inversion.

Keywords

exoplanet thermal emission temperature inversion spitzer space telescope xo-2b infrared photometry

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@article{arxiv.0906.1293,
  title  = {Detection of Thermal Emission of XO-2b: Evidence for a Weak Temperature Inversion},
  author = {Pavel Machalek and Peter R. McCullough and Adam Burrows and Christopher J. Burke and Joseph L. Hora and Christopher M. Johns-Krull},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0906.1293},
  year   = {2011}
}

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17 pages. Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal

Detection of Thermal Emission of XO-2b: Evidence for a Weak Temperature Inversion

Abstract

Keywords

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