Reflected Light Phase Curves in the TESS Era. (arXiv:1905.12662v1 [astro-ph.EP])
<a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Mayorga_L/0/1/0/all/0/1">L. C. Mayorga</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Batalha_N/0/1/0/all/0/1">N. E. Batalha</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Lewis_N/0/1/0/all/0/1">N. K. Lewis</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Marley_M/0/1/0/all/0/1">M. S. Marley</a>
The reflected light signal from a planet throughout its orbit is a powerful
probe of a planet’s atmospheric properties. There are a number of planets that
are amenable to reflected light phase curve studies with present and future
space-based instrumentation and here we assess our ability to characterize
these worlds. Using simulated TESS populations we identify the Nine, a set of
archetypal exoplanets with the potential to be bright in reflected light,
because of their radii and proximity to their star, while still being cool
enough to have minimal thermal contamination at optical wavelengths. For each
planet we compute albedo spectra for several cloud and atmosphere assumptions
(e.g. thermochemical equilibrium, solar composition). We find that in the TESS
bandpass the estimated contrast at optical wavelengths is typically <10 ppm
except for the brightest, largest, or closest in planets with the highest
lofted clouds where contrast can reach a few tens of ppm. Meanwhile, in a bluer
bandpass (0.3--0.5 microns) the estimated contrast can be as high as 150 ppm
but typically 10-50 ppm. In the temperature range of interest, planets with the
highest, most extensive cloud decks are generally darker at bluer wavelengths
than cloudless planets because of the low single scattering albedos of their
primary condensate constituents. Our models suggest that Neptune-sized planets
with relatively low insolation and small semi-major axes are the most conducive
to reflected light phase curve studies in TESS.
The reflected light signal from a planet throughout its orbit is a powerful
probe of a planet’s atmospheric properties. There are a number of planets that
are amenable to reflected light phase curve studies with present and future
space-based instrumentation and here we assess our ability to characterize
these worlds. Using simulated TESS populations we identify the Nine, a set of
archetypal exoplanets with the potential to be bright in reflected light,
because of their radii and proximity to their star, while still being cool
enough to have minimal thermal contamination at optical wavelengths. For each
planet we compute albedo spectra for several cloud and atmosphere assumptions
(e.g. thermochemical equilibrium, solar composition). We find that in the TESS
bandpass the estimated contrast at optical wavelengths is typically <10 ppm
except for the brightest, largest, or closest in planets with the highest
lofted clouds where contrast can reach a few tens of ppm. Meanwhile, in a bluer
bandpass (0.3–0.5 microns) the estimated contrast can be as high as 150 ppm
but typically 10-50 ppm. In the temperature range of interest, planets with the
highest, most extensive cloud decks are generally darker at bluer wavelengths
than cloudless planets because of the low single scattering albedos of their
primary condensate constituents. Our models suggest that Neptune-sized planets
with relatively low insolation and small semi-major axes are the most conducive
to reflected light phase curve studies in TESS.
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