An Unusual Transmission Spectrum for the Sub-Saturn KELT-11b Suggestive of a Sub-Solar Water Abundance. (arXiv:2005.05153v3 [astro-ph.EP] UPDATED)
<a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Colon_K/0/1/0/all/0/1">Knicole D. Colón</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Kreidberg_L/0/1/0/all/0/1">Laura Kreidberg</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Welbanks_L/0/1/0/all/0/1">Luis Welbanks</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Line_M/0/1/0/all/0/1">Michael R. Line</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Madhusudhan_N/0/1/0/all/0/1">Nikku Madhusudhan</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Beatty_T/0/1/0/all/0/1">Thomas Beatty</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Tamburo_P/0/1/0/all/0/1">Patrick Tamburo</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Stevenson_K/0/1/0/all/0/1">Kevin B. Stevenson</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Mandell_A/0/1/0/all/0/1">Avi Mandell</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Rodriguez_J/0/1/0/all/0/1">Joseph E. Rodriguez</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Barclay_T/0/1/0/all/0/1">Thomas Barclay</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Lopez_E/0/1/0/all/0/1">Eric D. Lopez</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Stassun_K/0/1/0/all/0/1">Keivan G. Stassun</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Angerhausen_D/0/1/0/all/0/1">Daniel Angerhausen</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Fortney_J/0/1/0/all/0/1">Jonathan J. Fortney</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+James_D/0/1/0/all/0/1">David J. James</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Pepper_J/0/1/0/all/0/1">Joshua Pepper</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Ahlers_J/0/1/0/all/0/1">John P. Ahlers</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Plavchan_P/0/1/0/all/0/1">Peter Plavchan</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Awiphan_S/0/1/0/all/0/1">Supachai Awiphan</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Kotnik_C/0/1/0/all/0/1">Cliff Kotnik</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+McLeod_K/0/1/0/all/0/1">Kim K. McLeod</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Murawski_G/0/1/0/all/0/1">Gabriel Murawski</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Chotani_H/0/1/0/all/0/1">Heena Chotani</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+LeBrun_D/0/1/0/all/0/1">Danny LeBrun</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Matzko_W/0/1/0/all/0/1">William Matzko</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Rea_D/0/1/0/all/0/1">David Rea</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Vidaurri_M/0/1/0/all/0/1">Monica Vidaurri</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Webster_S/0/1/0/all/0/1">Scott Webster</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Williams_J/0/1/0/all/0/1">James K. Williams</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Cox_L/0/1/0/all/0/1">Leafia Sheraden Cox</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Tan_N/0/1/0/all/0/1">Nicole Tan</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Gilbert_E/0/1/0/all/0/1">Emily A. Gilbert</a>
We present an optical-to-infrared transmission spectrum of the inflated
sub-Saturn KELT-11b measured with the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite
(TESS), the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Wide Field Camera 3 G141 spectroscopic
grism, and the Spitzer Space Telescope (Spitzer) at 3.6 $mu$m, in addition to
a Spitzer 4.5 $mu$m secondary eclipse. The precise HST transmission spectrum
notably reveals a low-amplitude water feature with an unusual shape. Based on
free retrieval analyses with varying molecular abundances, we find strong
evidence for water absorption. Depending on model assumptions, we also find
tentative evidence for other absorbers (HCN, TiO, and AlO). The retrieved water
abundance is generally $lesssim 0.1times$ solar (0.001–0.7$times$ solar
over a range of model assumptions), several orders of magnitude lower than
expected from planet formation models based on the solar system metallicity
trend. We also consider chemical equilibrium and self-consistent 1D
radiative-convective equilibrium model fits and find they too prefer low
metallicities ($[M/H] lesssim -2$, consistent with the free retrieval
results). However, all the retrievals should be interpreted with some caution
since they either require additional absorbers that are far out of chemical
equilibrium to explain the shape of the spectrum or are simply poor fits to the
data. Finally, we find the Spitzer secondary eclipse is indicative of full heat
redistribution from KELT-11b’s dayside to nightside, assuming a clear dayside.
These potentially unusual results for KELT-11b’s composition are suggestive of
new challenges on the horizon for atmosphere and formation models in the face
of increasingly precise measurements of exoplanet spectra.
We present an optical-to-infrared transmission spectrum of the inflated
sub-Saturn KELT-11b measured with the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite
(TESS), the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Wide Field Camera 3 G141 spectroscopic
grism, and the Spitzer Space Telescope (Spitzer) at 3.6 $mu$m, in addition to
a Spitzer 4.5 $mu$m secondary eclipse. The precise HST transmission spectrum
notably reveals a low-amplitude water feature with an unusual shape. Based on
free retrieval analyses with varying molecular abundances, we find strong
evidence for water absorption. Depending on model assumptions, we also find
tentative evidence for other absorbers (HCN, TiO, and AlO). The retrieved water
abundance is generally $lesssim 0.1times$ solar (0.001–0.7$times$ solar
over a range of model assumptions), several orders of magnitude lower than
expected from planet formation models based on the solar system metallicity
trend. We also consider chemical equilibrium and self-consistent 1D
radiative-convective equilibrium model fits and find they too prefer low
metallicities ($[M/H] lesssim -2$, consistent with the free retrieval
results). However, all the retrievals should be interpreted with some caution
since they either require additional absorbers that are far out of chemical
equilibrium to explain the shape of the spectrum or are simply poor fits to the
data. Finally, we find the Spitzer secondary eclipse is indicative of full heat
redistribution from KELT-11b’s dayside to nightside, assuming a clear dayside.
These potentially unusual results for KELT-11b’s composition are suggestive of
new challenges on the horizon for atmosphere and formation models in the face
of increasingly precise measurements of exoplanet spectra.
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