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We present photometry of the giant extrasolar planet WASP-4b at 3.6 and 4.5 micron taken with the Infrared Array Camera on board the Spitzer Space Telescope as part of Spitzers extended warm mission. We find secondary eclipse depths of 0.319+/-0.031% and 0.343+/-0.027% for the 3.6 and 4.5 micron bands, respectively and show model emission spectra and pressure-temperature profiles for the planetary atmosphere. These eclipse depths are well fit by model emission spectra with water and other molecules in absorption, similar to those used for TrES-3 and HD 189733b. Depending on our choice of model, these results indicate that this planet has either a weak dayside temperature inversion or no inversion at all. The absence of a strong thermal inversion on this highly irradiated planet is contrary to the idea that highly irradiated planets are expected to have
We present photometry of the extrasolar planet WASP-5b in the 3.6 and 4.5 micron bands taken with the Spitzer Space Telescopes Infrared Array Camera as part of the extended warm mission. By examining the depth of the planets secondary eclipse at these two wavelengths, we can place joint constraints on the planets atmospheric pressure-temperature profile and chemistry. We measure secondary eclipse depths of 0.197% +/- 0.028% and 0.227% +/- 0.025% in the 3.6 micron and 4.5 micron bands, respectively. Our observations are best matched by models showing a hot dayside and, depending on our choice of model, a weak thermal inversion or no inversion at all. We measure a mean offset from the predicted center of eclipse of 0.078 +/- 0.032 hours, translating to ecos(omega) = 0.0031 +/- 0.0013 and consistent with a circular orbit. We see no evidence for any eclipse timing variations comparable to those reported in a previous transit study.
The transiting exoplanet WASP-18b was discovered in 2008 by the Wide Angle Search for Planets (WASP) project. The Spitzer Exoplanet Target of Opportunity Program observed secondary eclipses of WASP-18b using Spitzers Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) in the 3.6 micron and 5.8 micron bands on 2008 December 20, and in the 4.5 micron and 8.0 micron bands on 2008 December 24. We report eclipse depths of 0.30 +/- 0.02%, 0.39 +/- 0.02%, 0.37 +/- 0.03%, 0.41 +/- 0.02%, and brightness temperatures of 3100 +/- 90, 3310 +/- 130, 3080 +/- 140 and 3120 +/- 110 K in order of increasing wavelength. WASP-18b is one of the hottest planets yet discovered - as hot as an M-class star. The planets pressure-temperature profile most likely features a thermal inversion. The observations also require WASP-18b to have near-zero albedo and almost no redistribution of energy from the day-side to the night side of the planet.
We report the results of infrared (8 micron) transit and secondary eclipse photometry of the hot Neptune exoplanet, GJ436b using Spitzer. The nearly photon-limited precision of these data allow us to measure an improved radius for the planet, and to detect the secondary eclipse. The transit (centered at HJD = 2454280.78149 +/-0.00016) shows the flat-bottomed shape typical of infrared transits, and it precisely defines the planet-to-star radius ratio (0.0839 +/-0.0005), independent of the stellar properties. However, we obtain the planetary radius, as well as the stellar mass and radius, by fitting to the transit curve simultaneously with an empirical mass-radius relation for M-dwarfs (M=R). We find Rs=Ms=0.47 +/-0.02 in solar units, and Rp=27,600 +/-1170 km (4.33 +/-0.18 Earth radii). This radius significantly exceeds the radius of a naked ocean planet, and requires a gasesous hydrogen-helium envelope. The secondary eclipse occurs at phase 0.587 +/-0.005, proving a significant orbital eccentricity (e=0.15 +/-0.012). The amplitude of the eclipse (5.7 +/-0.8e-4) indicates a brightness temperature for the planet of T=712 +/-36K. If this is indicative of the planets physical temperature, it suggests the occurrence of tidal heating in the planet. An uncharacterized second planet likely provides ongoing gravitational perturbations, to maintain GJ436bs orbit eccentricity over long time scales.
We present Warm Spitzer/IRAC secondary eclipse time series photometry of three short-period transiting exoplanets, HAT-P-3b, HAT-P-4b and HAT-P-12b, in both the available 3.6 and 4.5 micron bands. HAT-P-3b and HAT-P-4b are Jupiter-mass, objects orbiting an early K and an early G dwarf stars, respectively. For HAT-P-3b we find eclipse depths of 0.112%+0.015%-0.030% (3.6 micron) and 0.094%+0.016%-0.009% (4.5 micron). The HAT-P-4b values are 0.142%+0.014%-0.016% (3.6 micron) and 0.122%+0.012%-0.014% (4.5micron). The two planets photometry is consistent with inefficient heat redistribution from their day to night sides (and low albedos), but it is inconclusive about possible temperature
The transiting planet CoRoT-1b is thought to belong to the pM-class of planets, in which the thermal emission dominates in the optical wavelengths. We present a detection of its secondary eclipse in the CoRoT white channel data, whose response function goes from ~400 to ~1000 nm. We used two different filtering approaches, and several methods to evaluate the significance of a detection of the secondary eclipse. We detect a secondary eclipse centered within 20 min at the expected times for a circular orbit, with a depth of 0.016+/-0.006%. The center of the eclipse is translated in a 1-sigma upper limit to the planets eccentricity of ecosomega<0.014. Under the assumption of a zero Bond Albedo and blackbody emission from the planet, it corresponds to a T_{CoRoT}=2330 +120-140 K. We provide the equilibrium temperatures of the planet as a function of the amount of reflected light. If the planet is in thermal equilibrium with the incident flux from the star, our results imply an inefficient transport mechanism of the flux from the day to the night sides.