Detection of H2O and evidence for TiO/VO in an ultra hot exoplanet atmosphere

Abstract

We present a primary transit observation for the ultra hot (Teq 2400 K) gas giant expolanetWASP-121b, made using the Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 in spectroscopic mode across the 1.12{1.64 m wavelength range. The 1.4 m water absorption band is detected at high con dence (5:4 ) in the planetary atmosphere. We also reanalyze ground-based photometric lightcurves taken in the B, r0, and z0 lters. Signi cantly deeper transits are measured in these optical bandpasses relative to the near-infrared wavelengths. We conclude that scattering by high-altitude haze alone is unlikely to account for this di erence, and instead interpret it as evidence for titanium oxide and vanadium oxide absorption. Enhanced opacity is also inferred across the 1:12{1:3 m wavelength range, possibly due to iron hydride absorption. If con rmed, WASP-121b will be the rst exoplanet with titanium oxide, vanadium oxide, and iron hydride detected in transmission. The latter are important species in M/L dwarfs, and their presence is likely to have a signi cant e ect on the overall physics and chemistry of the atmosphere, including the production of a strong thermal inversion