1. Transiting Exoplanet Studies and Community Targets for JWST's Early Release Science Program
- Author
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Stevenson, Kevin B, Lewis, Nikole K, Bean, Jacob L, Beichman, Charles, Fraine, Jonathan, Kilpatrick, Brian M, Krick, JE, Lothringer, Joshua D, Mandell, Avi M, Valenti, Jeff A, Agol, Eric, Angerhausen, Daniel, Barstow, Joanna K, Birkmann, Stephan M, Burrows, Adam, Charbonneau, David, Cowan, Nicolas B, Crouzet, Nicolas, Cubillos, Patricio E, Curry, SM, Dalba, Paul A, de Wit, Julien, Deming, Drake, Désert, Jean-Michel, Doyon, René, Dragomir, Diana, Ehrenreich, David, Fortney, Jonathan J, Muñoz, Antonio García, Gibson, Neale P, Gizis, John E, Greene, Thomas P, Harrington, Joseph, Heng, Kevin, Kataria, Tiffany, Kempton, Eliza M-R, Knutson, Heather, Kreidberg, Laura, Lafrenière, David, Lagage, Pierre-Olivier, Line, Michael R, Lopez-Morales, Mercedes, Madhusudhan, Nikku, Morley, Caroline V, Rocchetto, Marco, Schlawin, Everett, Shkolnik, Evgenya L, Shporer, Avi, Sing, David K, Todorov, Kamen O, Tucker, Gregory S, and Wakeford, Hannah R
- Subjects
planets and satellites: atmospheres ,planets and satellites: individual ,telescopes ,astro-ph.EP ,astro-ph.IM ,Astronomical and Space Sciences ,Astronomy & Astrophysics - Abstract
The James Webb Space Telescope will revolutionize transiting exoplanetatmospheric science due to its capability for continuous, long-durationobservations and its larger collecting area, spectral coverage, and spectralresolution compared to existing space-based facilities. However, it is unclearprecisely how well JWST will perform and which of its myriad instruments andobserving modes will be best suited for transiting exoplanet studies. In thisarticle, we describe a prefatory JWST Early Release Science (ERS) program thatfocuses on testing specific observing modes to quickly give the community thedata and experience it needs to plan more efficient and successful futuretransiting exoplanet characterization programs. We propose a multi-prongedapproach wherein one aspect of the program focuses on observing transits of asingle target with all of the recommended observing modes to identify andunderstand potential systematics, compare transmission spectra at overlappingand neighboring wavelength regions, confirm throughputs, and determine overallperformances. In our search for transiting exoplanets that are well suited toachieving these goals, we identify 12 objects (dubbed "community targets") thatmeet our defined criteria. Currently, the most favorable target is WASP-62bbecause of its large predicted signal size, relatively bright host star, andlocation in JWST's continuous viewing zone. Since most of the community targetsdo not have well-characterized atmospheres, we recommend initiating preparatoryobserving programs to determine the presence of obscuring clouds/hazes withintheir atmospheres. Measurable spectroscopic features are needed to establishthe optimal resolution and wavelength regions for exoplanet characterization.Other initiatives from our proposed ERS program include testing the instrumentbrightness limits and performing phase-curve observations.(Abridged)
- Published
- 2016