A Nondetection of Iron in the First High-resolution Emission Study of the Lava Planet 55 Cnc e
Abstract
Close-in lava planets represent an extreme example of terrestrial worlds, but their high temperatures may allow us to probe a diversity of crustal compositions. The brightest and most well-studied of these objects is 55 Cancri e, a nearby super-Earth with a remarkably short 17 hr orbit. However, despite numerous studies, debate remains about the existence and composition of its atmosphere. We present upper limits on the atmospheric pressure of 55 Cnc e derived from high-resolution time-series spectra taken with Gemini-N/MAROON-X. Our results are consistent with current crustal evaporation models for this planet which predict a thin ~100 mbar atmosphere. We conclude that, if a mineral atmosphere is present on 55 Cnc e, the atmospheric pressure is below 100 mbar.
- Publication:
-
The Astronomical Journal
- Pub Date:
- October 2023
- DOI:
- 10.3847/1538-3881/acf28e
- arXiv:
- arXiv:2308.10378
- Bibcode:
- 2023AJ....166..155R
- Keywords:
-
- Exoplanet atmospheres;
- Observational astronomy;
- 487;
- 1145;
- Astrophysics - Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- Accepted to the AJ. 7 pages, 5 figures