Probing the Atmosphere of TrES-3, the Shortest Period Transiting Planet Within Spitzer's Reach

Details Probing the Atmosphere of TrES-3, the Shortest Period Transiting Planet Within Spitzer's Reach Probing the Atmosphere of TrES-3, the Shortest Period Transiting Planet Within Spitzer's Reach

Mar 2008

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2008sptz.prop50140o&link_type=abstract

Spitzer Proposal ID #50140

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Scientific paper

Our discovery of the transiting exoplanet TrES-3 presents an opportunity to study the atmosphere of a gas giant with an orbital period of only 31 hours, the shortest period of the known transiting exoplanets observable with Spitzer. The radius of TrES-3 is larger than permitted by current models of the structure of these highly irradiated short period gas giants. The key to understanding this large radius may lie in the composition of the planetary atmosphere, which dictates the planet's cooling after formation and hence its final radius. We propose to provide constraints for theoretical atmospheric models, by obtaining precision photometry of secondary eclipses of TrES-3 in the four Spitzer/IRAC bands. Our secondary eclipse observations will also permit ruling out a possible non-zero orbital eccentricity of the planet, another proposed cause of the bloated radius. TrES-3 has the largest potential reflected visible light signal of the known transiting gas giants that are observable with Spitzer. Before our proposed observations, the EPOCh mission will have measured this reflected optical light signal, and thereby placed constraints on the planetary visible spectra and hence atmospheric composition. TrES-3 will then be the only exoplanet with constraints on both its visible and infrared spectrum. Insights gained from reconciling these constraints with theoretical models will greatly improve our understanding of the inflated radii of TrES-3 and other exoplanets.

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