WASP-17 - testing the paradigm of pM/pL class planets

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The structure, formation and fate of hot Jupiter exoplanets is governed by the properties of their atmospheres. There is an urgent need for for strong observational constraints to guide the development of model atmospheres for hot Jupiters. WASP-17b is a newly discovered transiting hot Jupiter exoplanet. It has the lowest density of any transiting hot Jupiter discovered to-date. The host star, WASP-17, is a bright (VD11.6) F6V star. This combination of factors make WASP-17 a key object for testing the current paradigm in which hot pM class planets have stratospheres and cooler pL class planets do not. We will use Spitzer to observe the secondary eclipse of the planet by its host star at 3.6um and 4.5um, and use these data to measure the brightness temperature at these wavelenghs. In the current paradigm, this pM class planet should show evidence of a stratosphere from the ratio of the brightness temperatures at these wavelengths. We will also use transmission spectroscopy to determine independently whether WASP-17b has a stratoshere. VLT time to obtain the required spectroscopy has already been approved. WASP-17 is currently the only pM class planet apart from HD209458 for which the results from the two methods can be compared. The Spitzer data that we will obtain for WASP-17 are essential for us to fully understand exploit the Spitzer observations of exoplanets that will be obtained in the warm mission.

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