A Search for Water Vapor in the Atmosphere of an Extrasolar Planet

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Hst Proposal Id #9832 Star Formation

Scientific paper

We propose to search for evidence of water vapor in the transmission spectrum of the transiting planet of HD 209458. A successful detection would not only establish the presence of this important atmospheric constituent, but would also constrain other key properties of this close-in, Jupiter-sized planet. Specifically, relating the absorption caused by water to that already observed from atomic sodium would help establish the height of the atmosphere's uppermost cloud layer {if any}. Also, the abundance of water will provide information about that of oxygen, and by extension, that of all heavy elements. To make this measurement, we propose a doubly-differential procedure in which we will use NICMOS in spectroscopic mode to detect the small spectral changes that occur during planetary transits, and that result from absorption of starlight as it passes through the outer parts of the planet's atmosphere. We search for water because it is expected to produce by far the strongest spectrum features within the wavelength range accessible to HST.

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