JWST-TST DREAMS: Sulfur Dioxide in the Atmosphere of the Neptune-mass Planet HAT-P-26 b from NIRSpec G395H Transmission Spectroscopy
Amélie Gressier, Natasha E. Batalha, Nicholas F. Wogan, Lili Alderson, Dominic Doud, Néstor Espinoza, Ryan J. MacDonald, Hannah R. Wakeford, Jeff A. Valenti, Nikole K. Lewis, Sara Seager, Kevin B. Stevenson, Natalie H. Allen, Caleb I. Cañas, Ryan C. Challener, Ana Glidden, Jingcheng Huang, Zifan Lin, Dana R. Louie, Cathal Maguire, Elijah Mullens, Kristin S. Sotzen, Daniel T. Valentine, Mark Clampin, Laurent Pueyo, Roeland P. van der Marel, C. M. Mountain
Abstract
Abstract We present the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) transmission spectrum of the exoplanet HAT-P-26 b (18.6 M ⊕ , 6.33 R ⊕ ), based on a single transit observed with the JWST NIRSpec G395H grating. We detect water vapor ( <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:mi>ln</mml:mi> <mml:mi class="MJX-tex-calligraphic" mathvariant="script">B</mml:mi> </mml:math> = 4.1), carbon dioxide ( <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:mi>ln</mml:mi> <mml:mi class="MJX-tex-calligraphic" mathvariant="script">B</mml:mi> </mml:math> = 85.6), and sulfur dioxide ( <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:mi>ln</mml:mi> <mml:mi class="MJX-tex-calligraphic" mathvariant="script">B</mml:mi> </mml:math> = 13.5) with high confidence, along with marginal indications for hydrogen sulfide and carbon monoxide ( <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:mi>ln</mml:mi> <mml:mi class="MJX-tex-calligraphic" mathvariant="script">B</mml:mi> <mml:mo><</mml:mo> </mml:math> 0.5). The detection of SO 2 in a warm super-Neptune-sized exoplanet ( R P ∼ 6 R ⊕ ) bridges the gap between previous detections in hot Jupiters and sub-Neptunes, highlighting the role of disequilibrium photochemistry across a broad range of exoplanet atmospheres, including those cooler than 1000 K. Our precise measurements of carbon, oxygen, and sulfur indicate an atmospheric metallicity of ∼10× solar and a subsolar C/O ratio. Retrieved molecular abundances are consistent within 2 σ with predictions from self-consistent models including photochemistry. The elevated CO 2 abundance and possible H 2 S signal may also reflect sensitivities to the thermal structure, cloud properties, or additional disequilibrium processes such as vertical mixing. We compare the SO 2 abundance in HAT-P-26 b with that of 10 other JWST-observed giant exoplanets, and find a correlation with atmospheric metallicity. The trend is consistent with the prediction from I. J. M. Crossfield, showing a steep rise in SO 2 abundance at low metallicities, and a more gradual increase beyond 30× solar. This work is part of a series of studies by our JWST Telescope Scientist Team (JWST-TST), in which we use Guaranteed Time Observations to perform Deep Reconnaissance of Exoplanet Atmospheres through Multi-instrument Spectroscopy (DREAMS).