A Nondetection of Iron in the First High-resolution Emission Study of the Lava Planet 55 Cnc e

Kaitlin C. Rasmussen, Miles H. Currie, Celeste Hagee, Christiaan van Buchem, Matej Malik, Arjun B. Savel, Matteo Brogi, Emily Rauscher, Victoria Meadows, Megan Mansfield, Eliza M.R. Kempton, Jean Michel Desert, Joost P. Wardenier, Lorenzo Pino, Michael Line, Vivien Parmentier, Andreas Seifahrt, David Kasper, Madison Brady, Jacob L. Bean

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

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.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number155
JournalAstronomical Journal
Volume166
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 1 2023
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
  • Space and Planetary Science

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