Analyzing the JWST/NIRSpec Transmission Spectrum of LTT 9779 b

  • CART Astrophysics Seminar Series

October 30, 2025 2:00 PM
PAIS 3205

Host:
Diana Dragomir
Presenter:
Sarah Stamer (UNM)
LTT 9779 b is a unique member of the hot Neptune desert, as it is one of very few desert planets to retain its atmosphere, allowing us to gain insight into how they survive. In October 2024, we obtained a JWST/NIRSpec transmission spectrum of LTT 9779 b. We combined it with a publicly available NIRISS transmission spectrum and ran retrievals to constrain molecular abundances and the presence of clouds in the planet’s atmosphere. We constrain the abundance of CO and H2O at low pressures, and find evidence of SO2. We also find that clouds are necessary to explain the transmission spectrum of LTT 9779 b. We further check our results with an equilibrium chemistry retrieval.

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