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1. Keck Planet Imager and Characterizer Emission Spectroscopy of WASP-33b

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/acda91  

   Finnerty, Luke; Schofield, Tobias; Sappey, Ben; Xuan, Jerry W.; Ruffio, Jean-Baptiste; Wang, Jason J.; Delorme, Jacques-Robert; Blake, Geoffrey A.; Buzard, Cam; Fitzgerald, Michael P.; et al (June 2023, The Astronomical Journal)

   Abstract We present Keck Planet Imager and Characterizer (KPIC) high-resolution (R∼35,000)K-band thermal emission spectroscopy of the ultrahot Jupiter WASP-33b. The use of KPIC’s single-mode fibers greatly improves both blaze and line-spread stabilities relative to slit spectrographs, enhancing the cross-correlation detection strength. We retrieve the dayside emission spectrum with a nested-sampling pipeline, which fits for orbital parameters, the atmospheric pressure–temperature profile, and the molecular abundances. We strongly detect the thermally inverted dayside and measure mass-mixing ratios for CO ( ${\mathrm{logCO}}_{\mathrm{MMR}}=-{1.1}_{-0.6}^{+0.4}$), H₂O ( ${\mathrm{logH}}_2{\mathrm{O}}_{\mathrm{MMR}}=-{4.1}_{-0.9}^{+0.7}$), and OH ( ${\mathrm{logOH}}_{\mathrm{MMR}}=-{2.1}_{-1.1}^{+0.5}$), suggesting near-complete dayside photodissociation of H₂O. The retrieved abundances suggest a carbon- and possibly metal-enriched atmosphere, with a gas-phase C/O ratio of ${0.8}_{-0.2}^{+0.1}$, consistent with the accretion of high-metallicity gas near the CO₂snow line and post-disk migration or with accretion between the soot and H₂O snow lines. We also find tentative evidence for¹²CO/¹³CO ∼ 50, consistent with values expected in protoplanetary disks, as well as tentative evidence for a metal-enriched atmosphere (2–15 × solar). These observations demonstrate KPIC’s ability to characterize close-in planets and the utility of KPIC’s improved instrumental stability for cross-correlation techniques. 

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2. Validation of Elemental and Isotopic Abundances in Late-M Spectral Types with the Benchmark HIP 55507 AB System

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad1243  

   Xuan, Jerry W.; Wang, Jason; Finnerty, Luke; Horstman, Katelyn; Grimm, Simon; Peck, Anne E.; Nielsen, Eric; Knutson, Heather A.; Mawet, Dimitri; Isaacson, Howard; et al (February 2024, The Astrophysical Journal)

   Abstract M dwarfs are common host stars to exoplanets but often lack atmospheric abundance measurements. Late-M dwarfs are also good analogs to the youngest substellar companions, which share similarT_eff∼ 2300–2800 K. We present atmospheric analyses for the M7.5 companion HIP 55507 B and its K6V primary star with Keck/KPIC high-resolution (R∼ 35,000)K-band spectroscopy. First, by including KPIC relative radial velocities between the primary and secondary in the orbit fit, we improve the dynamical mass precision by 60% and find $M_B={88.0}_{-3.2}^{+3.4}{M}_{\mathrm{Jup}}$, putting HIP 55507 B above the stellar–substellar boundary. We also find that HIP 55507 B orbits its K6V primary star with $a={38}_{-3}^{+4}$au ande= 0.40 ± 0.04. From atmospheric retrievals of HIP 55507 B, we measure [C/H] = 0.24 ± 0.13, [O/H] = 0.15 ± 0.13, and C/O = 0.67 ± 0.04. Moreover, we strongly detect¹³CO (7.8σsignificance) and tentatively detect ${\mathrm{H}}_2^{18}\mathrm{O}$(3.7σsignificance) in the companion’s atmosphere and measure ${}^{12}\mathrm{CO}{/}^{13}\mathrm{CO}={98}_{-22}^{+28}$and ${\mathrm{H}}_2^{16}\mathrm{O}/{\mathrm{H}}_2^{18}\mathrm{O}={240}_{-80}^{+145}$after accounting for systematic errors. From a simplified retrieval analysis of HIP 55507 A, we measure ${}^{12}\mathrm{CO}{/}^{13}\mathrm{CO}={79}_{-16}^{+21}$and ${\mathrm{C}}^{16}\mathrm{O}/{\mathrm{C}}^{18}\mathrm{O}={288}_{-70}^{+125}$for the primary star. These results demonstrate that HIP 55507 A and B have consistent¹²C/¹³C and¹⁶O/¹⁸O to the <1σlevel, as expected for a chemically homogeneous binary system. Given the similar flux ratios and separations between HIP 55507 AB and systems with young substellar companions, our results open the door to systematically measuring¹³CO and ${\mathrm{H}}_2^{18}\mathrm{O}$abundances in the atmospheres of substellar or even planetary-mass companions with similar spectral types. 

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3. TOI-5344 b: A Saturn-like Planet Orbiting a Super-solar Metallicity M0 Dwarf

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/ad09c2  

   Han, Te; Robertson, Paul; Kanodia, Shubham; Cañas, Caleb; Lin, Andrea S. J.; Stefánsson, Gumundur; Libby-Roberts, Jessica E.; Larsen, Alexander; Kobulnicky, Henry A.; Mahadevan, Suvrath; et al (December 2023, The Astronomical Journal)

   Abstract We confirm the planetary nature of TOI-5344 b as a transiting giant exoplanet around an M0-dwarf star. TOI-5344 b was discovered with the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite photometry and confirmed with ground-based photometry (the Red Buttes Observatory 0.6 m telescope), radial velocity (the Habitable-zone Planet Finder), and speckle imaging (the NN-Explore Exoplanet Stellar Speckle Imager). TOI-5344 b is a Saturn-like giant planet (ρ= 0.80 ${}_{-0.15}^{+0.17}$g cm⁻³) with a planetary radius of 9.7 ± 0.5R_⊕(0.87 ± 0.04R_Jup) and a planetary mass of ${135}_{-18}^{+17}{M}_{\oplus }$(0.42 ${}_{-0.06}^{+0.05}{M}_{\mathrm{Jup}}$). It has an orbital period of ${3.792622}_{-0.000010}^{+0.000010}$days and an orbital eccentricity of ${0.06}_{-0.04}^{+0.07}$. We measure a high metallicity for TOI-5344 of [Fe/H] = 0.48 ± 0.12, where the high metallicity is consistent with expectations from formation through core accretion. We compare the metallicity of the M-dwarf hosts of giant exoplanets to that of M-dwarf hosts of nongiants (≲8R_⊕). While the two populations appear to show different metallicity distributions, quantitative tests are prohibited by various sample caveats. 

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4. Atmospheric Characterization of the Super-Jupiter HIP 99770 b with KPIC

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/ad6609  

   Zhang, Yapeng; Xuan, Jerry W; Mawet, Dimitri; Wang, Jason J; Hsu, Chih-Chun; Ruffio, Jean-Bapiste; Knutson, Heather A; Inglis, Julie; Blake, Geoffrey A; Chachan, Yayaati; et al (August 2024, The Astronomical Journal)

   Abstract Young, self-luminous super-Jovian companions discovered by direct imaging provide a challenging test for planet formation and evolution theories. By spectroscopically characterizing the atmospheric compositions of these super-Jupiters, we can constrain their formation histories. Here we present studies of the recently discovered HIP 99770 b, a 16M_Juphigh-contrast companion on a 17 au orbit, using the fiber-fed high-resolution spectrograph KPIC ( $\mathcal{R}$∼ 35,000) on the Keck II telescope. OurK-band observations led to detections of H₂O and CO in the atmosphere of HIP 99770 b. We carried out free retrieval analyses usingpetitRADTRANSto measure its chemical abundances, including the metallicity and C/O ratio, projected rotation velocity ( $v\sin i$), and radial velocity (RV). We found that the companion’s atmosphere has C/O $={0.55}_{-0.04}^{+0.06}$and [M/H] $={0.26}_{-0.23}^{+0.24}$(1σconfidence intervals), values consistent with those of the Sun and with a companion formation via gravitational instability or core accretion. The projected rotation velocity $v\sin \left(i\right)<7.8$km s⁻¹is small relative to other directly imaged companions with similar masses and ages. This may imply a nearly pole-on orientation or effective magnetic braking by a circumplanetary disk. In addition, we added the companion-to-primary relative RV measurement to the orbital fitting and obtained updated constraints on orbital parameters. Detailed characterization of super-Jovian companions within 20 au like HIP 99770 b is critical for understanding the formation histories of this population. 

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5. The EDGE-CALIFA Survey: Spatially Resolved ¹³ CO(1–0) Observations and Variations in ¹² CO(1–0)/ ¹³ CO(1–0) in Nearby Galaxies on Kiloparsec Scales

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4365/acd840  

   Cao, Yixian; Wong, Tony; Bolatto, Alberto D.; Leroy, Adam K.; Rosolowsky, Erik; Utomo, Dyas; Sánchez, Sebastián F.; Barrera-Ballesteros, Jorge K.; Levy, Rebecca C.; Colombo, Dario; et al (August 2023, The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series)

   Abstract We present¹³CO(J= 1 → 0) observations for the EDGE-CALIFA survey, which is a mapping survey of 126 nearby galaxies at a typical spatial resolution of 1.5 kpc. Using detected¹²CO emission as a prior, we detect¹³CO in 41 galaxies via integrated line flux over the entire galaxy and in 30 galaxies via integrated line intensity in resolved synthesized beams. Incorporating our CO observations and optical IFU spectroscopy, we perform a systematic comparison between the line ratio ${\mathit{}}_{12/13}\equiv I{[}^{12}\mathrm{CO}(J=1\to 0)\left]/I{[}^{13}\mathrm{CO}\right(J=1\to 0\left)\right]$and the properties of the stars and ionized gas. Higher ${\mathit{}}_{12/13}$values are found in interacting galaxies compared to those in noninteracting galaxies. The global ${\mathit{}}_{12/13}$slightly increases with infrared colorF₆₀/F₁₀₀but appears insensitive to other host-galaxy properties such as morphology, stellar mass, or galaxy size. We also present azimuthally averaged ${\mathit{}}_{12/13}$profiles for our sample up to a galactocentric radius of 0.4r₂₅(∼6 kpc), taking into account the¹³CO nondetections by spectral stacking. The radial profiles of ${\mathit{}}_{12/13}$are quite flat across our sample. Within galactocentric distances of 0.2r₂₅, the azimuthally averaged ${\mathit{}}_{12/13}$increases with the star formation rate. However, Spearman rank correlation tests show the azimuthally averaged ${\mathit{}}_{12/13}$does not strongly correlate with any other gas or stellar properties in general, especially beyond 0.2r₂₅from the galaxy centers. Our findings suggest that in the complex environments in galaxy disks, ${\mathit{}}_{12/13}$is not a sensitive tracer for ISM properties. Dynamical disturbances, like galaxy interactions or the presence of a bar, also have an overall impact on ${\mathit{}}_{12/13}$, which further complicates the interpretations of ${\mathit{}}_{12/13}$variations. 

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