Abstract
Characterizing rocky exoplanets is a central endeavor of astronomy, and yet the search for atmospheres on rocky exoplanets has hitherto resulted in either tight upper limits on the atmospheric mass1–3 or inconclusive results4–6. The 1.95-REarth and 8.8-MEarth planet 55 Cnc e, with a predominantly rocky composition and an equilibrium temperature of ~2000 K, may have a volatile envelope (containing molecules made from a combination of C, H, O, N, S, and P elements) that accounts for up to a few percent of its radius7–13. The planet has been observed extensively with transmission spectroscopy14–22, and its thermal emission has been measured in broad photometric bands23–26. These observations disfavor a primordial H2/He-dominated atmosphere but cannot conclusively determine whether the planet has a secondary atmosphere27,28. Here we report a thermal emission spectrum of the planet obtained by JWST’s NIRCam and MIRI instruments from 4 to 12 μm. The measurements rule out the scenario where the planet is a lava world shrouded by a tenuous atmosphere made of vaporized rock29–32, and indicate a bona fide volatile atmosphere likely rich in CO2 or CO. This atmosphere can be outgassed from and sustained by a magma ocean.
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Hu, R., Bello-Arufe, A., Zhang, M. et al. A secondary atmosphere on the rocky Exoplanet 55 Cancri e. Nature (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07432-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07432-x
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