24 July 2024 | E. C. Matthews1,2, A. L. Carter2, P. Pathak3, C. V. Morley4, M. W. Phillips5, S. Krishnan P. M.6, F. Feng7, M. J. Bonse8,9, L. A. Boogaard1, J. A. Burt10, I. J. M. Crossfield11, E. S. Douglas5, Th. Henning1, J. Hom6, C.-L. Ko6, M. Kasper2, A.-M. Lagrange10, D. Petit dit de la Roche14 & F. Philipot13
The paper reports the discovery of a giant exoplanet, Eps Ind Ab, using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) in the mid-infrared. The planet, located 3.6384 ± 0.0013 pc from its host star, Eps Ind A, is a super-Jupiter with a temperature of approximately 275 K and is significantly brighter at 10.65 and 15.50 μm. Non-detections between 3.5 and 5.0 μm suggest an unknown opacity source in the atmosphere, possibly indicating a high-metallicity, high carbon-to-oxygen ratio planet. The best-fitting temperature of the planet aligns with theoretical thermal evolution models. The data indicate that Eps Ind Ab is likely the only massive planet in the system, despite previous claims of a smaller planet. The planet's properties, including its mass and semimajor axis, are derived from radial-velocity data and astrometry, with a mass of 6.31 ± 0.60 Jupiter masses and a semimajor axis of 28.4 ± 10 astronomical units. The planet's atmosphere is consistent with models that incorporate high metallicity and a carbon-to-oxygen ratio greater than 2.5 solar. The discovery highlights the importance of indirect evidence in targeting direct detection efforts and provides valuable insights into the formation and evolution of exoplanets.The paper reports the discovery of a giant exoplanet, Eps Ind Ab, using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) in the mid-infrared. The planet, located 3.6384 ± 0.0013 pc from its host star, Eps Ind A, is a super-Jupiter with a temperature of approximately 275 K and is significantly brighter at 10.65 and 15.50 μm. Non-detections between 3.5 and 5.0 μm suggest an unknown opacity source in the atmosphere, possibly indicating a high-metallicity, high carbon-to-oxygen ratio planet. The best-fitting temperature of the planet aligns with theoretical thermal evolution models. The data indicate that Eps Ind Ab is likely the only massive planet in the system, despite previous claims of a smaller planet. The planet's properties, including its mass and semimajor axis, are derived from radial-velocity data and astrometry, with a mass of 6.31 ± 0.60 Jupiter masses and a semimajor axis of 28.4 ± 10 astronomical units. The planet's atmosphere is consistent with models that incorporate high metallicity and a carbon-to-oxygen ratio greater than 2.5 solar. The discovery highlights the importance of indirect evidence in targeting direct detection efforts and provides valuable insights into the formation and evolution of exoplanets.