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Published September 10, 2017 | Submitted + Published
Journal Article Open

How Does the Shape of the Stellar Spectrum Affect the Raman Scattering Features in the Albedo of Exoplanets?

Abstract

The diagnostic potential of the spectral signatures of Raman scattering, imprinted in planetary albedo spectra at short optical wavelengths, has been demonstrated in research on planets in the solar system, and has recently been proposed as a probe of exoplanet atmospheres, complementary to albedo studies at longer wavelengths. Spectral features caused by Raman scattering offer insight into the properties of planetary atmospheres, such as the atmospheric depth, composition, and temperature, as well as the possibility of detecting and spectroscopically identifying spectrally inactive species, such as H2 and N2, in the visible wavelength range. Raman albedo features, however, depend on both the properties of the atmosphere and the shape of the incident stellar spectrum. Identical planetary atmospheres can produce very different albedo spectra depending on the spectral properties of the host star. Here we present a set of geometric albedo spectra calculated for atmospheres with H_2/He, N_2, and CO_2 composition, irradiated by different stellar types ranging from late A to late K stars. Prominent albedo features caused by Raman scattering appear at different wavelengths for different types of host stars. We investigate how absorption due to the alkali elements sodium and potassium may affect the intensity of Raman features, and we discuss the preferred strategies for detecting Raman features in future observations.

Additional Information

© 2017 American Astronomical Society. Received 2017 May 18; revised 2017 August 8; accepted 2017 August 11; published 2017 September 5. A.O. acknowledges support from an Institute for Theory and Computation Fellowship. A.O. and C.M.H. were supported by NASA, the U.S. Department of Energy, the David & Lucile Packard Foundation, and the Simons Foundation. K.H. acknowledges support from the Swiss National Science Foundation, the PlanetS NCCR, and the MERAC Foundation. Software: disort (Stamnes et al. 1988).

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Published - Oklopčić_2017_ApJ_846_91.pdf

Submitted - 1708.04243.pdf

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August 19, 2023
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