55 Cancri e's occultation captured with CHEOPS
Journal article, 2023
Past occultation and phase-curve observations of the ultra-short period super-Earth 55 Cnc e obtained at visible and infrared wavelengths have been challenging to reconcile with a planetary reflection and emission model. In this study, we analyse a set of 41 occultations obtained over a two-year timespan with the CHEOPS satellite. We report the detection of 55 Cnc e's occultation with an average depth of 12 ± 3 ppm. We derive a corresponding 2Ïà  upper limit on the geometric albedo of Ag < 0.55 once decontaminated from the thermal emission measured by Spitzer at 4.5 μm. CHEOPSâà €à ™ s photometric performance enables, for the first time, the detection of individual occultations of this super-Earth in the visible and identifies short-timescale photometric corrugations likely induced by stellar granulation. We also find a clear 47.3-day sinusoidal pattern in the time-dependent occultation depths that we are unable to relate to stellar noise, nor instrumental systematics, but whose planetary origin could be tested with upcoming JWST occultation observations of this iconic super-Earth.
Planets and satellites: individual: 55 Cnc e
Techniques: photometric
Methods: observational
Author
B.O. Demory
University of Bern
S. Sulis
Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille
E. Meier Valdes
University of Bern
L. Delrez
University of Liège
A. Brandeker
Stockholm University
N. Billot
University of Geneva
A. Fortier
University of Bern
S. Hoyer
University of Bern
S. G. Sousa
University of Porto
Kevin Heng
University of Bern
The University of Warwick
M. Lendl
Stockholm University
A. Krenn
Institut fur Weltraumforschung
University of Geneva
B. M. Morris
University of Bern
J. A. Patel
Stockholm University
Y. Alibert
University of Bern
R. Alonso
University of La Laguna
Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias
G. Anglada
Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC)
Institute of Space Sciences (ICE) - CSIC
T. Bárczy
Admatis
D. Barrado
European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC)
S. C.C. Barros
University of Porto
W. Baumjohann
Institut fur Weltraumforschung
M. Beck
University of Geneva
T. Beck
University of Bern
W. Benz
University of Bern
X. Bonfils
Institut de Planétologie et d’Astrophysique de Grenoble (IPAG)
C. Broeg
University of Bern
M. Buder
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
J. Cabrera
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
S. Charnoz
Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris
A. Collier Cameron
University of St Andrews
H. Cottard
ALMATECH SA
Szilard Csizmadia
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
M. B. Davies
Lund University
M. Deleuil
University of Bern
O. Demangeon
University of Porto
D. Ehrenreich
University of Geneva
Anders Erikson
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
L. Fossati
Institut fur Weltraumforschung
Malcolm Fridlund
Chalmers, Space, Earth and Environment, Astronomy and Plasmaphysics
Leiden University
D. Gandolfi
University of Turin
Michaël Gillon
University of Liège
M. Gudel
University of Vienna
K. Isaak
European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESA ESTEC)
L.L. Kiss
Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE)
Hungarian Academy of Sciences
J. Laskar
Paris Observatory
A. L. des Etangs
Institut d 'Astrophysique de Paris
C. Lovis
University of Geneva
A. Luntzer
University of Vienna
D. Magrin
Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF)
L. Marafatto
Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF)
P. Maxted
Keele University
Valerio Nascimbeni
Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF)
G. Olofsson
Stockholm University
R. Ottensamer
University of Vienna
I. Pagano
Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF)
E. Palle
Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias
G. Peter
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Giampaolo P. Piotto
University of Padua
Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF)
D. Pollacco
The University of Warwick
D. Queloz
University of Cambridge
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich (ETH)
Roberto Ragazzoni
University of Padua
Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF)
N. Rando
European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESA ESTEC)
F. Ratti
European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESA ESTEC)
H. Rauer
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Technische Universität Berlin
Freie Universität Berlin
I. Ribas
Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC)
Institute of Space Sciences (ICE) - CSIC
N. C. Santos
University of Porto
Gaetano Scandariato
Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF)
D. Segransan
University of Geneva
A.E. Simon
University of Bern
A. M.S. Smith
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Manfred B. Steller
Institut fur Weltraumforschung
Gy M. Szabó
Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE)
N. Thomas
University of Bern
S. Udry
University of Geneva
V. Van Grootel
University of Liège
N. A. Walton
University of Cambridge
Astronomy and Astrophysics
0004-6361 (ISSN) 1432-0746 (eISSN)
Vol. 669 A64Subject Categories
Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology
DOI
10.1051/0004-6361/202244894