2026ApJ...997..307G -
Astrophys. J., 997, 307 (2026/February-1)
A Closed-form Analytical Theory of Nonisobaric Transmission Spectroscopy for Exoplanet Atmospheres.
GKOUVELIS L.
Abstract (from CDS):
Analytical models are essential for building physical intuition and guiding the interpretation of exoplanet observations by clarifying the dependencies that shape atmospheric signatures. I present a generalization of the classical isothermal, isobaric transmission model by allowing the opacity to vary with pressure as a power law, κ ∝ P^n^, and explicitly defining the reference opacity κ0 at a chosen pressure P0. By treating the slant optical depth as an Abel transform of the radial absorption coefficient, I derive a closed-form expression for the effective transit radius in a hydrostatic, isothermal atmosphere with pressure-dependent opacity. The solution provides a compact framework for exploring nonisobaric effects and explicitly links the vertical opacity gradient to observable spectral features. I benchmark the model against empirical transmission spectra of Earth and the hot Jupiter WASP-39b, finding a significantly improved fit relative to the isobaric formula. This generalized expression offers a physically interpretable foundation for analyzing high-precision spectra from JWST and upcoming ARIEL observations, and can serve as a basis for semianalytical retrieval approaches optimized for computational efficiency.
Abstract Copyright:
© 2026. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society.
Journal keyword(s):
Analytical mathematics - Exoplanet atmospheres - Transmission spectroscopy - Radiative transfer
Simbad objects:
1
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