English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Free Plan

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

The near-term search for life beyond the solar system currently focuses ontransiting planets orbiting small M dwarfs, and the challenges of detectingsigns of life in their atmospheres. However, planets orbiting white dwarfs(WDs) would provide a unique opportunity to characterize rocky worlds. Thediscovery of the first transiting giant planet orbiting a white dwarf, WD1856+534b, showed that planetary-mass objects can survive close-in orbitsaround WDs. The large radius ratio between WD planets and their host rendersthem exceptional targets for transmission spectroscopy. Here, we explore themolecular detectability and atmospheric characterization potential for anotional Earth-like planet, evolving in the habitable zone of WD 1856+534, withthe James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). We establish that the atmosphericcomposition of such Earth-like planets orbiting WDs can be precisely retrievedwith JWST. We demonstrate that robust > 5$\sigma$ detections of H$_2$O andCO$_2$ can be achieved in a 5 transit reconnaissance program, while thebiosignatures O$_3$ + CH$_4$, and O$_3$ + N$_2$O can be detected to > 4$\sigma$in as few as 25 transits. N$_2$ and O$_2$ can be detected to > 5$\sigma$ within100 transits. Given the short transit duration of WD habitable zone planets (~2 minutes for WD 1856+534), conclusive molecular detections can be achieved ina small or medium JWST transmission spectroscopy program. Rocky planets in theWD habitable zone therefore represent a promising opportunity to characterizeterrestrial planet atmospheres and explore the possibility of a second genesison these worlds.

The White Dwarf Opportunity: Robust Detections of Molecules in Earth-like Exoplanet Atmospheres with the James Webb Space Telescope