Exploration of Exoplanet Atmospheres with the James Webb Space Telescope

arXiv:2608.05885 · astro-ph.EP, astro-ph.IM · Submitted 2026-08-06 · Read on arXiv

Exeter · JHU

astro-ph.EP, astro-ph.IM

Submitted: 2026-08-06

Updated: 2026-09-04

Comments: Review article for Contemporary Physics (in press) on JWST's characterization of exoplanets. 47 pages, 11 figures, 335 References. Comments welcome. This article may be especially useful for researchers new to JWST, and our community may be particularly interested in the Tables listing transiting exoplanets as well as directly imaged objects observed so far with JWST

Project page: https://ers-transit.github.io

License: http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/

Terminology

• Transmission spectroscopy — 26× in this paper · explained in 2 episodes
• Abundance — 18× in this paper · explained in 1 episode
• Metallicity — 12× in this paper · explained in 3 episodes
• Aperture — 11× in this paper · explained in 1 episode
• James Webb Space Telescope — 10× in this paper
• Hubble Space Telescope — 7× in this paper
• JWST Early Release Science — 7× in this paper
• Core — 6× in this paper · explained in 2 episodes
• Calibration — 5× in this paper · explained in 7 episodes
• Adam — 3× in this paper · explained in 2 episodes
• Benchmark — 3× in this paper · explained in 2 episodes
• Microlensing — 3× in this paper · explained in 2 episodes
• Aperture Masking Interferometry — 2× in this paper
• Fidelity — 2× in this paper · explained in 2 episodes
• Trace — 2× in this paper · explained in 2 episodes
• Active Regions — 1× in this paper · explained in 1 episode
• Aligned Orbit — 1× in this paper · explained in 1 episode
• Degeneracy — 1× in this paper · explained in 3 episodes
• Fine-Tuning — 1× in this paper · explained in 5 episodes
• Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers — 1× in this paper
• Spectral Signature — 1× in this paper · explained in 2 episodes
• Volume Mixing Ratios — 1× in this paper

Sources

• Observational Techniques With Transiting Exoplanetary Atmospheres
• JWST-TST DREAMS: Sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere of the Neptune-mass planet HAT-P-26 b from NIRSpec G395H transmission spectroscopy
• The Library of Exoplanet Atmospheric Composition Measurements: Population Level Trends in Exoplanet Composition with ExoComp
• JWST NIRSpec finds no clear signs of an atmosphere on TOI-1685 b
• The JWST Early Release Science Program for Direct Observations of Exoplanetary Systems. VII. Molecular Mapping Performance with JWST/MIRI MRS: VHS 1256 b as a case study
• Image reconstruction with the JWST Interferometer
• AMIGO: a Data-Driven Calibration of the JWST Interferometer
• A second visit to Eps Ind Ab with JWST: new photometry confirms ammonia and suggests thick clouds in the exoplanet atmosphere of the closest super-Jupiter
• Statistical trends in JWST transiting exoplanet atmospheres
• Cloudy mornings and clear evenings on a gas giant exoplanet
• JWST Reveals CH$_4$, CO$_2$, and H$_2$O in a Metal-rich Miscible Atmosphere on a Two-Earth-Radius Exoplanet
• Diversity in the haziness and chemistry of temperate sub-Neptunes
• Bayesian Model Comparison and Significance: Widespread Errors and how to Correct Them
• A Comprehensive Reanalysis of K2-18 b's JWST NIRISS+NIRSpec Transmission Spectrum
• Challenges in the detection of gases in exoplanet atmospheres
• A water-rich interior in the temperate sub-Neptune K2-18 b revealed by JWST
• A Thick Volatile Atmosphere on the Ultrahot Super-Earth TOI-561 b
• JWST COMPASS: Insights into the Systematic Noise Properties of NIRSpec/G395H From a Uniform Reanalysis of Seven Transmission Spectra
• JWST TRAPPIST-1 e/b Program: Motivation and first observations
• Report of the Working Group on Strategic Exoplanet Initiatives with HST and JWST

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