A complex structure of escaping helium spanning more than half the orbit of the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-121 b

Journal article

Atmospheric escape of close-in exoplanets, driven by stellar irradiation, influences their evolution, composition, and atmospheric dynamics. The near-infrared metastable helium triplet (10833 Å) has become a key probe of this process, enabling mass loss rate measurements for dozens of exoplanets. Only a few studies, however, have detected absorption beyond transit, supporting the presence of hydrodynamic outflows. None have yet precisely identified the physical extent of the out-of-transit signal, either due to non-continuous or short-duration observations. This strongly limits our ability to measure accurate mass-loss rates and to understand how the stellar environment shapes outflows. Here we present the continuous, full-orbit helium phase-curve observation of an exoplanet: the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-121 b, obtained with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the Near Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS). We detect significant helium absorption at > 3σ over nearly 60% of the orbit, revealing a persistent and large-scale outflow. The signal separates into a dense leading tail moving toward the star and a trailing tail pushed away by stellar irradiation. Both appear to remain collisional far from the planet, implying strong hydrodynamic escape. While qualitatively consistent with theoretical expectations, current models cannot reproduce the full spatial and kinematic structure, limiting precise mass-loss estimates. These results demonstrate JWST’s ability to map exoplanet outflows in detail and highlight its synergy with ground-based spectroscopy.

Authors: Allart, R; Coulombe, L; Carteret, Y; Splinter, J; Dang, L

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Nature Research
• Journal: Nature Communications
• Volume: 16
• Issue: 1
• Article number: 10822
• Publication date: 2025-12-08
• Acceptance date: 2025-11-10
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-66628-5
• EISSN: 2041-1723
• ISSN: 2041-1723
• Language: English