Detectable Abundance of Cyanoacetylene (HC$_3$N) Predicted on Reduced Nitrogen-Rich Super-Earth Atmospheres

2021 
We predict that cyanoacetylene (HC$_3$N) is produced photochemically in the atmosphere of GJ 1132 b in abundances detectable by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), assuming that the atmosphere is as described by Swain et al. (2021). First, we construct line list and cross-sections for HC$_3$N. Then we apply these cross-sections and the model atmosphere of Swain et al. (2021) to a radiative transfer model in order to simulate the transmission spectrum of GJ 1132 b as it would be seen by JWST, accounting for the uncertainty in the retrieved abundances. We predict that cyanoacetylene features at various wavelengths, with a clear lone feature at 4.5 $\mu$m, observable by JWST after four transits. This feature persists within the $1-\sigma$ uncertainty of the retrieved abundances of HCN and CH$_4$.
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