TESS Phase Curve of the Hot Jupiter WASP-19b

Abstract

We analyze the phase curve of the short-period transiting hot Jupiter system WASP-19, which was observed by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) in Sector 9. WASP-19 is one of only five transiting exoplanet systems with full-orbit phase curve measurements at both optical and infrared wavelengths. We measure a secondary eclipse depth of 470[subscript -110][superscript +130] ppm and detect a strong atmospheric brightness modulation signal with a semiamplitude of 319 ± 51 ppm. No significant offset is detected between the substellar point and the region of maximum brightness on the dayside. There is also no significant nightside flux detected, which is in agreement with the nightside effective blackbody temperature of 1090[subscript -250][superscript +190] derived from the published Spitzer phase curves for this planet. Placing the eclipse depth measured in the TESS bandpass alongside the large body of previous values from the literature, we carry out the first atmospheric retrievals of WASP-19b's secondary eclipse spectrum using the SCARLET code. The retrieval analysis indicates that WASP-19b has a dayside atmosphere consistent with an isotherm at T = 2240 ± 40 K and a visible geometric albedo of 0.16 ± 0.04, indicating significant contribution from reflected starlight in the TESS bandpass and moderately efficient day–night heat transport.