JWST transmission spectra of WASP-121b

Here, we present and analyze WASP-121 b's transmission spectrum observed with NIRSpec G395H on board the James Webb Space Telescope and find evidence for the thermal dissociation of H2O and H2 on the planet's permanent dayside. Additionally, we detect SiO at a statistical significance of 5.2{sigma}, which is compatible with chemical equilibrium in the atmosphere.

Constraining the abundance of SiO and abundance ratios between silicon and volatile atoms in WASP-121 b's atmosphere could help discriminate between possible migration histories of the planet. The three-dimensional nature of thermal dissociation on WASP-121 b's dayside and of recombination on its nightside, however, poses a challenge to constraining molecular abundances and elemental abundance ratios from the transmission spectrum.