Ground-based spectroscopy of the exoplanet XO-2b

We find that interpretation of the data is highly sensitive to time-varying translations along the detector, which change according to wavelength and differ between the target and reference star. It was necessary to employ a time-dependent cross-correlation to align our wavelength bins and correct for atmospheric differential refraction. This approach allows us to resolve the wings of the Na line across five wavelength bins at a resolution of ~1.6 nm and limit the abundance of Na.

We obtain consistent results from each telescope with an Na amplitude of 521+/-161 and 403+/-186 ppm for GMOS and KOSMOS, respectively. The results are analyzed with a radiative transfer model that includes the effects of ionization. The data are consistent with a clear atmosphere between ~1 and 100 mbar that establishes a lower limit on Na at 0.4_-0.3_^+2^ ppm ([Na/H]=-0.64_-0.6_^+0.78^), consistent with solar.

However, we cannot rule out the presence of clouds at ~10 mbar that allow for higher Na abundances, which would be consistent with the stellar metallicity measured for the host star ([Na/H]=0.485+/-0.043).