Related papers: Constraining the atmosphere of GJ 1214b using an o…
Determining whether temperate rocky exoplanets orbiting M stars retain atmospheres is currently a central goal of exoplanet astronomy. To this end, the James Webb Space Telescope has begun searching for atmospheres on these worlds with MIRI…
Aims. We aim to identify the presence of atomic and molecular species in the upper atmosphere of the warm Neptune-sized transiting planet GJ 436 b, which has a radiative equilibrium temperature of 690 K and a mass of 25.4 Earth masses.…
Thermal emission spectra provide key insights into the atmospheric composition and especially the temperature structure of an exoplanet. With broader wavelength coverage, sensitivity and higher resolution, JWST has enabled robust…
Several transiting super-Earths are expected to be discovered in the coming few years. While tools to model the interior structure of transiting planets exist, inferences about the composition are fraught with ambiguities. We present a…
Young transiting exoplanets provide unique opportunities to probe planetary atmospheres during the critical early phases of evolution. HIP 67522 b, a 17 Myr old hot Jupiter with an extraordinarily low bulk density, represents an ideal…
We explore the transmission spectrum of the Neptune-class exoplanet GJ 436b, including the possibility that its atmospheric opacity is dominated by a variety of non- equilibrium chemical products. We also validate our transmission code by…
We investigate the stability of super Earth atmospheres around M stars using a 7-parameter, analytical framework. We construct stability diagrams in the parameter space of exoplanetary radius versus semi-major axis and elucidate the regions…
Sub-Neptune planets with radii smaller than Neptune (3.9 Re) are the most common type of planet known to exist in The Milky Way, even though they are absent in the Solar System. These planets can potentially have a large diversity of…
We develop a method to infer or rule out the presence of an atmosphere on a tidally-locked hot super Earth. The question of atmosphere retention is a fundamental one, especially for planets orbiting M stars due to the star's long-duration…
Understanding the planetary envelope composition of sub-Neptune-type exoplanets is challenging due to the inherent degeneracy in their interior composition scenarios. Particularly, the planetary envelope's H2O/H2 ratio, which can also be…
The complexity of atmospheric retrieval models is largely data-driven and one-dimensional models have generally been considered adequate with current data quality. However, recent studies have suggested that using 1D models in retrievals…
Most exoplanets detected by direct imaging so far have been characterized by relatively hot (> ~1000 K) and cloudy atmospheres. A surprising feature in some of their atmospheres has been a distinct lack of methane, possibly implying…
Direct-imaging searches for planets reveal wide orbit planets amenable to spectroscopy, and their atmospheres represent an important comparison to the irradiated atmospheres of Hot Jupiters. Using AO integral field spectroscopy of 2M1207 b,…
We investigate the physical characteristics of the Solar System's proposed Planet Nine using modeling tools with a heritage in studying Uranus and Neptune. For a range of plausible masses and interior structures, we find upper limits on the…
The Earth occultation technique has broad applications in both astronomy and atmospheric density measurements. We construct the background model during the occultation of the Crab Nebula observed by the Insight-Hard X-ray Modulation…
Despite recent progress in the spectroscopic characterization of individual exoplanets, the atmospheres of key ultra-hot Jupiters (UHJs) still lack comprehensive investigations. These include WASP-178b, one of the most irradiated UHJs known…
GJ1214b is a warm sub-Neptune transiting in front of a nearby M dwarf star. Recent observations indicate the presence of high and thick clouds or haze whose presence requires strong atmospheric mixing. In order to understand the transport…
We propose a new method for retrieving the atmospheric number density profile in the lower thermosphere, based on the X-ray Earth occultation of the Crab Nebula with the Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (\emph{Insight}-HXMT) Satellite. The…
Neptune-size exoplanets are less studied as characterizing their atmospheres presents challenges due to their relatively small radius and atmospheric scale height. As the most common outcome of planet formation, these planets are crucial…
Aims. To create a retrieval framework which encapsulates the 3D nature of exoplanet atmospheres, and to apply it to observed emission phase curve and transmission spectra of hot Jupiter exoplanet WASP-43b. Methods. We present our 3D…