event
Wednesday 29 Mar 2023: Towards multidimensional inferences of exoplanet atmospheres with JWST
David Grant - University of Bristol
Physics building, 4th floor 14:00-15:00
It is well established that planets exhibit three-dimensional variations in their atmospheric temperatures, abundances, and clouds. Yet exoplanet atmospheres have long been treated as if they are homogeneous, not just in our retrieval models, but in our observations. This is particularly true in transit transmission studies where the light shining through the limb of the planet's atmosphere is measured as an average over the global terminator. In this talk, I will present some of the early observations from JWST. I will describe some of the results from one of the highest resolution modes, NIRSpec G395H, and how this mode can be used to probe exoplanets' carbon and oxygen inventories. I will also describe a method, and ongoing efforts, to create the first spatial map of the terminator of an exoplanet in transmission.
