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Exoplanet atmospheres: A theoretical outlook

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 November 2011

Sara Seager
Sara Seager*
Affiliation:
Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02139 email, seager@mit.edu
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Abstract

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With over two dozen exoplanet atmospheres observed today, the field of exoplanet atmospheres is solidly established. The highlights of exoplanet atmosphere studies include: detection of molecular spectral features; constraints on atmospheric vertical temperature structure; detection of day-night temperature gradients; and a new numerical approach to atmosphere temperature and abundance retrieval. As hot Jupiter observations and interpretation are maturing, the next frontier is super Earth atmospheres. Theoretical models of super Earth atmospheres are moving forward with observational hopes pinned on the James Webb Space Telescope, scheduled for launch in 2014. Further in the future lies direct imaging attempts to answer the enigmatic and ancient question, “Are we alone?” via atmospheric biosignatures.

Keywords

astrobiologyplanetary systemstechniques: photometric
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 6 , Symposium S276: The Astrophysics of Planetary Systems: Formation, Structure, and Dynamical Evolution , October 2010 , pp. 198 - 207
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2011

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