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From spectra to atmospheres: solving the underconstrained retrieval problem for exoplanets

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 January 2014

Joanna K. Barstow ,
Suzanne Aigrain ,
Patrick G. J. Irwin ,
Neil Bowles ,
Leigh N. Fletcher  and
Jae-Min Lee
Joanna K. Barstow
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK email: jo.barstow@astro.ox.ac.uk
Suzanne Aigrain
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK email: jo.barstow@astro.ox.ac.uk
Patrick G. J. Irwin
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK email: jo.barstow@astro.ox.ac.uk
Neil Bowles
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK email: jo.barstow@astro.ox.ac.uk
Leigh N. Fletcher
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK email: jo.barstow@astro.ox.ac.uk
Jae-Min Lee
Affiliation:
Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
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Abstract

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Spectroscopic observations of transiting exoplanets have provided the first indications of their atmospheric structure and composition. Optimal estimation retrievals have been successfully applied to solar system planets to determine the temperature, composition and aerosol properties of their atmospheres, and have recently been applied to exoplanets. We show the effectiveness of the technique when combined with simulated observations from the proposed space telescope EChO, and also discuss the difficulty of constraining a complex system with sparse data and large uncertainties, using the super-Earth GJ 1214b as an example.

Keywords

radiative transfermethods: data analysisplanets and satellites: individual
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 8 , Symposium S299: Exploring the Formation and Evolution of Planetary Systems , June 2013 , pp. 275 - 276
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2013 

References

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