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SUMMARY:Transmission spectroscopy of hot gas giant atmospheres - Tom Evans
  (Exeter)
DTSTART:20160302T160000Z
DTEND:20160302T170000Z
UID:TALK63351@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Dr B.-O. Demory
DESCRIPTION:Transmission spectroscopy observations allow us to probe the c
 ompositional makeup of transiting exoplanet atmospheres. Hot gas giants ar
 e ideal targets for such observations\, due to their extended atmospheric 
 scale heights\, strong absorption features and frequent transits. The numb
 er of measured transmission spectra has now increased to a point where we 
 can make the first tentative attempts at comparative planetology by scruti
 nising trends in the overall population. Results to date reveal a diversit
 y of atmosphere types ranging from clear to cloudy\, although the chemistr
 y and physics of the putative aerosols remain largely unknown. Thermal emi
 ssion measurements also imply a distinction between atmospheres with a the
 rmal inversion (stratosphere) and those without\, with the cause of this d
 ifference not yet understood. In this context\, I will present new HST obs
 ervations for the extreme planet WASP-121b\, an ultra-hot gas giant in a p
 olar orbit just beyond the Roche limit.
LOCATION:Martin Ryle Seminar Room\, Kavli Institute
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