Events in Physics
Nikolay Nikolov (Exeter)
Atmospheric characterization of hot-Jupiter exoplanets
Results from HST transmission spectral survey
Over the past decade, observations of transits have revolutionized our understanding of exoplanet atmospheres thanks in large part to spectroscopy with the Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes. I will review some of the most recent results from transmission spectroscopy of hot-Jupiter and super-Earth exoplanets, that have contributed to enhance our understanding of these distant worlds. Moreover, I will discuss how the combination of multi-wavelength data sets from different instruments enable us to better understand the atmospheres of gas-giant planets. Furthermore, I will present exciting new results for the atmospheres of WASP-17b, WASP-6b and HAT-P-1b as part of a Large Hubble Space Telescope transmission spectral survey of eight hot Jupiters at wide range of physical properties. Our overall results from the survey suggest that strong optical absorbers and hazes may be a dominant atmospheric features shaping the transmission spectra in some hot-Jupiter exoplanets. I will finally briefly discuss the prospects towards performing transmission spectral surveys from the ground on medium-class telescopes.