Speaker: Christophe Lovis (Université de Genève)

Title: Characterizing exoplanets with future ground-based instruments

Abstract: The study of exoplanet atmospheres has become a very active field of research. Space-based observatories such as HST and JWST are playing a key role in detecting chemical species and constraining atmospheric structure on these distant worlds, mainly through the technique of transit spectroscopy. Ground-based telescopes are catching up, using high-resolution spectrographs to overcome limitations due to Earth's atmosphere. High spectral resolution gives access to atmospheric dynamics, 3D chemical composition, and the study of star-planet interactions. In this presentation I will review the existing and future observational capabilities to study exoplanet atmospheres, and discuss the prospects of reaching smaller planets in the sub-Neptune and rocky regimes using ground-based instruments. I will specifically highlight the combination of high spectral and spatial resolution to directly observe exoplanets in reflected light, among which potentially habitable worlds like Proxima b. I will describe the capabilities of the upcoming instruments RISTRETTO, ANDES and PCS, which promise to open a new path towards detailed characterization of exoplanets in the near future.

Note: Host: Arto Järvinen

• Date:
  Sept. 18, 2025, 2:30 p.m. – 4 p.m.
  
  
• Location:

  AIP; Kirch building, Conference room

  
  
• Contact:
  Julián Alvarado-Gómez
  julian.alvarado-gomez@aip.de