Speaker: Neale Gibson (Trinity College Dublin | Dublin, Ireland)

Title: From light curves to alien atmospheres: how to probe the composition, structure and dynamics of transiting planets

Abstract: Thousands of exoplanets have been discovered in the last decades, and their diversity has been truly astounding, posing profound challenges to our understanding of planets and their formation. To truly understand them we need spectra of their atmospheres, which in turn allow us to probe planets’ compositions and temperatures, measure precise abundances, and even understand their 3D structure. Transiting planets allow such measurements via transmission, eclipse and phase curve spectroscopy, and in recent years this area has been revolutionised. This is in part due to JWST which has transformed our ability to measure spectroscopic light curves, but also due to a quieter revolution in ground-based 'Doppler-resolved' spectroscopy. My group focuses on improving observational and modelling techniques that in turn enhance what we can learn from transiting planet observations. I will give an overview of the common techniques used to probe transiting planet atmospheres, discuss some recent developments, and present results ranging from exploring 3D effects in ultra-hot Jupiters to searching for the presence of an atmosphere around a rocky exoplanet. Finally, I will discuss some challenges in extending our current techniques to rocky exoplanets using next-generation facilities such as the E-ELT.

Note: Hosts: Martiño Balboa Costa and Katja Poppenhäger

• Date:
  Feb. 26, 2026, 2 p.m. – 3 p.m.
  
  
• Location:

  AIP; Kirch building, Conference room

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