Speaker: Fabio Lesjak (AIP)

Title: Characterisation of exoplanet atmospheres with high-resolution spectroscopy

Abstract: Similar to the planets in our Solar System, many exoplanets are surrounded by atmospheres that encode key information about their physical and chemical properties. By studying these atmospheres, we can infer their composition, temperature structure, and large-scale circulation patterns. High-resolution spectroscopy plays a crucial role in this effort by resolving individual spectral lines, enabling the robust identification of chemical species and the measurement of atmospheric winds. In the near-infrared, observations of a particular helium absorption feature provide a powerful diagnostic of atmospheric escape, a process through which close-in exoplanets can gradually lose their atmospheres under intense stellar irradiation. In this talk, I will present results from recent high-resolution spectroscopic observations of hot gas giant exoplanets, which are particularly well suited for detailed
atmospheric characterisation. I will demonstrate how state-of-the-art retrieval techniques can be used to probe planetary formation histories, atmospheric wind patterns, and ongoing mass loss.

• Date:
  Jan. 13, 2026, 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
  
  
• Location:

  AIP; Kirch building, Conference room

  
  
• Contact:
  Rainer Arlt
  rarlt@aip.de