event
Wednesday 25 Mar 2015: Seminar: Weather on extrasolar worlds: Modeling the atmospheric circulation of hot Jupiters and super Earths
Dr Tiffany Kataria - University of Exeter
Physics, 4th floor 14:00-15:00
As observations of transiting exoplanet atmospheres have grown in number and complexity, spanning a larger wavelength range at ever-higher spectral resolution, circulation models continue to be a vital component in their interpretation. Here I will present results from a coupled radiation-circulation model exploring the weather on close-in transiting exoplanets, particularly those that have been heavily characterized by observations. I will illustrate the basic dynamical regime for these planets, and show how the theoretical phase curves, transmission and emission spectra generated from our models can be compared to actual observations to place constraints on the planet’s temperature structure, atmospheric composition, metallicity and potential presence of haze or clouds.
