event
Wednesday 06 Apr 2016: Seminar: Cold, Cloudy, and Hazy: Some New Results on Cool Substellar Atmospheres
Dr Mark Marley - NASA AMES Research Center
Physics, 4th floor 14:00-15:00
Brown dwarfs and extrasolar planets, both first discovered over two decades ago, have atmospheres sculpted by various chemical transitions and the condensation of multiple atmospheric species. Because of the ease of observation and the characteristics of the discovered objects, much of the research to date has focused on characterizing the atmospheres of the warmer members of both categories of objects, especially the L dwarfs and the hot, transiting Jupiters. In my talk I will present highlights of several of our group’s ongoing observational and theoretical research on cooler and even very cold planets and brown dwarfs. These worlds exhibit an interesting mix of properties, including the condensation of alkali, water, and even methane clouds and the formation of sulfurous hazes.