Date: Monday 01-Mar-2021
Time: 11:15-12:15
Location: Zoom
Speaker: Jegug Ih (UMD)
Title: Understanding the inverse problem of exoplanetary atmospheric retrievals
In characterizing exoplanets, the transmission, emission, and reflected light spectra of their atmosphere have been the primary observable data. The inverse modeling of these data, or “retrievals”, has allowed for extracting information about the physical properties and processes encoded in the observed atmospheric spectrum. One key problem of using atmospheric retrievals is that, since it relies on physical models that make certain assumptions about the atmosphere, the resulting characterization depends on particularities of the model. An incomplete theoretical model will lead us to draw spurious conclusions about the observed planet. With the launch of James Webb Space Telescope and its first observation just around the corner, it is imperative that we establish what we can accurately deduce from these observations. I will highlight some key work in the literature towards this aim and present my work addressing the issues of instrumental systematics and parametrization in retrievals. I will also discuss comparative planetology as a complementary alternative that overcomes some problems of retrievals.
For further information contact PALS coordinator Dr. Lori Feaga at feaga@astro.umd.edu or (301)-405-1383.
SPECIAL ACCOMMODATIONS:Special accommodations for individuals with disabilities can be made by calling (301) 405-3001. It would be appreciated if we are notified at least one week in advance.
