Date: Monday 06-March-2023
Time: 11:15-12:15
Location: ATL 1250
Speaker: Adam Langeveld
Title: Investigating trends in transiting exoplanet atmospheres with high-resolution spectroscopy
Abstract: The alkali metal sodium (Na) is one of the most commonly detected chemical species in the upper atmospheres of giant exoplanets. The prevalence and strength of these detections presents an opportunity to search for trends and attempt to answer population-level questions on exoplanetary atmospheres. In this talk, I will report on a homogeneous survey of Na in a diverse sample of transiting exoplanets using high-resolution transmission spectroscopy. We use uniformly measured Na doublet line depths to constrain the atmospheric heights probed by Na observations across the sample. We assess an empirical trend describing the measured atmospheric heights as a function of the planetary bulk properties, and discuss measurements of atmospheric wind velocities. We also present initial results from the ongoing Exoplanets with Gemini Spectroscopy (ExoGemS) survey, which has acquired high-resolution transmission spectra of over 20 exoplanets using GRACES at the Gemini North Observatory. Surveys of this type highlight a promising avenue for using high-resolution transmission spectroscopy to further our understanding of how atmospheric characteristics vary over a diverse sample of exoplanets.
For further information contact PALS coordinators Quanzhi Ye at qye@umd.edu and Tad Komacek at tkomacek@umd.edu.
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.
