skip to main content
Caltech

DIX Planetary Science Seminar

Tuesday, November 30, 2021
4:00pm to 5:00pm
Add to Cal
Arms 155 (Robert P. Sharp Lecture Hall)
Fresh ways to observe evolving exoplanet atmospheres
Jess Spake, Postdoctoral Scholar Research Associate, Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology,

I'm interested in developing new methods to observe exoplanet atmospheres, and test their use in answering questions that are difficult to answer more directly. For example, what is the mass-loss history for a given planet? How strong is its magnetic field? How has its interior temperature evolved over time? For most of the talk I'll be discussing atmospheric escape, which is a vital process in planetary evolution. I'll present the potential new atmospheric physics we can learn with observations of helium in escaping atmospheres. I'll also briefly share an upcoming project in which we will use observations of exoplanet atmospheres with the James Webb Space Telescope to try and constrain the evolution of planetary interiors.

For more information, please contact Maria Camarca by email at [email protected].