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Colloquium
Exoplanet atmospheres -- from photochemistry to habitability

Abstract

Exoplanet science is one of the fastest-growing fields in astronomy. It has transitioned from the era of detection to characterization. The sheer diversity of exoplanets broadens our understanding of planetary science and offers profound insights into the evolution of our own world. The observational advancement allows us to probe the atmosphere of giant exoplanets in detail. In this colloquium, I will discuss how we study the makeup of atmospheres using numerical models. As part of the story, I will highlight our recent work on WASP-39 b from the JWST Early Release Science (ERS) program, where we discovered the first observational evidence of photochemistry on an exoplanet in a wonderfully unanticipated way. I will discuss the most common class of planets, known as sub-Neptunes, which curiously find no analogues in our own solar system. In closing, I will provide an outlook on the future prospects of observing and modeling exoplanetary atmospheres.