The James Webb Space Telescope is now capturing infrared light from planets orbiting distant stars, and this project will turn that raw data into the first three-dimensional maps of exoplanet atmospheres. Nearly 5,000 exoplanets have been discovered, but we know almost nothing about what most of them are actually like. Do they have clouds? Water vapour? Carbon dioxide? Current telescopes cannot see the infrared wavelengths where these key gases leave their fingerprints. Webb can. This project will analyse guaranteed-time observations to build 3D atmospheric maps of a hot Jupiter, measure the composition of aerosols—the particles that form clouds—on other worlds, and determine whether smaller planets have primordial hydrogen-helium atmospheres or secondary ones like Earth’s. This is fundamental science. It will not build a better battery or improve internet speeds. But it will answer a question that has driven astronomy for centuries: are the worlds beyond our solar system fundamentally different from our own, or do they share the same physical and chemical rules? Understanding how atmospheres form and evolve across different planet sizes and temperatures will also help future missions identify which distant worlds are most worth searching for signs of life.
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Exoplanets are at the forefront of public interest in space and have emerged as a leading scientific field of study. With nearly 5,000 worlds now discovered beyond our solar system it is important to not only know that they are there but also to discover their true nature: Do they have an atmosphere and what is it made from? How did they form? Are these worlds like those in our solar system? And ultimately, is life unique to our planet? The recent launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (Webb) marks a new era of exoplanet characterisation providing high precision and resolution spectra in the infrared (IR) beyond the reach of current studies and where key gases like H2O, CO, CO2, and CH4 can be measured. As a member of guaranteed time observations on Webb and through competitively awarded observing programs I have a plethora of data at my disposal. My proposed data analysis an interpretation programme will be crucial to place our habitable world in a Galactic context. This ERC project is broken down into three work packages based on guaranteed data: 1) construct a 3D map of a quintessential hot Jupiter from 0.6-14 micrometre IR transmission and emission observations, 2) make the first direct measurements of aerosol compositions in exoplanet atmospheres, 3) evaluate the transition from primordial to secondary atmospheres over the mini-Neptune/super-Earth radius boundary. These work packages will be supported by four key goals: develop software for high fidelity spectroscopic data reduction, measure and interpret the composition of planetary atmospheres including the effect of aerosols, design methods to resolve the 3D structure of exoplanet atmospheres and use these data to make predictions for future studies and missions. To complete this ambitious project, I will recruit two postdoctoral researchers to my group at the University of Bristol where we will develop tools, techniques, and foundational datasets that will set the stage for exoplanet research in the era of Webb.
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