James Webb Space Telescope Feed Post

Harvard ADS: Transiting Exoplanet Atmospheres in the Era of JWST

Paper abstract: The field of exoplanet atmospheric characterization has recently made considerable advances with the advent of high-resolution spectroscopy from large ground-based telescopes and the commissioning of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). We have entered an era in which atmospheric compositions, aerosol properties, thermal structures, mass loss, and three-dimensional effects can be reliably constrained. While the challenges of remote sensing techniques imply that individual exoplanet atmospheres will likely never be characterized to the degree of detail that is possible for solar system bodies, exoplanets present an exciting opportunity to characterize a diverse array of worlds with properties that are not represented in our solar system. This review article summarizes the current state of exoplanet atmospheric studies for transiting planets. We focus on how observational results inform our understanding of exoplanet properties and ultimately address broad questions about planetary formation, evolution, and diversity. This review is meant to provide an overview of the exoplanet atmospheres field for planetary- and geo-scientists without astronomy backgrounds, and exoplanet specialists, alike. We give special attention to the first year of JWST data and recent results in high-resolution spectroscopy that have not been summarized by previous review articles.