Astrophysics Colloquium: What JWST Spectra are Teaching us About Atmospheric Physics

Abstract: One of NASA's primary goals is to observationally characterize exoplanet atmospheres, understand the chemical and physical processes of exoplanets and improve the understanding of the origins of exoplanetary systems. The launch and successful operation of JWST is allowing us to interpret a diverse set of exoplanet atmosphere observations, ranging from hot gas giants to small temperate rocky worlds. Our understanding and interpretation of this full gamut of spectroscopy data has hinged on our ability to link observations accurately and transparently to theoretical models. Our group’s work is observational and theoretical in nature. We strive to understand substellar atmospheres from a population-level perspective in two fundamental ways: 1) by using spectroscopy-based observations to target the full spectrum of substellar atmosphere diversity from rocky worlds to gas giants to brown dwarfs, and 2) by improving theoretical models with high-priority, observationally-motivated new physics. By showcasing our newest theoretical frameworks alongside the data that inspired them, I will demonstrate how this synergy is actively sharpening our vision of the diverse atmospheres inhabiting our galaxy.