18 February 2020Inspecting the atmospheres of giant exoplanets with high-resolution spectroscopy

Over the past 20 years, more than 2000 planets beyond our Solar system have been found. Despite the large number of planets found, we have still little knowledge about their atmospheres. In my talk, I will introduce the most robust method to date to measure molecular features and their properties in the exoplanet atmospheres: high-resolution spectroscopy at near-infrared wavelengths. In my research, I focus on the exotic atmospheres of hot Jupiters, i.e. giant planets which are a few stellar radii away from their host stars. We can learn a lot from these studies, as the composition and structure of the atmospheres surrounding these planets provide a fossil record of their primordial origins.