Speaker
Ray Jayawardhana
Description
Remote sensing of distant worlds, across tens or even
hundreds of light-years, to pin down their characteristics
ain't no easy task. The whopping brightness contrast
between the glaring suns and their faint planetary
embers makes it particularly difficult. Yet, despite
daunting hurdles, astronomers have begun measuring
physical properties of alien worlds in earnest: in other
words, the era of "comparative exoplanetology" is here.
Planets caught in transit and those imaged directly are
best suited for detailed characterization. I will review
how we can determine not only the masses and orbital
parameters of exoplanets but in some cases also learn
about their bulk composition, day- and night-side
temperatures, and upper atmospheres. I will discuss
how we might adopt similar techniques to target
terrestrial planets with a view to assessing their
habitability and to search for biosignatures.
