Aurora Kesseli (Leiden University): "Uncovering the mysteries of giant exoplanets: winds, weather, and chemistry"

Title: Uncovering the mysteries of giant exoplanets: winds, weather, and chemistry

Abstract: The study of exoplanets has revealed a large range of planetary system architectures and contextualizes our place in the universe. Many of the planets that we have detected orbit their host stars significantly closer than Mercury orbits the Sun and so they become tidally locked and have a permanent day and nightsides. In this talk, I will show how high-resolution spectroscopic observations can be used to characterize the chemical compositions of these highly irradiated gas giant planets and investigate the presence of chemical gradients and clouds in their atmospheres. I will also present my ongoing work to spatially map winds that help to redistribute heat from the hot daysides to the cool nightsides. Finally, I will discuss how I plan to extend my work to other types of exoplanets, including smaller Neptune-like planets and directly imaged planets.