Seeing in 3D, modelling the structures of hot exoplanet atmospheres

ABSTRACT

With the launch of JWST, astronomers are preparing to observe hot exoplanet atmospheres with unprecedented precision. With this comes valuable information of the 3D structures, temperatures, wind speeds and chemical compositions of these worlds. In addition to this, recent high-resolution observations have been able to explore in detail the 3D chemical compositions and wind speeds of some exoplanets, providing another area of valuable insight into the nature of these planets.

One of the challenges of contemporary modellers is providing physical interpretations of these data. In this talk I will provide an overview of what 3D information is gleamed from observational data, what can go wrong when assuming 1D atmospheres and efforts to understand the 3D properties of these exoplanets using large scale atmospheric modelling using general circulation models (GCMs). Lastly, I will present some of my recent work using GPU technology to improve 3D radiative-transfer modelling of the atmospheres, including new high-resolution modelling capabilities.