Simulating gas giant exoplanet atmospheres with <scp>Exo-FMS</scp>: comparing semigrey, picket fence, and correlated-<i>k</i> radiative-transfer schemes

Violin timbre and the picket fence

Exoplanet Atmospheres and Photochemistry

Over 150 extrasolar planets are known to orbit sun-like stars. A growing number of them (9 to date) are transiting “hot Jupiters” whose physical characteristics can be measured. Atmospheres of two of these planets have already been detected. We summarize the atmosphere detections and useful upper limits, focusing on the MOST albedo upper limit and H exosphere detection for HD209458b as the most...

Radiative Transfer in Inhomogeneous Atmospheres - Numerical Results

The FN method is used to establish accurate numerical results for the albedo and the exit distribution of radiation relevant to an illuminated semi-infinite half space with an exponentially varying albedo for single scattering.

Exoplanet atmospheres: A theoretical outlook

With over two dozen exoplanet atmospheres observed today, the field of exoplanet atmospheres is solidly established. The highlights of exoplanet atmosphere studies include: detection of molecular spectral features; constraints on atmospheric vertical temperature structure; detection of day-night temperature gradients; and a new numerical approach to atmosphere temperature and abundance retrieva...

Radiative Transfer in the Early Atmospheres of Mars and Earth

Introduction: The early climates of Earth and Mars appear to have been relatively warm, despite the existence of a less luminous young Sun [1]. Most attempts at reconciling these apparently contradicting observations rely on atmospheres that are richer in greenhouse gases (GHGs) than the present atmospheres of either planet [2]. The major contribution to most plausible greenhouses is from CO2 a...