Abstract: The past decade has marked a period of great progress in our quest to discover and characterize the properties of the planets outside of our own solar system. Observations of transiting systems, in which the planet periodically passes in front of and then behind its star as seen from the earth, have allowed us to study the properties of these distant worlds in unprecedented detail. Most studies to date have focused on a class of close-in, gas-giant planets known as hot Jupiters, which typically have atmospheric temperatures ranging between 1000 and 2000 K, and are expected to be tidally locked. These planets present a considerable challenge for atmosphere models, as they occupy a physical regime that differs significantly from that of the solar system gas giants. In my talk I will discuss some of our initial observations of these unusual planets and our corresponding conclusions about their bulk compositions, atmospheric compositions, temperature profiles, and global circulation patterns. I will then discuss how large ongoing survey programs using the Spitzer Space Telescope will help to resolve some of the questions raised by these early observations and extend them to smaller and cooler planets.

Additional materials: PDF of slides

ExoClimes 2010, Exeter, Tuesday 7^th Sep 2010