Seminar: James Webb - Setting the Path for 3D Exoplanetary Atmospheric Characterization
For decades, the limited wavelength coverage and spectral resolution of previous space- and ground-based telescopes provided only partial insights into exoplanetary atmospheres. Using retrieval techniques, we could discuss only global-hemispheric averages and 1D quantities, while the complex 3D atmospheric structure remained elusive, obscured by noisy data. However, with the advent of the James Webb Space Telescope, our ability to uncover the complex 3D makeup of exoplanetary atmospheres has dramatically improved. I will present our latest groundbreaking discoveries related to exoplanetary atmospheres, which far exceed the scientific achievements made using any prior instruments. These revelations strongly suggest that the retrieval approach is ready to employ more realistic 3D atmospheric models. In response to this need, we have developed two advanced methodologies for 3D atmospheric characterization: 1) a GCM-motivated analytic multidimensional temperature scheme for atmospheric retrieval, the first in the field to account for the advection of energy from the day to the nightside, and 2) a methodology that couples eclipse mapping of ingress and egress observations with our prescription for constraining global atmospheric properties. These new techniques enable us to uncover physical properties not yet retrieved for exoplanets and pave the way for comprehensive multidimensional atmospheric characterization of current and future JWST targets.