Physics World Weekly Podcast The Kavli Prize in Astrophysics: meet the 2024 laureates David Charbonneau and Sara Seager
Jun 13, 2024
David Charbonneau, an astrophysicist from Harvard, and Sara Seager from MIT, discuss their groundbreaking work on exoplanets, for which they received the 2024 Kavli Prize in Astrophysics. They explore the incredible diversity of exoplanets, including hot Jupiters and mini-Neptunes, and dive into innovative methods for studying their atmospheres. The conversation highlights the search for biosignatures of life on distant worlds and the future of exoplanet discovery, underscoring the excitement in this rapidly evolving field.
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Studying Exoplanet Atmospheres
- Astronomers study exoplanet atmospheres using light from the host star passing through the planet's atmosphere during transit.
- They also measure thermal emission by comparing star+planet light and star alone when the planet is hidden.
Hot Jupiters vs Rocky Planets Atmospheres
- Hot Jupiters reveal many molecules like water, CO2, and methane due to their large, hot atmospheres.
- Smaller rocky planets have tiny, cold atmospheres that remain challenging to study with current technology.
Unknown Nature of Mini-Neptunes
- Most exoplanets have no analog in the solar system, especially those between Earth and Neptune in size.
- Atmospheric study will reveal their true nature, whether they resemble more Earth or Neptune-like worlds.