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SUMMARY:Characterising Exoplanets from Space: the Search for Cosmic Life -
  Dr. Brice-Olivier Demory (MIT &amp\; Battcock Centre\, Cambridge)
DTSTART:20140603T120000Z
DTEND:20140603T130000Z
UID:TALK51058@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Adrian Barker
DESCRIPTION:In the past ten years\, space-based facilities have propelled 
 exoplanet science to a level far beyond our hopes. I will review recent re
 sults that have contributed to improve our knowledge of hot-Jupiter and su
 per-Earth properties. I will discuss how the combination of datasets from 
 instruments operating at different wavelengths allow us to better understa
 nd the circulation patterns in highly irradiated gas giant atmospheres. I 
 will also describe current progress toward the characterisation of super-E
 arths\, which are planets with masses and radii between those of Neptune a
 nd the Earth. Very little is known about super-Earths that have been disco
 vered so far. Their interiors are largely unconstrained due to composition
 al degeneracies while no super-Earth’s atmosphere has been detected to d
 ate. I will present the results of a new program employing both Kepler and
  Spitzer space telescopes to better understand super-Earths properties\, b
 y combining observations obtained in different wavelength regimes. We find
  that close-in super-Earths have large geometric albedos in the Kepler ban
 dpass\, possibly due to clouds or reflective surfaces. We also find that s
 ome super-Earths initially thought to be volatile-rich exhibit circulation
  patterns matching a rocky composition\, requiring new developments regard
 ing our knowledge of super-Earth interiors. I will finally briefly describ
 e the prospects towards the detection of biosignatures within the next dec
 ade.
LOCATION:MR14\,  Centre for Mathematical Sciences\, Wilberforce Road\, Cam
 bridge
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