Accessing Atmospheric Properties of Terrestrial Exoplanets: Ground-Based Observations of Rayleigh Scattering and Extended Atmospheres

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This project will develop new techniques for observing atmospheres of extrasolar planets with at the terrestrial planet boundary, the so-called Super-Earths (mass less than 10 Earth masses). The investigators will also observe exoplanets with much higher masses, including those which are near enough to the host star that much of their atmospheres is escaping. They will conduct broadband (low spectral resolution) observations of Rayleigh scattering using multi-object or integral-field instruments, and high-spectral resolution transmission spectroscopy of H-alpha lines in exoplanet targets. They will use various optical and infrared observatories, such as the Keck, WIYN and Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET). Rayleigh scattering is the dominant atmospheric signature of terrestrial planets in the optical, and is considered critical to evaluating infrared observations. The measurements of the emission from two hydrogen lines would provide fundamental physical and morphological measurements that would help explain the mass loss characteristics of some exoplanets. Broader impacts include a public outreach program at McDonald Observatory, and annual teacher professional development workshops in Texas, which incorporate the research and conform to National Science Education Standards. Undergraduate and graduate students and a postdoctoral scholar will also receive research training on this project.