Exo-Titans: Exploring Exoplanet Atmospheres through Titan Analogues

自从1992年首次发现系外行星以来，由于开普勒等专门的太空调查，发现的系外行星数量呈指数级增长，已超过5500个。超级地球（质量为地球10倍的行星）是最丰富的，但对它们的性质知之甚少。这些行星通常围绕m矮星运行，m矮星是一种超冷恒星，占恒星总数的75%左右。最近发射的詹姆斯·韦伯太空望远镜（JWST）将带来高质量的系外行星大气数据的新时代，为研究一系列新环境提供了难得的机会。超级地球可能会保留富氢的包裹层，并拥有类似于土星卫星土卫六的还原大气层，土卫六是研究生命前化学的重要实验室。该项目通过模拟类似泰坦的类似物来探索围绕m矮星运行的类地系外行星的大气，目的是利用JWST即将收集的数据来解释关键的大气特征。基于土卫六光化学和动力学的现有模型将得到更新和交叉验证，以研究雾霾形成对系外行星气候和可居住性的辐射影响。对这些“外土卫六”大气进行建模，将为早期地球的缺氧环境提供独特的见解，并通过比较气候学拓宽我们对地球大气和可居住性的理解。

The number of exoplanet discoveries has grown exponentially since the first discovery in 1992 to over 5,500 detections, thanks to dedicated space surveys such as Kepler. Super-Earths (planets up to 10 Earth masses) are the most abundant, yet very little is known about their properties. These planets often orbit M-dwarfs - ultracool stars that make up ~75% of the stellar population. The recent launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will yield a new era of high-quality exoplanetary atmospheric data, offering an exceptional opportunity to study a range of novel environments. Super-Earths may retain hydrogen-rich envelopes and possess reducing atmospheres akin to Saturn's moon, Titan, which serves as an important laboratory for studying prebiotic chemistry. This project explores the atmospheres of terrestrial exoplanets orbiting M-dwarfs through modelling Titan-like analogues with the goal of interpreting key atmospheric features using upcoming data collected by JWST. Existing models based on Titan's photochemistry and dynamics will be updated and cross-validated to study the radiative effects of haze formation on exoplanetary climate and habitability. Modelling these "exo-Titan" atmospheres will unlock unique insights into the anoxic environment of the early Earth and broaden our understanding of the Earth's atmosphere and habitability through comparative climatology.