Abstract

Invited Talk - Plenary

Thursday, 10 September 2026, 09:00   (MW-1801 / virtual plenum)

New Worlds, New Horizons: Emerging Perspectives from Transiting Exoplanet Atmospheres

Jean-Michel Desert
Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam (AIP)

Exoplanet detection surveys over the last thirty years have revealed a huge diversity of planets orbiting other stars— this revolution is fueled by fundamental questions about the place of the planets, or the Earth and the Solar System in the Universe. How do planets form and evolve? What are the key properties of these planets and their atmospheres? Beyond revealing a planet's true nature and climate, its atmosphere provides a fossil record of its primordial origins while controlling its size, appearance, fate, and ultimate habitability. In this context, I present comparative exoplanetology programs that aim at characterising planetary systems transiting nearby stars through the observations of their atmospheres. Our findings on the atmospheric composition and physical properties provide insights into the formation and evolution of planetary systems and enhance our understanding of our own Solar System’s formation. —