National Centre of Competence in Research PlanetS
Gesellschaftsstrasse 6 | 3012 Bern | Switzerland
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Observing exoplanetary atmospheres at high spectral resolution

The observational study of exoplanet atmospheres is a quickly-expanding field that has become the new frontier in exoplanet science. While the space-based Hubble Space Telescope and Spitzer have led the field over the past 10 years, new ground-based opportunities have now emerged. In particular, high-resolution spectroscopy holds promise to detect and resolve planetary spectral lines, which opens the way to studies of atmospheric composition, pressure-temperature profile, presence of clouds/hazes, atmospheric winds and circulation, etc. Within this sub-project we will carry out the following activities:

  • Use data from the state-of-the-art spectrographs HARPS, HARPS-N, ESPRESSO, CRIRES, SPiROU, etc. to start a systematic multi-wavelength approach to exoplanet atmospheres at high spectral resolution. Detection of atomic and molecular species such as Na, K, H2O, CO, CO2, CH4 is feasible with this technique thanks to an optimized line contrast and co-addition of hundreds of individual molecular lines.
  • Participate in the development of new near-IR instrumentation optimized for the study of exoplanet atmospheres, both on the science and software sides, including the future E-ELT instruments.
  • Develop data reduction tools to push visible and near-IR instrumentation to its limits: correction of telluric contamination, calibration of detector effects, etc.
  • Create a database of reduced data products and laboratory data enabling in-depth analysis and cross-comparisons between different techniques and exoplanets, using the DACE platform.

 

Observational tango reveals a Super-Earth

Observational tango reveals a Super-Earth

An international team, including researchers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and the National Research Centre PlanetS, announces the discovery of a new super-Earth around a star slightly cooler than our Sun. Once again, the high-precision spectrograph ESPRESSO – designed and developed under the direction of the UNIGE – has made this discovery possible. The […]

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Fantasy Basel 2025 – Call for volunteers

Fantasy Basel 2025 – Call for volunteers

Dear PlanetS members and associates, Once again, PlanetS will return to Fantasy Basel – the Swiss Comic-con – and we need you! This year marks the 30th anniversary of 51 Peg b discovery, so exoplanets will be our main focus! But rest assured that all of planetary sciences will be represented! The festival will be held […]

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This exoplanet’s extreme climate defies all models

This exoplanet’s extreme climate defies all models

WASP-121b is one of the most studied exoplanets. Known for its extreme conditions—such as clouds of metal vapor—it belongs to the category of ultra-hot Jupiters. To explore its mysteries, an international team of astronomers, including researchers from the University of Geneva’s (UNIGE) Department of Astronomy and the PlanetS National Research Center, combined observations from the […]

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