Recent Results:
UV Absorption by Silicate Cloud Precursors in Ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-178b
NEW in Nature: We've detected one of the largest spectral features ever measured in an exoplanet: NUV absorption by silicate cloud precursors. Reaching nearly 20 equilibrium scale heights above the optical contiuum, absorption by refractory species like SiO, Mg, and Fe indicate that WASP-178b has an atmosphere too hot for silicate clouds to condense. We can compare WASP-178b with HAT-P-41b to constrain the onset of silicate condensation to be between equilibrium temperatures of 1,950 and 2,450 K. Nature
A New Window into Planet Formation and Migration: Refractory-to-Volatile Elemental Ratios in Ultra-hot Jupiters
We introduce the idea of using the menagerie of atomic detections in ultra-hot Jupiters to measure refractory and volatile elemental abundances, enabling the exploration of exoplanetary rock-to-ice ratios to trace planet formation and migration. ADS
Brown Dwarfs Irradiated by White Dwarfs: Analogues for Hot and Ultra-hot Jupiters
We investigate the unique atmospheres of short-period brown dwarfs that experience the intense UV irradiation of white dwarf hosts. Using self-consistent and retrieval models, we explore how these objects are both similar and distinct from their lower-mass exoplanet cousins. ADS
UV Transit Spectral Features as Probes of Metals and Rainout
We explore how atomic metals and molecules like SiO shape the short-wavelength transit spectrum of hot Jupiters. When we include a comprehensive list of opacity sources, we can explain the large UV and blue transit depths of several ultra-hot Jupiters. ADS
PETRA: The PHOENIX Exoplanet Retrieval Algorithm
We developed a retrieval framework around the widely-used and well-tested PHOENIX atmosphere model. PETRA is capable of retrieving atmospheric properties from observations of all kinds of sub-stellar and stellar objects. ADS
How do ultra-hot Jupiters vary between host stars?
We find that ultra-hot Jupiters around early-type host stars will have much larger temperature inversions compared to
planets around later-type host stars. We also futher quantify which species are heating up ultra-hot Jupiter atmospheres (Spoiler: its neutral and singly-ionized iron!). ADS
What are the atmospheres of ultra-hot Jupiters like?
Jovian planets exceeding 2000K begin to exhibit some properties only seen in stars (e.g., H- opacity). We present some of the first fully self-consistent models of these hot planets, including KELT-9b at ~4500 K. We find that inversions in these planets will be common, regardless of the presence of TiO and VO. ADS
The HST/STIS optical transmission spectrum of warm-Neptune GJ 436b.
We observed GJ 436b, a JWST GTO target, with HST/STIS. The planet's spectrum is consistent with NIR observations implying a cloudy or high metallicity atmosphere. We find an unexplained jump in the transit spectrum at 0.8 microns in the transit spectrum of several sub-Jovian exoplanets. We also measure the host stars rotation period and activity cycle. ADS
Three isotopes of CO in a M-dwarf binary indicate SNe enrichment.
In a study led by Prof. Ian Crossfield, we measured 12C16O, 13C16O, and 12C18O in GJ 745AB. The resulting isotopic ratios suggest the binary was significantly enriched by a nearby core-collapse supernovae. I constructed the stellar atmosphere models for the isotopic detections and measurements. ADS
