[Baps] BU seminar - Friday - Heather Knutson (Caltech) on exoplanets

[Paul Withers]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	[Csp_seminar] FRIDAY: Heather Knutson (Caltech) Astrophysics &
Space Physics Joint Seminar
Date: 	Mon, 17 Sep 2012 16:14:27 +0000
From: 	Savoie, Alyson L <asavoie at bu.edu>
To: 	announce at skynet.bu.edu <announce at skynet.bu.edu>,
csp_seminar at bu-ast.bu.edu <csp_seminar at bu-ast.bu.edu>, iar at skynet.bu.edu
<iar at skynet.bu.edu>



Astrophysics & Space Physics

Special Joint Seminar

*“Beyond Hot Jupiters: Exploring the Diversity*

*of Exoplanetary Atmospheres”*

**

*Heather Knutson*

*California Institute of Technology*

**

*Friday, September 21, 2012*

*Refreshments at 3:30pm in CAS 500*

*Talk begins at 4:00pm in CAS 502*

Abstract:

Observations of extrasolar planets over the past two decades have
revealed an amazing diversity of systems, with a wide range in masses,
compositions, temperatures, and orbital properties. These alien worlds
provide an invaluable opportunity to study planetary atmospheres beyond
the confines of our own solar system, and to improve our knowledge of
the fundamental processes that shape these atmospheres. In my talk I
will focus on recent progress in three key areas, including global
climate models for short-period gas giant planets, the transition to
methane-dominated chemistry in cooler planetary atmospheres (analogous
to the L-T transition in cool stars), and the search for new low-mass
transiting planets suitable for detailed characterization.

----

Alyson Savoie

Fiscal Administrator

Boston University

Center for Space Physics

Institute for Astrophysical Research

725 Commonwealth Avenue, Room 506

Boston, Massachusetts 02215

Tel: 617-358-0603

Fax:617-353-6463