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Chemical modeling of exoplanet atmospheres

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Abstract

The past twenty years have revealed the diversity of planets that exist in the Universe. It turned out that most of exoplanets are different from the planets of our Solar System and thus, everything about them needs to be explored. Thanks to current observational technologies, we are able to determine some information about the atmospheric composition the thermal structure and the dynamics of these exoplanets, but many questions remain still unanswered. To improve our knowledge about exoplanetary systems, more accurate observations are needed and that is why the Exoplanet Characterisation Observatory (EChO) is an essential space mission. Thanks to its large spectral coverage and high spectral resolution, EChO will provide exoplanetary spectra with an unprecedented accuracy, allowing to improve our understanding of exoplanets. In this work, we review what has been done to date concerning the chemical modeling of exoplanet atmospheres and what are the main characteristics of warm exoplanet atmospheres, which are one of the main targets of EChO. Finally we will present the ongoing developments that are necessary for the chemical modeling of exoplanet atmospheres.

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Acknowledgments

O.V. acknowledges support from the KU Leuven IDO project IDO/10/2013 and from the FWO Postdoctoral Fellowship programme. M.A. acknowledges support from the European Research Council (ERC Grant 209622: E3ARTHs). Computer time for this study was provided by the computing facilities MCIA (Mésocentre de Calcul Intensif Aquitain) of the Université de Bordeaux and of the Université de Pau et des Pays de l’Adour.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituut voor Sterrenkunde, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200D, 3001, Leuven, Belgium

    O. Venot

  2. University of Bordeaux, LAB, UMR 5804, 33270, Floirac, France

    M. Agúndez

  3. CNRS, LAB, UMR 5804, 33270, Floirac, France

    M. Agúndez

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  1. O. Venot
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  2. M. Agúndez
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Correspondence to O. Venot.

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Venot, O., Agúndez, M. Chemical modeling of exoplanet atmospheres. Exp Astron 40, 469–480 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10686-014-9406-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10686-014-9406-1

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