Speaker：Prof. James S. Jenkins (Universidad Diego Portales)
Location：Lecture Hall, 3rd floor
Time：3:00pm, Jan. 22th, Monday
Tencent Meeting：576-157-8290 password: 6360

Abstract：

In this talk I will discuss our efforts to better understand the nature of the Neptunian Desert, one of the features most prominent in the radius-period-mass diagram for exoplanets.  Large-scale transit surveys, coupled with follow-up radial-velocity measurements, have revealed a large population of hot, rocky super-Earths orbiting very close to their host stars (orbital periods < 4 days), adding to the already known population of hot Jupiters.  However, it quickly became apparent that there exists very few Neptunes at the same orbital periods, giving rise to the Neptune Desert.  Models that incorporate photoevaporation and planet migration go a long way to explaining this feature, yet other processes may be at play, particularly for those with the shortest orbital periods, Tidal Disruption or Roche Lobe Overflow for example.  I will explain our efforts to discover new hot Neptunes located in the Desert, and our follow-up programs to understand their atmospheric chemistries and physical processes, providing ways to unlock their formation and evolution histories.  I will focus mostly on the LTT9779 system, arguably the best laboratory we have for studying the atmosphere of a Desert Neptune, showcasing results from ground- and space-based facilities that we have used to gain a deeper insight into the Neptune Desert.

CV：

Bio can be found: http://www.newworldslab.com/