Temperate sub-Neptune and terrestrial exoplanets could contain large inventories of water in various phases, such as water-dominated atmospheres or even oceans. Observations have shown that many exoplanets, including water worlds, […]
PICASO
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Brown Dwarfs, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
PICASO 4.0: Clouds And Photochemistry In Climate Models Of Brown Dwarfs And Exoplanets
We present a major update to the open-source atmospheric modeling package PICASO, designed for simulating the thermal structure and spectra of hydrogen-rich atmospheres of brown dwarfs and exoplanets.
![The best-fit PICASO retrieval temperature-pressure (TP) profile is plotted as a solid blue line with the temperature-pressure knots indicated in solid blue circles. The light blue shaded region indicates the 3σ confidence interval of the retrieved TP profiles. The tightly constrained TP profiles in the 1–10 bar range match with the peak of the 3–5 µmcontribution function plotted in the right panel. The retrieved TP profile based on MIRI-LRS 5–11.7 µmspectrum in Voyer et al. (2025) is plotted in solid purple along with the 3σ uncertainty plotted as light-purple shaded region. The condensation curves of H2O, Na2S, and KCl at solar metallicity are plotted with blue, orange, and green dashed lines respectively. For reference, the solid black line shows the TP profile of the best-fit Elf Owl grid model ([M/H] = -1, C/O = 1.5, log(g) = 3.23, log(Kzz) = 7, Teff= 350 K). Right panel: The contribution function map of the best-fit PICASO retrieval results shows that most of the 3–5 µmflux is emitted from 0.1–10 bar region. -- astro-ph.EP](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/JWST-Spectral-Retrieval.png?resize=1200%2C719&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release
JWST Spectral Retrieval Of Cold Directly Imaged Planet WD0806 b And The First
WD0806 b is a rare exoplanet companion orbiting a white dwarf, currently with a projected orbital distance of 2500 au. The Spitzer mid-IR photometry suggests that the temperature is as […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
The Role of Intrinsic Temperature and Vertical Mixing in Characterizing Sub-Neptune Atmospheres
Sub-Neptune planets are often modeled with a dense rocky or metal-rich interior beneath a thick hydrogen/helium (H/He) atmosphere; though their bulk densities could also be explained by a water-rich interior […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
The Impact Of Organic Hazes And Graphite On The Observation Of CO2-rich Sub-Neptune Atmospheres
Many sub-Neptune and super-Earth exoplanets are expected to develop metal-enriched atmospheres due to atmospheric loss processes such as photoevaporation or core-powered mass loss.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Habitable Zones, Ice Giant, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Neptune, Status Report
Effects of Planetary Parameters on Disequilibrium Chemistry in Irradiated Planetary Atmospheres: From Gas Giants to Sub-Neptunes
A primary goal of characterizing exoplanet atmospheres is to constrain planetary bulk properties, such as their metallicity, C/O ratio, and intrinsic heat. However, there are significant uncertainties in many aspects […]