Scientific program 04

Planetary atmospheres

Characterizing atmospheric chemistry, transport, aerosol formation, isotopic fractionation, climate relevance, and habitability across planets, moons, and exoplanets.

Program overview

Scientific rationale

The laboratory develops and integrates chemical models for planetary atmospheres, with research spanning sulfur chemistry on Venus, organic and particulate formation on Titan, photochemistry in exoplanet atmospheres, and processes on icy outer-solar-system bodies.

The chemical scope includes gas-phase reactions and heterogeneous chemistry in ice, allowing atmospheric and surface processes to be considered within a common mechanistic framework.

Research questions

Questions guiding the program

How do photochemical networks determine atmospheric composition and observable spectra?
What controls haze and complex organic synthesis in reducing atmospheres?
How do transport and chemistry interact in vertically structured planetary atmospheres?
Which chemical environments are relevant to climate, atmospheric evolution, and habitability?

Selected publications