Exoplanet Climate Infrared Telescope

This meeting will be held via ZOOM only Contact Linda Bergemann (LBergemann@aol.com) for Zoom Meeting link and information.

This talk will be focused on the development and science behind the Exoplanet Climate Infrared Telescope (EXCITE). Despite almost 5000 confirmed exoplanet detections, very little is known about their atmospheres. This includes molecular composition, thermal structure and dynamics. Efforts to characterize exoplanet atmospheres have relied on lengthy, space-based observations to achieve high precision measurements, but EXCITE is a near-infrared spectrograph designed to be flown at stratospheric altitudes on a long duration balloon platform from McMurdo Station in Antarctica. This will make EXCITE the first dedicated instrument for observing exoplanet atmospheres. EXCITE will perform phase-resolved spectroscopy on hot Jupiters throughout entire orbital periods. Also discussed are the benefits of balloon-borne observing with respect to the science return from space-based observatories like James Webb Space Telescope.

My name is Tim Rehm. I received my bachelor's in Physics from Cornell University and am currently a third-year PhD candidate in Physics at Brown University working on exoplanet atmospheres and instrument design for the EXCITE experiment. I’ve been apart of research in 21cm cosmology which included neutral hydrogen intensity mapping in the North Celestial Cap and identifying low-redshift galaxy clusters with Arecibo and the ALFALFA survey. I’ve also been involved in Physics education research with a focus on remodeling introductory physics courses for undergraduate students. I enjoy space, telescopes and teaching.