Process / pipelineAtmospheric characterization

Exoplanet Transmission Spectroscopy

Transmission spectroscopy is a technique for studying the atmospheres of exoplanets by analyzing the light passing through the planetary atmosphere during transit. Pioneered by David Charbonneau in 2002 with the detection of sodium in HD 209458b's atmosphere, this method has become the primary tool for characterizing exoplanet atmospheres and searching for biosignatures.

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Sources

  1. Charbonneau, D., Brown, T. M., Noyes, R. W., & Gilliland, R. L. (2002). Detection of an atmospheric trace constituent in the transmission spectrum of a distant extrasolar planet. Astrophysical Journal, 568(1), 377-384. DOI: 10.1086/338770
  2. Kreidberg, L., et al. (2014). A precise water abundance measurement for the hot Jupiter WASP-43b. Astrophysical Journal Letters, 793(2), L15. DOI: 10.1088/2041-8205/793/2/L15
  3. Sing, D. K., et al. (2016). The atmospheric circulation of hot Jupiters. Nature, 529(7584), 59-62. DOI: 10.1038/nature16068

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Referenced by

ScholarGateExoplanet Transmission Spectroscopy (Transmission Spectroscopy for Exoplanet Atmosphere Characterization). Retrieved 2026-06-04 from https://scholargate.app/en/astronomy/exoplanet-transmission-spectroscopy