Forward Modeling Exoplanet Spectra using PICASO
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Natasha Batalha↗
Engineering topics
Natasha Batalha
Publications and source records attributed to Natasha Batalha.
Building access and community standards for opacity data at the onset of next-generation atmosphere observations
The characterization of a diverse set of exoplanet atmosphere observations, ranging from hot gas giants to small temperate rocky worlds, will be one of the legacies of upcoming facilities such as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Our understanding and interpretation of such observations will hinge on our ability to link observations with atmospheric theoretical studies that critically rely on fundamental molecular and atomic opacities. Computing such opacities is a highly non-trivial and inaccessible process which requires several terabytes of available disk space, hours of CPU time per pressure-temperature combination, and requires users to carefully aggregate line lists data from various sources, which limits access and intercomparison of opacity data in the exoplanet community. Here we present MAESTRO (Molecules and Atoms in Exoplanet Science: Tools and Resources for Opacities) an opacity database that can be accessed by the community via a web interface and python API. MAESTRO was built with community input to create a version-controlled opacity database that is easily queryable, includes informative metadata to ensure reproducibility, and exports relevant citations for inclusion in publications. Scheduled for community release in 2022, MAESTRO will prove to be an invaluable community resource in the era of JWST and beyond.
Natasha Batalha↗
Open Science at the Onset of JWST
The characterization of a diverse set of atmospheres, ranging from brown dwarfs to hot gas giants to small temperate rocky worlds will be part of the legacy of JWST and future NASA missions. These technological innovations will enable a plethora of discoveries, unveiling a variety of new chemical and physical regimes that could even point to the first detection of life beyond Earth. However, our ability to fully interpret these results will hinge on how well we can link observations to numerous complex theoretical models that describe, for example, the chemistry and climate. An immediate demonstration of this was executed in the analysis of JWST’s very first exoplanet spectrum. An open collaboration of more than 300 students, postdocs, faculty, and researchers worldwide worked together to analyze the exquisite dataset. The result was the first identification of carbon dioxide in a planet beyond our own Solar System. I will discuss how NASA’s open science guiding principles are centered in our Early Release Science team, supporting an inclusive, transparent, and collaborative scientific process. And ultimately, I will showcase the science that was born from this open process.
Natasha Batalha↗
JWST Time Series Spectra of a Very Rapidly Rotating T-Dwarf
The T7 brown dwarf 2MASS J03480772−6022270 is an extremely rapidly rotating object with a rotation period of only 1.1 hours, the most rapid brown dwarf rotator known to date (Tannock, et al. 2021). This rotation period is close to the dynamical instability limit, providing an extremum test case for the effects of rotation in a brown dwarf atmosphere. This object was observed with the JWST NIRSpec and MIRI instruments as part of the GTO Program 1189 in August, 2022, and included observations over two full rotation periods using the NIRSpec prism mode, as well as higher-resolution spectra over the both the NIRSpec and MIRI wavelength ranges. The sensitivity of the JWST instruments yielded excellent signal-to-noise spectra that will be presented here that deviate significantly from the model predictions.
astronomy↗
Status and Predicted Performance for the AstroPIC Integrated Photonic Coronagraph
Integrated photonics is a promising coronagraph technology option for exoplanet-imaging missions like NASA’s Habitable Worlds Observatory flagship. It is theoretically capable of achieving better performance than traditional bulk-optic coronagraphs because arrays of integrated interferometers can be combined to implement any linear operator. However, photonic coronagraphs require significant maturation to be ready for a space telescope mission. The AstroPIC project is advancing this technology by developing a proof-of-concept integrated photonic coronagraph based on silicon photonic integrated circuit (PIC) technology. Specifically, the AstroPIC program is investigating the impact of a PIC coronagraph on the predicted scientific yield of the upcoming Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) mission concept. In this talk, we will present the current status of the AstroPIC design, including the layout of the most recent PIC. We will also present on the status of simulations that predict the performance of the instrument and feed into scientific yield estimations for HWO Exoploratory Analytic Cases (EACs) 1-3. Finally, we will present the status of the development of a PIC testbed at NASA Ames and results from preliminary PIC laboratory testing at Stanford.
Photonics↗