The Search for Habitable Exoplanets: From the James Webb Space Telescope to the future Habitable Worlds Observatory

Dr. Kevin France
Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences, University of Colorado at Boulder

The discovery of thousands of planets orbiting stars beyond the solar system has fundamentally shifted our view of Earth's place in the Universe, has captivated the public imagination, and has transformed research priorities in astrophysics. We are now actively searching for atmospheres on temperate, terrestrial planets, and are developing the technical tools to find and characterize "Earth-2.0". The goal of understanding the frequency and diversity of habitable (and inhabited) planets requires multiple techniques for exoplanetary observation and a detailed understanding of the evolving stellar environments in which they live.

In this talk, I will present an overview of the multiple paths in our search for inhabited planets, from current efforts to find temperate planets with stable atmospheres around red dwarf stars with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to future detection of true Earth-Sun analogs with NASA's upcoming Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO). I will summarize recent progress and open questions in understanding the key parameters that influence exoplanet atmospheres, focusing on results from JWST and observational and experimental work at ultraviolet wavelengths to characterize the stellar photons and coronal mass ejections that shape rocky planets. I will then present an overview of the upcoming HWO mission, current opportunities for international collaboration with the mission development, and the path to launch in the ~2040 timeframe.

Conference Hall (2nd floor/ Research and Administration Building A),　Via Zoom