Exo-Titans: Exploring Exoplanet Atmospheres through Titan Analogues

The number of exoplanet discoveries has grown exponentially since the first discovery in 1992 to over 5,500 detections, thanks to dedicated space surveys such as Kepler. Super-Earths (planets up to 10 Earth masses) are the most abundant, yet very little is known about their properties. These planets often orbit M-dwarfs - ultracool stars that make up ~75% of the stellar population.

The recent launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will yield a new era of high-quality exoplanetary atmospheric data, offering an exceptional opportunity to study a range of novel environments.

Super-Earths may retain hydrogen-rich envelopes and possess reducing atmospheres akin to Saturn's moon, Titan, which serves as an important laboratory for studying prebiotic chemistry.

This project explores the atmospheres of terrestrial exoplanets orbiting M-dwarfs through modelling Titan-like analogues with the goal of interpreting key atmospheric features using upcoming data collected by JWST.

Existing models based on Titan's photochemistry and dynamics will be updated and cross-validated to study the radiative effects of haze formation on exoplanetary climate and habitability.

Modelling these "exo-Titan" atmospheres will unlock unique insights into the anoxic environment of the early Earth and broaden our understanding of the Earth's atmosphere and habitability through comparative climatology.