Abstract:Photochemical hazes are a common occurrence in exo-planetary atmospheres. However, the lack of comprehensive, self-consistent studies hinder our understanding of their interpretation of observations, potentially introducing significant biases in retrieved atmospheric properties. I will present a 3D framework which the impact of hazes for both rocky planets and gas giants using the UK Met Office Unified Model. I reveal that haze can enhance the habitability of rocky planets, and explore implications for future missions e.g., the Habitable World Observatory and Large Interferometer for Exoplanets. I also demonstrate the impact of hazes on the dynamical and chemical structure of hot Jupiter atmospheres, and how these shape observations comparing to existing, and ongoing JWST programmes I am involved in. Finally, I introduce a novel framework for diagnosing the presence of hazes in hot Jupiters using limb asymmetry, offering a computationally efficient alternative to full 3D simulations in planning of observations.
Bio: Dr. Mei Ting Mak is an astrophysicist specialising in aerosols in planetary atmospheres and exoplanetary climate modelling. She is currently a Croucher Fellow based at the University of Oxford, developing and applying cutting-edge haze schemes in a state-of-the-art 3D model to study the radiative impact of haze on habitability and observability ranging from rocky planets to hot-Jupiters. Previously, she secured the prestigious Bell Burnell Graduate Scholarship Fund by independently developing a research proposal to investigate the role of haze in exoplanetary atmospheres for her PhD.