Developing a vision for exoplanetary transit spectroscopy: a shared window on the analysis of planetary atmospheres and of stellar magnetic structure

Abstract

We describe how the accurate characterization of exoplanetary atmospheres in the ELT and JWST era will inevitably require taking into consideration the stellar inhomogeneities caused by convection and magnetic fields. The existing evidence that demonstrates the mixture of stellar and planetary signatures in observed transiting spectra is presented. Finally, we discuss how to disentangle these two components through a multipronged approach that includes new solar reference spectra, improved MHD modeling, and synergistic collaborations between the communities involved, from solar to stellar and exoplanet astronomers.

Science White Paper submitted to the Astro 2020 Decadal Survey on Astronomy and Astrophysics

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