8 papers
Sea Ice as an Origin of Life Location for Hycean and Ocean Worlds
Edouard F. L. Barrier, Nikku Madhusudhan, Frances E. Rigby
Water worlds with potential deep oceans are at the forefront of currently observable exoplanetary habitability. The standard requirements for habitability are the presence of an en…
Transmission Spectrum of the Benchmark Temperate Exo-Neptune TOI-1231 b
Subhajit Sarkar, Nikku Madhusudhan, Lorenzo Pica-Ciamarra +4
The JWST is revolutionizing our understanding of the temperate sub-Neptune population through atmospheric spectroscopy. The nature of these planets remains debated, as their bulk p…
The Mid-Infrared Transmission Spectrum of the Temperate Sub-Neptune TOI-270 d
Måns Holmberg, Nikku Madhusudhan, Martin Binet +3
Observations of temperate sub-Neptunes with JWST have ushered in a new era for atmospheric characterization of small exoplanets. In particular, the MIRI instrument provides a uniqu…
A JWST Transmission Spectrum of the Temperate Sub-Neptune TOI-732 c
Frances E. Rigby, Nikku Madhusudhan, Subhajit Sarkar +3
In recent years, JWST has facilitated detections of carbon-bearing molecules in the atmospheres of temperate sub-Neptunes orbiting M dwarfs, ushering in a new era in the characteri…
The Surface and Interior Conditions of Temperate Sub-Neptune TOI-270 d
Frances E. Rigby, Nikku Madhusudhan
Sub-Neptune planets, with no analogue in our solar system, provide a wealth of information about exoplanet diversity, formation & evolution, and habitability. Their robust characte…
Towards a self-consistent evaluation of gas dwarf scenarios for temperate sub-Neptunes
Frances E. Rigby, Lorenzo Pica-Ciamarra, Måns Holmberg +6
The recent JWST detections of carbon-bearing molecules in a habitable-zone sub-Neptune have opened a new era in the study of low-mass exoplanets. The sub-Neptune regime spans a wid…
On the Ocean Conditions of Hycean Worlds
Frances E. Rigby, Nikku Madhusudhan
Recent studies have suggested the possibility of Hycean worlds, characterised by deep liquid water oceans beneath H-rich atmospheres. These planets significantly widen the rang…
Chemical Conditions on Hycean Worlds
Nikku Madhusudhan, Julianne I. Moses, Frances Rigby +1
Traditionally, the search for life on exoplanets has been predominantly focused on rocky exoplanets. Hycean worlds are a class of habitable sub-Neptunes with planet-wide oceans and…