In the last 30 years we have discovered more than 6000 exoplanets across different types of stars in our galaxy. Led by Dr. Jayesh Goyal this research group at NISER focuses on the detailed characterization of these far away worlds, aiming to understand the various physical and chemical processes that shape these worlds. The group combines observations and detailed planetary atmosphere models not just to study exoplanets but also solar system planets and even the Earth. While studying the diversity of worlds out there in our Galaxy, this group also builds the know-how, tools and techniques to answer one of the most fundamental questions of humanity, Are we alone in the Universe?
One of the main focus area of the Exoplanets and Planetary Atmospheres research group at NISER is to develop forward and inverse models to plan and interpret the observations of exoplanets. SANSAR (Suite of Adaptable plaNetary atmoSphere model And Retrieval) a state of the art adaptable planetary atmosphere model is being developed in this group.
Transiting exoplanet observations from space telescopes like TESS, HST and JWST are also reduced by our group members to characterize these far away worlds. Atmosphere models are also used to generate simulated observations for planning observations.
Our research group members are involved in developing spectro-polarimetric models for planning observations from Venus Atmospheric SpectroPolarimeter (VASP) instrument onboard Shukrayaan (Venus Orbiter Mission) scheduled to launch in 2028 and later after the launch to interpret these observations.
We also develop retrieval algorithms to constrain various properties of the Earth's atmosphere, ocean and surfaces, focusing on Indian sub-continent and surrounding region. Various aspects of SANSAR model are benchmarked with Earth based observations and models.