Denys Wilkinson Building, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH
Dr James Kirk
Tracing the Origins of Close-in Gas Giants with JWST
More than 30 years after their discovery, the origins of close-in gas giant exoplanets remain uncertain. Their atmospheres may preserve clues to where and how they formed, but this connection can be complicated by the chemical and dynamical processes that shape planets over their lifetimes. I will present results from JWST programmes that connect atmospheric composition with independent clues to planetary formation and migration. I will focus on BOWIE-ALIGN, which compares planets whose orbits are aligned or misaligned with the rotation of their host stars, populations thought to have experienced different migration histories. I will present results from the full BOWIE-ALIGN sample and discuss what they reveal about the link between atmospheric composition and planetary evolution. I will then show how we are extending this approach with new JWST surveys to build a broader picture of the origins of close-in gas giants.