Abstract Details

Name: Liton Majumdar
Affiliation: National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER)
Conference ID: ASI2026_817
Title: The New Frontier in Astrophysics: Unifying the Origins, Atmospheres, and Interiors of Exoplanets
Abstract Type: Invited
Abstract Category: Sun, Solar System, Exoplanets, and Astrobiology
Author(s) and Co-Author(s) with Affiliation: Liton Majumdar(National Institute of Science Educaiton and Research, Jatni, Odisha 752050, India)
Abstract: The discovery of exoplanets has transformed our understanding of planet formation and the diversity of planetary systems. These worlds span a wide range of masses, sizes, temperatures, orbital architectures, and chemical compositions, often challenging classical models based on our Solar System. In this talk, I will discuss the physical and chemical processes that shape the origins, atmospheres, and interiors of exoplanets, and explain why many of them differ so strongly from planets in our Solar System. I will highlight how combined observations from space- and ground-based facilities, together with advanced atmospheric, chemical, and interior models, allow us to probe their compositions, thermal structures, and evolutionary pathways. I will present recent efforts from my group to constrain exoplanetary atmospheres using data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and discuss prospects for characterizing potentially habitable worlds. Finally, I will outline the transformative potential of upcoming facilities such as the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), ISRO’s ExoWorlds mission, and NASA’s proposed next flagship mission, the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO), which together promise to open a new era of precision exoplanet science.