A self-consistent model for terrestrial planet atmospheres

For both Solar System objects and exoplanets, their past formation and future evolution can be understood through examining their present-day chemical compositions. Current observations of rocky exoplanets are limited, though, and even near-future observations will only enable us to characterise the upper regions of their atmospheres. It is thus vital that we have comprehensive models which couple the upper atmospheres of these rocky exoplanets to their lower atmospheres, surfaces and interiors. This is also key in understanding the early evolution of Earth, Venus and Mars.

Creating such a model for magma ocean worlds and habitable worlds is the main objective of my work. Encompassing atmospheric chemistry and diffusion, radiative transfer, surface chemistry, atmospheric escape and mantle evolution, the model would be novel in the field for the planet masses and temperature regimes in which it operates, and the physics it includes, some of which is insignificant or simply does not occur for other classes of planets.

The code will be developed in a modular manner, with each module containing one or more of the above listed physical concepts. Some modules will be developed from scratch, while others will be adapted versions of code from collaborators at various institutions. Modules will be developed to interact with each other, making the code self-consistent, which is a crucial asset in studying planetary evolution.