Krishna Kanumalla (ASU)

Exoplanet atmospheric characterization has seen a revolutionary shift with the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope. Working in tandem with JWST’s broad wavelength coverage, High-Resolution Cross-Correlation Spectroscopy (HRCCS) offers a complementary approach in probing exoplanet atmospheres, benefitting from the large apertures of ground-based telescopes. HRCCS resolves the forest of individual molecular and atomic lines that are blended at lower spectral resolution, providing sensitivity not only to the atmospheric composition, but also to elemental abundances, thermal structure, and atmospheric dynamics. In this talk, I will highlight the unique capabilities of near-infrared (IR) HRCCS in understanding exoplanet atmospheres, drawing on an observational campaign (“Roasting Marshmallows”) with IGRINS@Gemini-S.