The Atmospheres and Evolution of Pegasi-Planets

Travis Barman

Radial velocity surveys of solar-type stars are nearly complete out to 30 parsecs and over 100 extrasolar giant planets have been discovered. These planets may hold the key to understanding the formation of our own solar system and solar system analogues. As observers struggle to extract spectroscopic signals from these distant worlds, theorists face the equally formidable challenge of developing a self-consistent theory that describes the atmospheres and interiors of giant planets for a broad range of orbital separations. I will discuss my recent atmospheric models of giant planets and, in particular, those found to be less than 0.1 AU from their parent star -- i.e. Pegasi-Planets. For these planets, the incident radiation from the star can significantly alter the thermal structure and observed spectrum of the planetary atmosphere. I will also compare observations to atmospheric and evolutionary models for HD209458b, the first transiting extrasolar planet discovered.