Primary Advisor: René Doyon
Secondary Advisor: Ray Jayawardhana
Mr. Antoine Darveau-Bernier completed his Bachelor degree in Mathematics and Physics from Université de Montréal, recently finished his Masters there in Astrophysics, and is currently pursuing his PhD at Université de Montréal. Throughout his academic career, he had many publications & research contributions, and received multiple grants and distinctions. He is also a member of the JWST/NIRISS Instrument Team where he develops data extraction algorithms for the SOSS (Single Object and Slitless Spectroscopy) mode.
Relevance to TEPS
The observations of HD 209458b are part of a larger (~200 hours long) program focused on spectroscopic characterization of exoplanet atmospheres lead by Pr. David Lafrenière, one of Antoine’s co-directors and also a TEPS collaborator. The group is already simulating the detailed process of spectral extraction for this specific target, using atmosphere models calculated by Björn Benneke. The combination of the primary and the secondary eclipse over a wide wavelength range will provide tighter constraints on the physical conditions and vertical structure of the atmosphere. This work, anticipated to be extended to other hot Jupiters through other JWST Cycle 1 proposals, will provide significant improvement to our understanding of hot Jupiter's atmospheres, their composition and their formation mechanisms. More generally, the algorithms that Antoine develops will also be used for any NIRISS SOSS observations, from hot Jupiters to small Earth-size planets orbiting the habitable zone of nearly lowmass stars, like some of the Trappist-1 planets (f and g) and LHS1140b, all prime targets of the NIRISS GTO program.
