Dr. Vigneshwaran Krishnamurthy

The evolution of planetary atmospheres is a key factor in determining the long-term habitability of exoplanets. In this talk, I will discuss observational studies of atmospheric escape in exoplanets, with a particular focus on planets orbiting low-mass stars. These planets are born with extended, hydrogen- and helium-rich primordial atmospheres that evolve over time through processes such as photoevaporation and core-powered mass loss. While the resulting features—like the radius gap and the Neptunian desert—are well characterized around solar-type stars, their formation and evolution around low-mass stars remain poorly understood. I will present results from transit spectroscopy of planets in and around the radius gap orbiting low-mass stars, aimed at probing how atmospheric escape shapes these systems. I will also share insights from a population-level analysis that investigates helium production in primordial atmospheres and predicts unique structural outcomes for these planets. The talk will highlight recent observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) that directly trace atmospheric escape signatures.