From Titan to Exoplanets: Exploring the Diversity of Rocky Worlds

In the past few decades, the fields of planetary science and astronomy have seen tremendous growth by exploring new worlds both inside and outside the Solar System. Recently, planetary science and exoplanet communities have noted the need for cross-disciplinary research to advance both fields. I will talk about my journey as a planetary scientist studying Titan and how that inspires me to work on exoplanets from a unique perspective. I will first talk about our group’s research on understanding various physical and chemical processes on Titan through our cross-laboratory comparative characterization of Titan’s haze analogs. I will then cover two aspects of my exoplanet research inspired by my Titan works, 1) how a collaborative haze analog study can be beneficial to understand the exotic clouds/hazes on exoplanets; 2) how to decipher the nature of sub-Neptunes with atmospheric trace species. At the end of my talk, I hope you will get a taste of how solar system research can be beneficial to the exoplanet field.