Abstract :
Recent advances in space- and ground-based facilities now allow the atmospheric characterization of a selected sample of rocky exoplanets. These planets offer key insights into formation and evolution, but their interpretation requires models that couple atmospheric processes with both the planetary interior and the surrounding space environment. I will present a theoretical framework that treats both the lower and upper atmospheric boundaries of rocky exoplanets. Using LP 791-18 d as a case study, we link interior redox state and volcanic outgassing to atmospheric composition and stability, finding that only highly oxidized interiors can sustain atmospheres over geological timescales. I then extend the modeling to airless rocky exoplanets, introducing a new treatment of the opposition surge—a sharp reflectance enhancement at small phase angles. Finally, I will discuss how targeted photometric colors, accounting for the effects of hazes and clouds, can help resolve observational degeneracies between thick atmospheres and bare rock surfaces.
