Measure the prevalence of atmospheres among rocky exoplanets

Measure the occurrence rate of atmospheres among rocky exoplanets, quantifying how common atmospheres are across planetary mass, temperature, and host-star properties to test population-level hypotheses such as the cosmic shoreline.

Background

Population-level prevalence of atmospheres on rocky planets remains unknown, motivating a systematic survey that samples varied equilibrium temperatures, escape velocities, and M-dwarf host spectral types. The working group proposes a large JWST DDT program in combination with HST UV characterization to address this uncertainty.

Establishing prevalence informs habitability pathways and guides future detailed characterization efforts, instrument planning, and mission strategies for next-generation observatories.