My research entails understanding the atmospheres and climate of Earth and Earth-like planets. In the past, I have used several 1-D numerical models to simulate planet structure and atmosphere. Currently and broadly speaking, I am interested in the habitability and life detection prospects of Earth analogs. In particular, I am interested in the interaction between biologically-produced compounds and the atmosphere. I employ 3D models (such as NCAR’s CESM and NASA’s ROCKE) and come up with new routines to better improve our understanding of gradually non-Earth-like but potentially habitable systems.
My research is supported by the Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science and Technology (FINESST) award.
Here are a few papers from recent years:
Chen, H., Kopparapu R.K., Domagal-Goldman, S.D., The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 868 (1), L6
Chen H., Wolf, E.T., et al., (2019), The Astrophysical Journal, 886, Issue 1
More to come, in the meantime, please see my Google Scholar page for a list of my recent publications.