EXTRASOLAR PLANETS: ATMOSPHERES, SPECTRA, AND EVOLUTION

With the development of new observatories and instruments, the prospects of obtaining direct images and spectroscopy of extrasolar giant planets (EGPs) are steadily improving. An increasing number of transiting planets are also being discovered which provide more robust tests for EGP evolution models. In this work, models are presented for the atmospheres, spectra, and evolution of EGPs for a variety of orbital separations and parent star spectral types.