Layers of Understanding: Model Intercomparisons of Exoplanet Interiors

The PLATO mission will characterize the radius of exoplanets to an unprecedented precision, while the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and Ariel will observe their atmospheres. In addition, ground-based telescopes like the Very Large Telescope (VLT) are characterizing their masses. To determine the surface and interior conditions of an exoplanet, mass, radius, and atmosphere data need to be interpreted with interior structure models of exoplanets. These models estimate the key parameters - pressure, temperature, and composition along the radius of the planet – to determine the conditions at the surface and habitability. The upcoming unprecedented precision and wealth of data will shift the challenge in the modelling of exoplanet interior structures from observational data uncertainties to model uncertainties. To overcome these challenges, it is key to address differences between interior structure and composition frameworks by comparing their laboratory and quantum molecular dynamics data (equations of state, opacities), theoretical models, and statistical inference methods. The goal of this conference is to assemble the exoplanet interior community to initiate projects on the intercomparison of exoplanet interior models and facilitate discussions on various model types, planetary targets, and parameter space studies. Additionally, we will introduce best practices and protocols successfully implemented by the exoplanet atmospheric Global Circulation Model (GCM) community that have led to intercomparisons of complex atmospheric physics models of exoplanets.