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Aaron Bello-Arufe

Photo of Aaron Bello-Arufe

Address:

4800 Oak Grove Drive

Pasadena, CA 91109

Curriculum Vitae:

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Member of:

Exoplanet Discovery and Science

JPL Postdoc

Biography

Aaron Bello-Arufe is a JPL Postdoctoral Fellow at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where he investigates the atmospheres of planets around other stars. Aaron uses data from telescopes like JWST to study the atmospheric composition of small exoplanets in different environments. He aims to understand what factors drive atmospheric evolution and retention, and, ultimately, the conditions necessary to form Earth-like habitable exoplanets.

Aaron is originally from Noia, a charming coastal town in northwestern Spain. Prior to arriving at JPL, Aaron received his BSc in Physics from the University of Santiago de Compostela and Umeå University. He then received his MSc in Earth and Space Physics and Engineering and PhD in Astrophysics from the Technical University of Denmark. During this time, he was also a visiting student researcher at Caltech.

As part of his PhD studies, Aaron investigated the atmospheric composition, dynamics and escape of extremely irradiated Jupiter-sized planets using high-resolution spectroscopy, and he demonstrated the capabilities of modest-sized telescopes like the Nordic Optical Telescope to probe exoplanet atmospheres. Aaron’s work led to the first analysis of the remarkably rich transmission spectrum of HAT-P-70b, as well as the characterization of the atmosphere of HAT-P-67b, the lowest-density gas giant currently known.

Education

Ph.D. in Astrophysics, Technical University of Denmark (2022)

M.Sc. in Earth and Space Physics and Engineering, Technical University of Denmark (2019)

B.Sc. in Physics, University of Santiago de Compostela (2017)

B.Sc. in Physics, Umeå University (2017)

Research Interests

Characterization of exoplanet atmospheres using telescopes in space and on the ground, at low and high spectral resolution.

Selected Awards

JPL Postdoctoral Fellowship (2022)
Niels Bohr grant, Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters (2022)
“la Caixa” fellowship for studies abroad, “la Caixa” Foundation (2019‑2021)
Barrié postgraduate fellowship for studies abroad, Barrié Foundation (2017‑2019)

Selected Publications

  1. Hu, R., Bello‐Arufe, A., et al. (2024), A Secondary Atmosphere on the Rocky Exoplanet 55 Cnc e, Nature
  2. Dash, S., ... Bello‐Arufe, A., et al. (2024), Constraints on atmospheric water abundance and cloud deck pressure in the warm Neptune GJ 3470 b via CARMENES transmission spectroscopy, MNRAS, 530, 3
  3. Powell, D., ... Bello‐Arufe, A., et al. (2024), Sulfur dioxide in the mid‐infrared transmission spectrum of WASP‐39b, Nature, 626, 979–983
  4. Kjærsgaard, R., Bello‐Arufe, A., et al. (2023), TAU: A neural network based telluric correction framework, A&A, 677, A120
  5. Bello‐Arufe, A., et al. (2023), Transmission Spectroscopy of the Lowest‐density Gas Giant: Metals and a Potential Extended Outflow in HAT‐P‐67b, AJ, 166, 69
  6. Bello‐Arufe, A., et al. (2022), Exoplanet atmospheres at high resolution through a modest‐size telescope: Fe II in MASCARA‐2b and KELT‐9b with FIES on the Nordic Optical Telescope, A&A, 662, A51
  7. Bello‐Arufe, A., et al. (2022), Mining the Ultrahot Skies of HAT‐P‐70b: Detection of a Profusion of Neutral and Ionized Species, AJ, 163, 96
  8. Cabot, S., Bello‐Arufe, A., et al. (2021), TOI‐1518b: A Misaligned Ultra‐hot Jupiter with Iron in its Atmosphere, AJ, 162, 218
  9. Bitsch, B., Raymond, S. N., Buchhave, L. A., Bello‐Arufe, A., et al. (2021), Dry or water world? How the water contents of inner sub‐Neptunes constrain giant planet formation and the location of the water ice line, A&A, 649, L5
  10. Stangret, M., Pallé, E., Casayasas‐Barris, N., Oshagh, M., Bello‐Arufe, A., et al. (2021), The obliquity and atmosphere of the ultra‐hot Jupiter TOI‐1431b (MASCARA‐5b), A&A, 654, A73
  11. Addison, B. C., ... Bello‐Arufe, A., et al. (2021). TOI‐1431b/MASCARA‐5b: An Ultra‐hot Jupiter Orbiting One of the Hottest & Brightest Known Exoplanet Host Stars, AJ, 162, 292
  12. Kinch, K. M., ... Bello‐Arufe, A., et al. (2020). Radiometric Calibration Targets for the Mastcam‐Z Camera on the Mars 2020 Rover Mission, Space Science Reviews, 216, 141