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ASTER -- Agentic Science Toolkit for Exoplanet Research

Emilie Panek, Alexander Roman, Gaurav Shukla, Leonardo Pagliaro, Katia Matcheva, Konstantin Matchev

Abstract

The expansion of exoplanet observations has created a need for flexible, accessible, and user-friendly workflows. Transmission spectroscopy has become a key technique for probing atmospheric composition of transiting exoplanets. The analyses of these data require the combination of archival queries, literature search, the use of radiative transfer models, and Bayesian retrieval frameworks, each demanding specialized expertise. Modern large language models enable the coordinated execution of complex, multi-step tasks by AI agents with tool integration, structured prompts, and iterative reasoning. In this study we present ASTER, an Agentic Science Toolkit for Exoplanet Research. ASTER is an orchestration framework that brings LLM capability to the exoplanetary community by enabling LLM-driven interaction with integrated domain-specific tools, workflow planning and management, and support for common data analysis tasks. Currently ASTER incorporates tools for downloading planetary parameters and observational datasets from the NASA Exoplanet Archive, as well as the generation of transit spectra from the TauREx radiative transfer model, and the completion of Bayesian retrieval of planetary parameters with TauREx. Beyond tool integration, the agent assists users by proposing alternative modeling approaches, reporting potential issues and suggesting solutions, and interpretations. We demonstrate ASTER's workflow through a complete case study of WASP-39b, performing multiple retrievals using observational data available on the archive. The agent efficiently transitions between datasets, generates appropriate forward model spectra and performs retrievals. ASTER provides a unified platform for the characterization of exoplanet atmospheres. Ongoing development and community contributions will continue expanding ASTER's capabilities toward broader applications in exoplanet research.

ASTER -- Agentic Science Toolkit for Exoplanet Research

Abstract

The expansion of exoplanet observations has created a need for flexible, accessible, and user-friendly workflows. Transmission spectroscopy has become a key technique for probing atmospheric composition of transiting exoplanets. The analyses of these data require the combination of archival queries, literature search, the use of radiative transfer models, and Bayesian retrieval frameworks, each demanding specialized expertise. Modern large language models enable the coordinated execution of complex, multi-step tasks by AI agents with tool integration, structured prompts, and iterative reasoning. In this study we present ASTER, an Agentic Science Toolkit for Exoplanet Research. ASTER is an orchestration framework that brings LLM capability to the exoplanetary community by enabling LLM-driven interaction with integrated domain-specific tools, workflow planning and management, and support for common data analysis tasks. Currently ASTER incorporates tools for downloading planetary parameters and observational datasets from the NASA Exoplanet Archive, as well as the generation of transit spectra from the TauREx radiative transfer model, and the completion of Bayesian retrieval of planetary parameters with TauREx. Beyond tool integration, the agent assists users by proposing alternative modeling approaches, reporting potential issues and suggesting solutions, and interpretations. We demonstrate ASTER's workflow through a complete case study of WASP-39b, performing multiple retrievals using observational data available on the archive. The agent efficiently transitions between datasets, generates appropriate forward model spectra and performs retrievals. ASTER provides a unified platform for the characterization of exoplanet atmospheres. Ongoing development and community contributions will continue expanding ASTER's capabilities toward broader applications in exoplanet research.

Paper Structure

This paper contains 19 sections, 10 figures, 3 tables.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Methods
  3. Orchestral overview
  4. Tool implementation
  5. Getting started
  6. The role of tools
  7. How to write a tool
  8. Tool example
  9. Overview of available ASTER tools
  10. Downloading planetary systems parameters
  11. Running a forward model
  12. Downloading available transmission spectroscopy data
  13. Running a retrieval
  14. Plotting the results
  15. Sequential tool execution
  16. ...and 4 more sections

Figures (10)

  • Figure 1: Schema of internal workings of the agent object. The agent comprises the LLM, the tools and the context. Figure adapted from roman2026orchestral.
  • Figure 2: Example of the Orchestral interface. The LLM provider can be changed in the bottom left corner, below the space where users write their messages. The cost tracking can be seen in the top right corner.
  • Figure 3: A plot generated, formatted, and displayed by the agent during the example conversation. It represents the transmission spectrum for WASP-39b, calculated by the agent and shown using the DisplayImage tool.
  • Figure 4: A plot generated, formatted, and displayed by the agent during the example conversation. It represents the best-fit model (orange curve) retrieved by the agent on WASP-39b NIRSpec observation (blue points).
  • Figure 5: Transmission spectrum at native resolution in the background (gray points), overlaid with a binned spectrum (red curve) recalculated by the agent. Prompt:Can you bin down the spectrum and plot both resolutions on a same plot?
  • ...and 5 more figures