Deciphering Spectral Fingerprints of Habitable Exoplanets
Journal article, 2010
We discuss how to read a planet's spectrum to assess its habitability and search for the signatures of a biosphere. After a decade rich in giant exoplanet detections, observation techniques have advanced to a level where we now have the capability to find planets of less than 10 Earth masses (M-Earth) (so-called "super Earths''), which may be habitable. How can we characterize those planets and assess whether they are habitable? This new field of exoplanet search has shown an extraordinary capacity to combine research in astrophysics, chemistry, biology, and geophysics into a new and exciting interdisciplinary approach to understanding our place in the Universe. The results of a first-generation mission will most likely generate an amazing scope of diverse planets that will set planet formation, evolution, and our planet into an overall context.
Planetary atmospheres
earth-like planets
stars
extrasolar terrestrial planets
atmosphere
life
search
Biomarkers
infrared radiation
thermal emission
hd 189733b
Habitable planets
Exoplanet search
red-edge
Author
L. Kaltenegger
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
F. Selsis
Universite de Bordeaux
M. Fridlund
ESTEC - European Space Research and Technology Centre
H. Lammer
Institut fur Weltraumforschung
C. Beichman
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
W. Danchi
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
C. Eiroa
Universidad Autonoma de Madrid
T. Henning
Max Planck Institut fur Astronomie
T. Herbst
Max Planck Institut fur Astronomie
A. Leger
Universite Paris-Sud XI
René Liseau
Chalmers, Department of Radio and Space Science, Radio Astronomy and Astrophysics
J. Lunine
University of Arizona
F. Paresce
Istituto Nazionale Di Astrofisica, Rome
A. Penny
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
A. Quirrenbach
Landessternwarte Heidelberg
H. Rottgering
Leiden Observatory Research Institute
J. Schneider
Observatoire de Paris-Meudon
D. Stam
SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research
G. Tinetti
UCL
G. J. White
Open University
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
Astrobiology
1531-1074 (ISSN)
Vol. 10 1 89-102Subject Categories (SSIF 2011)
Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology
Roots
Basic sciences
DOI
10.1089/ast.2009.0381