Habitability and Biosignatures

The search for life beyond the solar system is a central goal in exoplanetary science. Exoplanet surveys are increasingly detecting potentially habitable exoplanets and large telescopes in space and on ground are aiming to detect possible biosignatures in their atmospheres.

At the same time, theoretical studies are expanding the range of habitable environments beyond the conventional focus on Earth-like rocky planets and biosignatures beyond the dominant biogenic gases in the Earth’s atmosphere. The present work provides an introductory compendium of key aspects of habitability and biosignatures of importance to the search for life in exoplanetary environments.

Basic concepts of planetary habitability are introduced along with essential requirements for life as we know it and the various factors that affect habitability. These include the requirement for liquid water, energy sources, bioessential elements, and geophysical environmental conditions conducive for life.

The factors affecting habitability include both astrophysical conditions, such as those due to the host star, as well as planetary processes, such as atmospheric escape, magnetic interactions, and geological activity. A survey of different types of habitable environments possible in exoplanetary systems is presented. The notion of a biosignature is presented along with examples of biosignatures on Earth and their applicability to habitable environments in exoplanetary systems.

The desired properties of an ideal biosignature are discussed, along with considerations of the environmental context and chemical disequilibria in the assessment of biosignatures in diverse environments. A discussion of current state-of-the-art and future prospects in the search for habitable conditions and biosignatures on exoplanets is presented.

Nikku Madhusudhan

Comments: Preprint of a chapter for the ‘Encyclopedia of Astrophysics’ (Editor-in-Chief Ilya Mandel, Section Editor Dimitri Veras) to be published by Elsevier as a Reference Module
Subjects: Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP)
Cite as: arXiv:2503.22990 [astro-ph.EP](or arXiv:2503.22990v1 [astro-ph.EP] for this version)
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2503.22990
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Submission history
From: Madhusudhan Nikku
[v1] Sat, 29 Mar 2025 06:38:36 UTC (12,642 KB)
https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.22990
Astrobiology,