Atmospheric retrieval studies are essential to determine the science requirements for future generation missions, such as the Large Interferometer for Exoplanets (LIFE).
astro-ph.EP
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Press Release
Modification Of The Radioactive Heat Budget Of Earth-like Exoplanets By The Loss Of Primordial Atmospheres
The initial abundance of radioactive heat producing isotopes in the interior of a terrestrial planet are important drivers of its thermal evolution and the related tectonics and possible evolution to […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Impact events, Press Release
Reduced Late Bombardment On Rocky Exoplanets Around M-dwarfs
Ocean-vaporizing impacts of chemically reduced planetesimals onto the early Earth have been suggested to catalyse atmospheric production of reduced nitrogen compounds and trigger prebiotic synthesis despite an oxidized lithosphere.
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release
Is LTT 1445 Ab a Hycean World or a cold Haber World? Exploring the Potential of Twinkle to Unveil Its Nature
We explore the prospects for Twinkle to determine the atmospheric composition of the nearby terrestrial-like planet LTT 1445 Ab, including the possibility of detecting the potential biosignature ammonia (NH3).
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Press Release
A New Method for Finding Nearby White Dwarf Exoplanets and Detecting Biosignatures
We demonstrate that the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) can detect infrared (IR) excess from the blended light spectral energy distribution of spatially unresolved terrestrial exoplanets orbiting nearby white dwarfs.
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, Proxima Centauri
Lightning-induced Chemistry On tidally-locked Earth-like Exoplanets
Determining the habitability and interpreting atmospheric spectra of exoplanets requires understanding their atmospheric physics and chemistry.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, Titan
Titan Atmospheric Chemistry Revealed by Low-temperature N2-CH4 Plasma Discharge Experiments
Chemistry in Titan’s N2-CH4 atmosphere produces complex organic aerosols. The chemical processes and the resulting organic compounds are still far from understood, although extensive observations, laboratory, and theoretical simulations have […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Comets and Asteroids, Press Release
Volatile-rich Comets Ejected Early On During Solar System Formation
Comet C/2016 R2 PanSTARRS (hereafter C/2016 R2) presents an unusually high N2/CO abundance ratio, as well as a heavy depletion in H2O, making it the only known comet of its […]
Posted inHabitable Zones, Mars, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
A Primordial Atmospheric Origin Of Hydrospheric Deuterium Enrichment On Mars
The deuterium-to-hydrogen (D/H or 2H/1H) ratio of Martian atmospheric water (~6x standard mean ocean water, SMOW) is higher than that of known sources, requiring planetary enrichment.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Comets and Asteroids, Press Release
A Survey Of CO, CO2, And H2O In Comets And Centaurs
CO and CO2 are the two dominant carbon-bearing molecules in comae and have major roles in driving activity. Their relative abundances also provide strong observational constraints to models of solar […]