Over the past twenty years, astronomers have identified hundreds of extrasolar planetsplanets orbiting stars other than the sun. Seager pulls together a comprehensive and meticulously organized set of scientific results and techniques. These include all the gas giants, as well as mars, venus, and pluto. Exoplanet mass, radius, and the search for habitable worlds. After the 2002 hubble space telescope detection of a transiting exoplanet atmosphere. After the 2002 hubble space telescope detection of a transiting exoplanet. Exoplanets space science series hardcover january 15, 2011. Exoplanet atmospheres is a major scholarly contribution to an exciting, scientifically important, and rapidly expanding area of research in astrophysics, written by one of its intellectual leaders. The first description of exoplanet transmission spectra, that led to the first detection of an exoplanet atmosphere. Several moons and other bodies also have atmospheres, as do comets and the sun. We now know that at least 10% of solar type stars, perhaps up to 20%, harbor gas giant planets, and information about lower masses will follow. Professor seager s work has focused on the massradius relationships for exoplanets of a wide range of compositions and masses. One of the modern cornerstones of modern exoplanet atmospheric retrieval led by then phd student bjoern benneke. Exoplanet habitability sara seager the search for exoplanets includes the promise to eventually find and identify habitable worlds.
The field of exoplanet atmosphere characterization stands on a divide. Illustrates concepts using examples grounded in real data. Recent research in this burgeoning field has made it possible to observe and measure the atmospheres of these exoplanets. The study of extraterrestrial atmospheres is an active field of research, both as an aspect of astronomy and to gain insight into earths atmosphere. Sara seager s search for life on distant planets is expanding. Of prime interest are the rocky worlds with thin atmospheres, transiting and. Exoplanet atmospheres by sara seager overdrive rakuten. Cool planets, new science exoplanet science enabled by starshades renyu hu, ph. The thousands of known exoplanets and planet candida tes are extremely diverse in terms of their masses or sizes, orbits, and host star type.
After the 2002 detection of a transiting exoplanet atmosphere, many skeptics discounted it as a oneobject, onemethod success. At the dawn of the first discovery of exoplanets orbiting sunlike stars in the mid1990s, few believed that observations of exoplanet atmospheres would ever be possible. The study of exoplanetary atmospheres is at the center of the new era of exoplanet science. Drake deming1,2, and sara seager3 1department of astronomy, university of maryland at college park, college park md, 20742 2nasa astrobiology institutes virtual planetary laboratory 3department of earth and planetary sciences, and department of physics, massachusetts. But the exoplanet atmospheres observed so far are those of hot or giant planetssmall, temperate planets of the type that might harbor life are not accessible by current telescopes. This is the first textbook to describe the basic physical processesincluding radiative transfer, molecular absorption, and chemical processes. A unified theory for the atmospheres of the hot and very hot jupiters. Photochemistry model and benchmark cases renyu hu 1, sara seager,2, and william bains 3 1 department of earth, atmospheric and planetary sciences, massachusetts institute of technology, cambridge, ma. The goal in studying exoplanet atmospheres is to understand the atmospheric composition and temperature. How do we measure what exoplanet atmospheres are made of. The last two decades in exoplanet science have provided exquisite statistics on the census of exoplanets in the solar neighborhood and on their macroscopic properties which. View pdf one of the modern cornerstones of modern exoplanet atmospheric retrieval led by then phd student bjoern benneke. Atmospheres of giant planets far from their host stars are also being studied with direct imaging.
When observing a distant exoplanet, the only quantity we can measure is the radiation coming from the planet, in a form we have called flux. Deming and seager, illusion and reality for exoplanets 1 illusion and reality in the atmospheres of exoplanets l. Seager, apj, 707, 24 2009 a temperature and abundance retrieval method for exoplanet atmospheres s. In each chapter, sara seager offers a conceptual introduction, examples that combine the relevant physics equations with. She is a professor at the massachusetts institute of technology and is known for her work on extrasolar planets and their atmospheres. Statement of professor sara seager massachusetts institute. For graduate students this can be an excellent text to learn the basics of the field at a useful level of complexity. Physical processes, graduate text book on exoplanet atmospheres book available august 2010book available august 2010. An exoplanet is a planet orbiting a star other than the sun. Moving from first principles to cuttingedge research, exoplanet atmospheres is an ideal resource for students and researchers in astronomy and earth sciences, one that will help prepare them for the next generation of planetary science.
Seager,2 1 department of physics and kavli institute for astrophysics and space research, mit, cambridge, ma 029, usa. The goal in studying exoplanet interiors is to learn what individual exoplanets are made of, and even what their internal structure might be. On the other side lie the emerging population of super earths and anticipated earthmass m. The first paper on hot jupiter atmospheres seager, s. The chemical composition of exoplanetary atmospheres can tell us much about the physical and potentially life bearing conditions on these worlds. Nevertheless, the field is now firmly established, with over two dozen exoplanet atmospheres. The diversity extends to new kinds of planets, which are very. The temperature of exoplanet atmospheres, in contrast, is the quantity that is actually relevant for physics and chemistry of the exoplanet atmosphere. Over the past decades, thousands of exoplanets have been. Hubble detects exoplanet with glowing water atmosphere nasa. One reason to be interested in the statistical properties of exoplanets is to answer the question of how common planetary systems are, particularly those with habitable planets. We want to be able to recognize planet atmospheres like earths. Illusion and reality in the atmospheres of exoplanets.
On the one side are the dozens of hot jupitermass m jup exoplanets with published atmosphere observations. The discovery of exoearths, via a spacebased direct imaging mission, is a longterm priority for us astrophysics. An equation to estimate the probability of identifying an. An equation to estimate the probability of identifying an inhabited world within the next decade. Exoplanet atmospheres sara seager mit and drake deming nasagsfc abstract at the dawn of the first discovery of exoplanets orbiting sunlike stars in the mid1990s, few believed that observations of exoplanet atmospheres would ever be possible. Rocky exoplanets without atmospheres have spectral features in reflection signature absorption features in 12. The first textbook to describe exoplanet atmospheres. This is the first textbook to describe the basic physical processesincluding radiative transfer, molecular absorption, and chemical processescommon to all planetary atmospheres, as well as the transit, eclipse, and thermal phase variation observations that are unique to exoplanets. Since planets vary widely in their atmospheric properties, seager emphasizes the major physical processes that govern all planetary atmospheres. This artists impression shows the star ogletr56 and its planet, as it passes behind the star. The quest for finding extraterrestrial life beyond our solar system serves as a platform for identifying the potentially habitable worlds. Exoplanet exploration program nasas science, technology and mission management office for the exploration of exoplanets. The most successful method for measuring chemical composition of an exoplanetary atmosphere is the transit spectroscopy method. For people already acquainted with the subject matter, this book provides a good reference for many useful formulae and results with.
Two studies of probe sized exoplanet direct imaging missions. The first paper on exoplanet atmosphere retrieval led by then phd student n. The programs primary goals, as described in the 2014 nasa science plan, are to discover planets around other stars, to characterize. After the 2002 hubble space telescope detection of a transiting exoplanet atmosphere, many skeptics discounted it as a. Scientists have discovered the strongest evidence to date for a stratosphere on a planet outside our solar system. Professor seager, and indeed most of the exoplanet atmosphere research community, is counting on the jwst for exquisite atmosphere observations of all kinds of transiting exoplanets. In addition to earth, many of the other astronomical objects in the solar system have atmospheres. Acknowledgements exoplanet atmospheres and interiors b.
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