Biosignatures through rocky planet evolution around other stars


Sarah Rugheimer


Allan I. Carswell Chair at York University in Toronto



When we observe the first terrestrial exoplanet atmospheres, we expect to find planets around a wide range of stellar types, UV environments, and geological conditions. Since the first exoplanets available for characterization will be likely for M dwarf host stars with JWST, understanding the UV environment of these cool stars is a vital step in understanding the atmospheres of these planets. Future missions such as LUVOIR and LIFE will be able to do direct detection of the atmospheres of planets orbiting FGK stars. Additionally, the atmospheres of these planets will not be fixed in time. Earth itself offers many possible atmospheric states of a planet. We set out to examine how an Earth-like planet at different geological epochs might look around FGKM star types from a prebiotic world to modern Earth and considering the detectability with LIFE and LUVOIR. Additionally, we examine the plausibility of detecting prebiotically interesting molecules, such as HCN, NH3, CH4, and C2H6 in an early-Earth type atmosphere around stars with different UV environments.

Date: Jeudi, le 1 décembre 2022
Heure: 11:30
Lieu: Université de Montréal
  Campus MIL salle A3541