Habitability of Exoplanetary Systems

• Main Author: Dobos, Vera
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 25-04-2017
• Subjects: Physics - Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
• DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.1704.07691

The aim of my dissertation is to investigate habitability in extra-Solar
Systems. Most of the time, only planets are considered as possible places where
extraterrestrial life can emerge and evolve, however, their moons could be
inhabited, too. I present a comprehensive study, which considers habitability
not only on planets, but on satellites, as well. My research focuses on three
closely related topics. The first one is the circumstellar habitable zone,
which is usually used as a first proxy for determining the habitability of a
planet around the host star. The word habitability is used in the sense that
liquid water, which is essential for life as we know it, may be present on the
planetary surface. Whether the planet is habitable or not, its moon might have
a suitable surface temperature for holding water reservoirs, providing that
tidal heating is in action. Tidal heating is generated inside the satellite and
its source is the strong gravitational force of the nearby planet. The second
topic of my research explores tidal heating and the habitability of extra-solar
moons with and without stellar radiation and other related energy sources. Life
is possible to form even on icy planetary bodies, inside tidally heated
subsurface oceans. The third topic probes the possibility of identifying an
ice-covered satellite from photometric observations. A strong indication of
surface ice is the high reflectance of the body, which may be measured when the
moon disappears behind the host star, so its reflected light is blocked out by
the star.