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Astrochemistry and Astrobiology pp 145–167Cite as

Planetary Atmospheres and Chemical Markers for Extraterrestrial Life

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Part of the book series: Physical Chemistry in Action ((PCIA))

Abstract

A decade of exoplanet research has led to surprising discoveries, from giant planets close to their star, to planets orbiting two stars, all the way to the first hot, confirmed rocky worlds with potentially permanent lava on their surfaces due to the star’s proximity. Observation techniques have reached the sensitivity to explore the chemical composition of the atmospheres as well as physical structure of some detected exoplanets and to detect planets of less than 10 Earth masses (MEarth) and 2 Earth radii, so called Super-Earths, among them some that may be habitable. To characterize a planet’s atmosphere and its potential habitability, we explore absorption features in the emergent and transmission spectra of the planet that indicate the presence of biology. This Chapter discusses our strategy to characterize rocky exoplanets remotely, the basics underlying the concept of the Habitable Zone as well as chemical markers that indicate life through geological time.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    An emergent spectrum is recorded using scattered starlight plus thermal emission from the planet’s atmosphere.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Max Planck Institute for Astronomie (MPIA), Koenigstuhl 17, Heidelberg, 69115, Germany

    Lisa Kaltenegger

  2. CFA, MS-20, 60 Garden street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA

    Lisa Kaltenegger

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  1. Lisa Kaltenegger
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Correspondence to Lisa Kaltenegger .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. , The University Chemical Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, United Kingdom

    Ian W. M. Smith

  2. , School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, The King's Buildings, James Clerk Maxwell Building, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, United Kingdom

    Charles S. Cockell

  3. , Laboratoire d'Etude du Rayonnement, Observatoire de Paris-Meudon, en astrophysique (LERMA), places Jules Janssen 5, Meudon, 92195, France

    Sydney Leach

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Kaltenegger, L. (2013). Planetary Atmospheres and Chemical Markers for Extraterrestrial Life. In: Smith, I., Cockell, C., Leach, S. (eds) Astrochemistry and Astrobiology. Physical Chemistry in Action. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-31730-9_5

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