Physical constraints on the likelihood of life on exoplanets
@article{Lingam2017PhysicalCO, title={Physical constraints on the likelihood of life on exoplanets}, author={Manasvi Lingam and Abraham Loeb}, journal={International Journal of Astrobiology}, year={2017}, volume={17}, pages={116 - 126} }
Abstract One of the most fundamental questions in exoplanetology is to determine whether a given planet is habitable. We estimate the relative likelihood of a planet's propensity towards habitability by considering key physical characteristics such as the role of temperature on ecological and evolutionary processes, and atmospheric losses via hydrodynamic escape and stellar wind erosion. From our analysis, we demonstrate that Earth-sized exoplanets in the habitable zone around M-dwarfs…
42 Citations
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The recent discovery of potentially habitable exoplanets around Proxima Centauri and TRAPPIST-1 has attracted much attention due to their potential for hosting life. We delineate a simple model that…
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This work identifies the conditions under which tides may exert a significant positive influence on biotic processes including abiogenesis, biological rhythms, nutrient upwelling, and stimulating photosynthesis and identifies large-scale algal blooms as potential temporal biosignatures in reflectance light curves that can arise indirectly as a consequence of strong tidal forces.
Atmospheric escape from the TRAPPIST-1 planets and implications for habitability
- Physics, GeologyProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
- 2017
The atmospheric escape rates numerically and analytically for the planets of the TRAPPIST-1 system are determined and it is shown that the outer planets are potentially likely to retain their atmospheres over billion-year timescales.
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- Physics, Geology
- 2017
We explore some of the ramifications arising from superflares on the evolutionary history of Earth, other planets in the Solar system, and exoplanets. We propose that the most powerful superflares…
Prospects for Life on Temperate Planets around Brown Dwarfs
- Physics, GeologyThe Astrophysical Journal
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There is growing evidence that brown dwarfs may be comparable to main-sequence stars in terms of their abundance. In this paper, we explore the prospects for the existence of life on Earth-like…
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- Geology, PhysicsReviews of Modern Physics
- 2019
Since the 1990s over 4000 exoplanets have been discovered: which of them could also develop and harbor life? It is posited that the planet must have liquid water, a surrounding atmosphere, and must…
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- Geology, PhysicsInternational Journal of Astrobiology
- 2018
Abstract We study the prospects for life on planets with subsurface oceans, and find that a wide range of planets can exist in diverse habitats with ice envelopes of moderate thickness. We quantify…
Interior Structures and Tidal Heating in the TRAPPIST-1 Planets
- Geology, Physics
- 2018
With seven planets, the TRAPPIST-1 system has the largest number of exoplanets discovered in a single system so far. The system is of astrobiological interest, because three of its planets orbit in…
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- Physics, GeologyInternational Journal of Astrobiology
- 2019
Abstract Photosynthesis offers a convenient means of sustaining biospheres. We quantify the constraints for photosynthesis to be functional on the permanent nightside of tidally locked rocky…
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