COLLOQUIUM: Prof. Amri Wandel (Racah Institute of Physics, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
Wann: Di, 23.04.2024, 11:00 Uhr bis 12:30 Uhr
Wo: Hamburger Sternwarte, Gojenbergsweg 112, 21029 Hamburg, Bibliothek
Extending the Habitable Zone and the potential for life in exoplanets
Habitability is linked with the presence of liquid water. The Habitable Zone (HZ) is defined as the circumstellar region where liquid water can exist on a planetary surface. But actually, this definition of habitability may turn out too strict, as even on Earth life strives under the ice cover of the north polar cap. Large quantities of liquid water are present under a relatively thin ice cover on bodies in our Solar System like Enceladus and Europa, moons of Saturn and Jupiter, respectively. Similarly, subglacial liquid water may be expected in exoplanets orbiting their host star outside of the HZ.My recent research applies subglacial water and climate models to extend the conservative HZ, especially for tidally locked planets of Red Dwarf stars. Such planets turn out to be particularly promising for biosignature detection using transmission spectra like those recently observed by the James Webb Space Telescope.
Due to the unusual time of this talk, the student participants of the Astrophysics Seminar are NOT expected to attend this talk.
Talk in presence and via Zoom:
https://uni-hamburg.zoom.us/j/66006535328?pwd=aGkrSjJIYmZjK0VpYlpGL0ZrdHg2UT09
Meeting ID: 660 0653 5328
Passcode: 20658852