arXiv subjects

Lisa Kaltenegger

Publications and source records attributed to Lisa Kaltenegger.

83 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2014

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) will search for planets transiting bright and nearby stars. TESS has been selected by NASA for launch in 2017 as an Astrophysics Explorer mission. The spacecraft will be placed into a highly elliptical 13.7-day orbit around the Earth. During its two-year mission, TESS will employ four wide-field optical CCD cameras to monitor at least 200,000 main-sequence dwarf stars with I = 4-13 for temporary drops in brightness caused by planetary transits. Each star will be observed for an interval ranging from one month to one year, depending mainly on the star's ecliptic latitude. The longest observing intervals will be for stars near the ecliptic poles, which are the optimal locations for follow-up observations with the James Webb Space Telescope. Brightness measurements of preselected target stars will be recorded every 2 min, and full frame images will be recorded every 30 min. TESS stars will be 10-100 times brighter than those surveyed by the pioneering Kepler mission. This will make TESS planets easier to characterize with follow-up observations. TESS is expected to find more than a thousand planets smaller than Neptune, including dozens that are comparable in size to the Earth. Public data releases will occur every four months, inviting immediate community-wide efforts to study the new planets. The TESS legacy will be a catalog of the nearest and brightest stars hosting transiting planets, which will endure as highly favorable targets for detailed investigations.

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arXiv2014

The effect of Lyman $α$ radiation on mini-Neptune atmospheres around M stars: application to GJ 436b

Mini-Neptunes orbiting M stars are a growing population of known exoplanets. Some of them are located very close to their host star, receiving large amounts of UV radiation. Many M stars emit strong chromospheric emission in the H I Lyman $α$ line (Ly$α$) at 1215.67 Å, the brightest far-UV emission line. We show that the effect of incoming Ly$α$ flux can significantly change the photochemistry of mini-Neptunes' atmospheres. We use GJ 436b as an example, considering different metallicities for its atmospheric composition. For solar composition, H$_2$O-mixing ratios show the largest change because of Ly$α$ radiation. H$_2$O absorbs most of this radiation, thereby shielding CH$_4$, whose dissociation is driven mainly by radiation at other far-UV wavelengths ($\sim1300$ Å). H$_2$O photolysis also affects other species in the atmosphere, including H, H$_2$, CO$_2$, CO, OH and O. For an atmosphere with high metallicity, H$_2$O- and CO$_2$-mixing ratios show the biggest change, thereby shielding CH$_4$. Direct measurements of the UV flux of the host stars are important for understanding the photochemistry in exoplanets' atmospheres. This is crucial, especially in the region between 1 and 10$^{-6}$ bars, which is the part of the atmosphere that generates most of the observable spectral features.

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arXiv2013

Exploring atmospheres of hot mini-Neptunes and extrasolar giant planets orbiting different stars with application to HD 97658b, WASP-12b, CoRoT-2b, XO-1b and HD 189733b

We calculated an atmospheric grid for hot mini-Neptune and giant exoplanets, that links astrophysical observable parameters- orbital distance and stellar type- with the chemical atmospheric species expected. The grid can be applied to current and future observations to characterize exoplanet atmospheres and serves as a reference to interpret atmospheric retrieval analysis results. To build the grid, we developed a 1D code for calculating the atmospheric thermal structure and link it to a photochemical model that includes disequilibrium chemistry (molecular diffusion, vertical mixing and photochemistry). We compare thermal profiles and atmospheric composition of planets at different semimajor axis (0.01$\leq$a$\leq$0.1AU) orbiting F, G, K and M stars. Temperature and UV flux affect chemical species in the atmosphere. We explore which effects are due to temperature and which due to stellar characteristics, showing the species most affected in each case. CH$_4$ and H$_2$O are the most sensitive to UV flux, H displaces H$_2$ as the most abundant gas in the upper atmosphere for planets receiving a high UV flux. CH$_4$ is more abundant for cooler planets. We explore vertical mixing, to inform degeneracies on our models and in the resulting spectral observables. For lower pressures observable species like H$_2$O or CO$_2$ can indicate the efficiency of vertical mixing, with larger mixing ratios for a stronger mixing. By establishing the grid, testing the sensitivity of the results and comparing our model to published results, our paper provides a tool to estimate what observations could yield. We apply our model to WASP-12b, CoRoT-2b, XO-1b, HD189733b and HD97658b.

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arXiv2013

Atmospheric mass loss and evolution of short-period exoplanets: the examples of CoRoT-7b and Kepler-10b

Short-period exoplanets potentially lose envelope masses during their evolution because of atmospheric escape caused by the intense XUV radiation from their host stars. We develop a combined model of atmospheric mass loss calculation and thermal evolution calculation of a planet to simulate its evolution and explore the dependences on the formation history of the planet. Thermal atmospheric escape as well as the Roche-lobe overflow contributes to mass loss. The maximum initial planetary model mass depends primarily on the assumed evolution model of the stellar XUV luminosity. We adapt the model to CoRoT-7b and Kepler-10b to explore the evolution of both planets and the maximum initial mass of these planets. We take the recent X-ray observation of CoRoT-7 into account and exploring the effect of different XUV evolution models on the planetary initial mass. Our calculations indicate that both hot super Earths could be remnants of Jupiter mass gas planets.

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arXiv2012

Spectral Fingerprints of Earth-like Planets Around FGK Stars

We present model atmospheres for an Earth-like planet orbiting the entire grid of main sequence FGK stars with effective temperatures ranging from Teff = 4250K to Teff = 7000K in 250K intervals. We model the remotely detectable spectra of Earth-like planets for clear and cloudy atmospheres at the 1AU equivalent distance from the VIS to IR (0.4 μm - 20 μm) to compare detectability of features in different wavelength ranges in accordance with JWST and future design concepts to characterize exo-Earths. We also explore the effect of the stellar UV levels as well as spectral energy distribution on a terrestrial atmosphere concentrating on detectable atmospheric features that indicate habitability on Earth, namely: H2O, O3, CH4, N2O and CH3Cl. The increase in UV dominates changes of O3, OH, CH4, N2O and CH3Cl whereas the increase in stellar temperature dominates changes in H2O. The overall effect as stellar effective temperatures and corresponding UV increase, is a lower surface temperature of the planet due to a bigger part of the stellar flux being reflected at short wavelengths, as well as increased photolysis. Earth-like atmospheric models show more O3 and OH but less stratospheric CH4, N2O, CH3Cl and tropospheric H2O (but more stratospheric H2O) with increasing effective temperature of Main Sequence stars. The corresponding spectral features on the other hand show different detectability depending on the wavelength observed. We concentrate on directly imaged planets here as framework to interpret future lightcurves, direct imaging and secondary eclipse measurements of atmospheres of terrestrial planets in the HZ at varying orbital positions.

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arXiv2011

Kepler-22b: A 2.4 Earth-radius Planet in the Habitable Zone of a Sun-like Star

A search of the time-series photometry from NASA's Kepler spacecraft reveals a transiting planet candidate orbiting the 11th magnitude G5 dwarf KIC 10593626 with a period of 290 days. The characteristics of the host star are well constrained by high-resolution spectroscopy combined with an asteroseismic analysis of the Kepler photometry, leading to an estimated mass and radius of 0.970 +/- 0.060 MSun and 0.979 +/- 0.020 RSun. The depth of 492 +/- 10ppm for the three observed transits yields a radius of 2.38 +/- 0.13 REarth for the planet. The system passes a battery of tests for false positives, including reconnaissance spectroscopy, high-resolution imaging, and centroid motion. A full BLENDER analysis provides further validation of the planet interpretation by showing that contamination of the target by an eclipsing system would rarely mimic the observed shape of the transits. The final validation of the planet is provided by 16 radial velocities obtained with HIRES on Keck 1 over a one year span. Although the velocities do not lead to a reliable orbit and mass determination, they are able to constrain the mass to a 3σ upper limit of 124 MEarth, safely in the regime of planetary masses, thus earning the designation Kepler-22b. The radiative equilibrium temperature is 262K for a planet in Kepler-22b's orbit. Although there is no evidence that Kepler-22b is a rocky planet, it is the first confirmed planet with a measured radius to orbit in the Habitable Zone of any star other than the Sun.

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arXiv2011

High precision astrometry mission for the detection and characterization of nearby habitable planetary systems with the Nearby Earth Astrometric Telescope (NEAT)

(abridged) A complete census of planetary systems around a volume-limited sample of solar-type stars (FGK dwarfs) in the Solar neighborhood with uniform sensitivity down to Earth-mass planets within their Habitable Zones out to several AUs would be a major milestone in extrasolar planets astrophysics. This fundamental goal can be achieved with a mission concept such as NEAT - the Nearby Earth Astrometric Telescope. NEAT is designed to carry out space-borne extremely-high-precision astrometric measurements sufficient to detect dynamical effects due to orbiting planets of mass even lower than Earth's around the nearest stars. Such a survey mission would provide the actual planetary masses and the full orbital geometry for all the components of the detected planetary systems down to the Earth-mass limit. The NEAT performance limits can be achieved by carrying out differential astrometry between the targets and a set of suitable reference stars in the field. The NEAT instrument design consists of an off-axis parabola single-mirror telescope, a detector with a large field of view made of small movable CCDs located around a fixed central CCD, and an interferometric calibration system originating from metrology fibers located at the primary mirror. The proposed mission architecture relies on the use of two satellites operating at L2 for 5 years, flying in formation and offering a capability of more than 20,000 reconfigurations (alternative option uses deployable boom). The NEAT primary science program will encompass an astrometric survey of our 200 closest F-, G- and K-type stellar neighbors, with an average of 50 visits. The remaining time might be allocated to improve the characterization of the architecture of selected planetary systems around nearby targets of specific interest (low-mass stars, young stars, etc.) discovered by Gaia, ground-based high-precision radial-velocity surveys.

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arXiv2010

Co-evolution of atmospheres, life, and climate

After Earth's origin, our host star, the Sun, was shining 20 to 25 percent less brightly than today. Without greenhouse-like conditions to warm the atmosphere, our early planet would have been an ice ball and life may never have evolved. But life did evolve, which indicates that greenhouse gases must have been present on early Earth to warm the planet. Evidence from the geologic record indicates an abundance of the greenhouse gas CO2. CH4 was probably present as well, and in this regard methanogenic bacteria, which belong to a diverse group of anaerobic procaryotes that ferment CO 2 plus H2 to CH4, may have contributed to modification of the early atmosphere. Molecular oxygen was not present, as is indicated by the study of rocks from that era, which contain iron carbonate rather than iron oxide. Multicellular organisms originated as cells within colonies that became increasingly specialized. The development of photosynthesis allowed the Sun's energy to be harvested directly by life forms. The resultant oxygen accumulated in the atmosphere and formed the ozone layer in the upper atmosphere. Aided by the absorption of harmful UV radiation in the ozone layer, life colonized Earth's surface. Our own planet is a very good example of how life forms modified the atmosphere over the planets' life time. We show that these facts have to be taken into account when we discover and characterize atmospheres of Earth-like exoplanets. If life has originated and evolved on a planet, then it should be expected that a strong co-evolution occurred between life and the atmosphere, the result of which is the planets' climate.

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arXiv2009

A Vigorous Explorer Program

Explorers have made breakthroughs in many fields of astrophysics. The science from both these missions contributed to three Nobel Prizes - Giacconi (2002), Mather, and Smoot (2006). Explorers have: marked the definitive beginning of precision cosmology, discovered that short gamma-ray bursts are caused by compact star mergers and have measured metalicity to redshifts z>6. NASA Explorers do cutting-edge science that cannot be done by facility-class instruments. The Explorer program provides a rapid response to changing science and technology, to enable cutting-edge science at moderate cost. Explorers also enable innovation, and engage & train scientists, managers and engineers, adding human capital to NASA and the nation. The astrophysics Explorer launch rate now being achieved is 1 per 3 years, and budget projections are in the $150M/year range for the next five years. A newly Vigorous Explorer Program should be created to: 1. Reach the long-stated goal of annual astrophysics launches; 2. Find additional launch options for Explorers and actively encourage cost savings in launchers and spacecraft, such as new commercial vehicles and innovative partnerships. 3. Mitigate risk via stronger technical development and sub-orbital programs, and through longer, more thorough, Phase A programs, potentially reducing the need for a 30% contingency; 4. Strive to protect the funding for missions that have reached Phase B, to prevent significant launch slips and cancellations, with a goal of 4 to 5 years from Phase B to launch; 5. Review the project management procedures and requirements to seek cost reductions, including the risk management strategy and the review and reporting process; 6. Review and possibly modify the cost caps for all Explorer classes to optimize scientific returns per dollar. [ABRIDGED]

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arXiv2009

The far future of exoplanet direct characterization

In this outlook we describe what could be the next steps of the direct characterization of habitable exoplanets after first the medium and large mission projects and investigate the benefits of the spectroscopic and direct imaging approaches. We show that after third and fourth generation missions foreseeable for the next 100 years, we will face a very long era before being able to see directly the morphology of extrasolar organisms.

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arXiv2005

Search for Extra-Terrestrial planets: The DARWIN mission - Target Stars and Array Architectures

The DARWIN mission is an Infrared free flying interferometer mission based on the new technique of nulling interferometry. Its main objective is to detect and characterize other Earth-like planets, analyze the composition of their atmospheres and their capability to sustain life, as we know it. DARWIN is currently in definition phase. This PhD work that has been undertaken within the DARWIN team at the European Space Agency (ESA) addresses two crucial aspects of the mission. Firstly, a DARWIN target star list has been established that includes characteristics of the target star sample that will be critical for final mission design, such as, luminosity, distance, spectral classification, stellar variability, multiplicity, location and radius of the star. Constrains were applied as set by planet evolution theory and mission architecture. Secondly, a number of alternative mission architectures have been evaluated on the basis of interferometer response as a function of wavelength, achievable modulation efficiency, number of telescopes and starlight rejection capabilities. The study has shown that the core mission goals should be achievable with a lower level of complexity as compared to the current baseline configuration.

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