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Project Reports

• Characterization of Terrestrial Planets From Disk-Averaged Spectra: Spatially and Spectrally Resolved Planetary Models

  This project uses spatially resolved spectral models of planets in our own solar system to determine the instrument sensitivity and spectral resolution required to detect signs of habitability or life in disk-averaged astronomical spectra of extrasolar planets at visible and infrared wavelengths.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.2 7.2

• Laboratory/Observational Studies of Biogenic Greenhouse Gases on the Early Earth

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.2 2.1 4.1 7.2

• Studies in Planetary Formation and Evolution

  During the course of the last five years, the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism (DTM) astronomy group has become perhaps the leading group worldwide studying the detection, formation, and evolution of planetary systems, with a special emphasis on systems containing habitable planets.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 2.1 7.2

• Biogeochemistry of Earth’s Greenhouse Leading to the Rise of Oxygen

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 3.1 4.1 6.1 7.1 7.2

• Chemistry Models for Extrasolar Planets

  This year, we have worked on both a coupled photochemical-climate model for Earth-like planets, which is an end-to-end test case for the larger VPL atmosphere model, and chemistry models for extrasolar giant planets.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 7.2

• Delivery of Organic Materials to Planets

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 3.1 7.2

• Characterization of Terrestrial Planets From Disk-Averaged Spectra: Spectroscopic Studies to Understand Detectability and Habitability.

  n this project we focus on understanding what we can learn about an extrasolar terrestrial planet from remotely sensed, disk-averaged spectra, as a function of spectral resolution and instrument sensitivity

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.2 4.1 7.2

• Extra Solar Planetary Systems

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 7.1 7.2

• Galactic Chemical Evolution and Extrasolar Planets

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2

• Spectroscopic Databases to Support Extrasolar Planet Modeling

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 4.1 7.2

• The Virtual Planetary Laboratory – Synthesis and Architecture

  Many environmental processes contribute to the reflected stellar and emitted thermal spectrum of a planet.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 7.2

• A Timescale for the Evolution of Life on Earth – Hedges

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.2 2.1 3.4 4.1 4.2 4.3 5.2 5.3 7.1 7.2

• A Timescale for the Evolution of Life on Earth – Nei

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.2 2.1 3.4 4.1 4.2 4.3 5.2 5.3 7.1 7.2