A wide range of potentially rocky transiting planets in the habitable zone (HZ) have been detected by Kepler as well as ground-based searches. The spectral type of the host star will influence our ability to detect atmospheric features with future space and ground based missions like JWST, GMT and E-ELT. For my thesis, I present a complete suit of stellar models with a stellar effective temperature ranging from Teff = 2300K to Teff = 7000K, sampling the entire FGKM stellar type range, for modeling extrasolar planets. I also have a grid of model atmospheres for an Earth-analogue planet orbiting stars and derive remotely detectable spectral atmospheric features.
The UV emission from a planet's host star dominates the photochemistry and thus the resultant observable spectral features. Using the latest UV spectra obtained by Hubble as well as IUE, I model Earth-like planets for a wide range of host stars. I detail the results of activity on the primary detectable atmospheric features that indicate habitability on Earth, namely: H2O, O3, CH4, N2O and CH3Cl. I model the emergent spectra of Earth-analogue planets orbiting our grid of FGKM stars in the VIS/NIR (0.4 - 4 microns) and the IR (5 - 20 microns) range in accordance with future mission design concepts like JWST and direct detection missions like HDST/LUVOIR in the more distant horizon. We also model the amount of UV flux reaching the surface of Earth-like planets at various geological epochs ranging from a pre-biotic world through the rise of oxygen and for Earth-like planets orbiting FGKM stars at equivalent stages of evolution. / Astronomy
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:harvard.edu/oai:dash.harvard.edu:1/17467184 |
| Date | 17 July 2015 |
| Creators | Rugheimer, Sarah M. |
| Contributors | Charbonneau, David, Sasselov, Dimitar, Kaltenegger, Lisa |
| Publisher | Harvard University |
| Source Sets | Harvard University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis or Dissertation, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | open |
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