Coordinator: Christian Muller, IASB-BIRA, Belgium
The study of planetary atmospheres is central to our understanding of astrochemistry, since it is inextricably linked to the goal of understanding where within the Universe those molecular systems that support the emergence of life were formed. The chemistry of these environments is highly different from the one in interstellar clouds, since both the pressure and temperature may be considerably higher. For example three-bodycollisions may play a role in the gas phase, leading to the formation of ozone in an oxygen rich atmosphere, itself a key molecule in sustaining life on a planetary surface. Aerosol chemistry may also be crucial in regulating the physical nature of the planetary/lunar atmosphere and control the formation of clouds. It is only through unravelling the chemistry of planetary atmospheres that we may derive plausible biomarkers for life. These then can be used in exploration of exoplanets (planets around stars other than our own sun) in order to answer the greatest question of modern astrochemistry and astronomy - are we alone?
The knowledge of the atmospheres of planets and lunar bodies in our own solar system has been greatly advanced by recent space missions (e.g. Mars Express and Cassini-Huygens to Saturn and Titan) providing a wealth of in-situ data that encourage the development of models of the planetary atmosphere and even their climate. However such models are often limited by lack of basic chemical data.
The aim of this workgroup is therefore to bring together planetary scientists, physical chemists and atmospheric modellers to develop improved models of planetary atmospheres in particular to:
- Construct physical-chemical model of the Martian atmosphere and use this to predict its past climate
- Construct physical-chemical model of Titan’s atmosphere and unravel the composition and role of aerosols in its haze.
- To develop simulations of exoplanetary atmospheres with the aim of identifying characteristic spectral signatures that provide an indication of biotic processes.
Such a program should exploit Europe’s growing capacity of planetary simulation chambers and computational infrastructure as supported by the EuroPlanet program.
To obtain information about the group members, please check the group members webpage.
If you would like to join this working group, please contact the coordinator Christian Muller, phone ++32-2-3730372, e-mail: Christian.Muller [at] busoc [dot] be
