dc.contributor.advisor | Charbonneau, David | en_US |
dc.contributor.advisor | Sasselov, Dimitar | en_US |
dc.contributor.advisor | Kaltenegger, Lisa | en_US |
dc.contributor.author | Rugheimer, Sarah M. | en_US |
dc.date.accessioned | 2015-07-17T16:52:04Z | |
dc.date.created | 2015-05 | en_US |
dc.date.issued | 2015-05-16 | en_US |
dc.date.submitted | 2015 | en_US |
dc.identifier.citation | Rugheimer, Sarah M. 2015. Hues of Habitability: Characterizing Pale Blue Dots Around Other Stars. Doctoral dissertation, Harvard University, Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. | en_US |
dc.identifier.uri | http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:17467184 | |
dc.description.abstract | 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. | en_US |
dc.description.sponsorship | Astronomy | en_US |
dc.format.mimetype | application/pdf | en_US |
dc.language.iso | en | en_US |
dash.license | LAA | en_US |
dc.subject | Physics, Astronomy and Astrophysics | en_US |
dc.title | Hues of Habitability: Characterizing Pale Blue Dots Around Other Stars | en_US |
dc.type | Thesis or Dissertation | en_US |
dash.depositing.author | Rugheimer, Sarah M. | en_US |
dc.date.available | 2015-07-17T16:52:04Z | |
thesis.degree.date | 2015 | en_US |
thesis.degree.grantor | Graduate School of Arts & Sciences | en_US |
thesis.degree.level | Doctoral | en_US |
thesis.degree.name | Doctor of Philosophy | en_US |
dc.contributor.committeeMember | Di Stefano, Rosanne | en_US |
dc.contributor.committeeMember | Lopez-Morales, Mercedes | en_US |
dc.contributor.committeeMember | Linsky, Jeffrey | en_US |
dc.type.material | text | en_US |
thesis.degree.department | Astronomy | en_US |
dash.identifier.vireo | http://etds.lib.harvard.edu/gsas/admin/view/320 | en_US |
dc.description.keywords | Exoplanets; Exoplanet atmospheres; Astrobiology; Habitability; Biosignatures | en_US |
dash.author.email | sarahrugheimer@gmail.com | en_US |
dash.identifier.drs | urn-3:HUL.DRS.OBJECT:25164221 | en_US |
dash.identifier.orcid | 0000-0003-1620-7658 | en_US |
dash.contributor.affiliated | Rugheimer, Sarah M. | |
dc.identifier.orcid | 0000-0003-1620-7658 | |