activity
20182026
most citedHabitability Models for Astrobiology

40 citations · 167 across the 20 of their papers we have counts for

collaborators

22 papers

astro-ph.EP2026

The Venus Benchmark: Resolving Degeneracies in Terrestrial Exoplanet Spectra with DAVINCI

Stephen R. Kane, David S. Alexander, Shahid Aslam +8

The characterization of terrestrial exoplanets with thick, CO-dominated atmospheres via transmission and emission spectroscopy is limited by degeneracies between atmospheric co…

astro-ph.IM2026

Early Exploration of the Scientific Discovery Space for the Habitable Worlds Observatory

Courtney D. Dressing, Danica Adams, Evelyne Alecian +324

The Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) is a future NASA flagship mission concept identified by the Astro2020 Decadal Survey as the highest priority for large space missions. HWO sh…

astro-ph.EP2026

Imaging Venus-like Worlds: Spectral, Polarimetric, and UV Diagnostics for the Habitable Worlds Observatory

Stephen R. Kane, Kimberly M. Bott, Kenneth E. Goodis Gordon +15

Understanding planetary habitability requires a comparative approach that explores the divergent evolutionary outcomes of Earth and Venus. The Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) wi…

astro-ph.EP2023★ 2 cited

A WISPR of the Venus Surface: Analysis of the Venus Nightside Thermal Emission at Optical Wavelengths

J. Lustig-Yaeger, N. R. Izenberg, M. S. Gilmore +8

Parker Solar Probe (PSP) conducted several flybys of Venus while using Venus' gravity for orbital adjustments to enable its daring passes of the Sun. During these flybys, PSP turne…

astro-ph.EP2023★ 16 cited

Science opportunities with solar sailing smallsats

Slava G. Turyshev, Darren Garber, Louis D. Friedman +25

Recently, we witnessed how the synergy of small satellite technology and solar sailing propulsion enables new missions. Together, small satellites with lightweight instruments and…

astro-ph.EP2022★ 16 cited

Hierarchical Bayesian Atmospheric Retrieval Modeling for Population Studies of Exoplanet Atmospheres: A Case Study on the Habitable Zone

Jacob Lustig-Yaeger, Kristin S. Sotzen, Kevin B. Stevenson +5

With the growing number of spectroscopic observations and observational platforms capable of exoplanet atmospheric characterization, there is a growing need for analysis techniques…

astro-ph.EP2021★ 17 cited

Triton Haze Analogues: the Role of Carbon Monoxide in Haze Formation

Sarah E. Moran, Sarah M. Hörst, Chao He +7

Triton is the largest moon of the Neptune system and possesses a thin nitrogen atmosphere with trace amounts of carbon monoxide and methane, making it of similar composition to tha…

astro-ph.EP2021★ 7 cited

Retrieving Exoplanet Atmospheres using Planetary Infrared Excess: Prospects for the Nightside of WASP-43 b and other Hot Jupiters

Jacob Lustig-Yaeger, Kevin B. Stevenson, L. C. Mayorga +4

To increase the sample size of future atmospheric characterization efforts, we build on the planetary infrared excess (PIE) technique that has been proposed as a means to detect an…

astro-ph.EP2021★ 2 cited

On the Utility of Transmission Color Analysis I: Differentiating Super-Earths and Sub-Neptunes

Kristin S. Sotzen, Kevin B. Stevenson, Erin M. May +9

The majority of exoplanets found to date have been discovered via the transit method, and transmission spectroscopy represents the primary method of studying these distant worlds.…

astro-ph.EP2021★ 40 cited

Habitability Models for Astrobiology

Abel Méndez, Edgard E. Rivera-Valentín, Dirk Schulze-Makuch +31

Habitability has been generally defined as the capability of an environment to support life. Ecologists have been using Habitat Suitability Models (HSMs) for more than four decades…

astro-ph.EP2021★ 1 cited

Transmission Spectroscopy of the Earth-Sun System to Inform the Search for Extrasolar Life

L. C. Mayorga, J. Lustig-Yaeger, E. M. May +7

Upcoming NASA astrophysics missions such as the James Webb Space Telescope will search for signs of life on planets transiting nearby stars. Doing so will require co-adding dozens…

astro-ph.IM2021

Mercury Lander: Planetary Mission Concept Study for the 2023-2032 Decadal Survey

Carolyn M. Ernst, Sanae Kubota, Nancy Chabot +21

As an end-member of terrestrial planet formation, Mercury holds unique clues about the original distribution of elements in the earliest stages of solar system development and how…

astro-ph.EP2020★ 35 cited

The Fundamental Connections Between the Solar System and Exoplanetary Science

Stephen R. Kane, Giada N. Arney, Paul K. Byrne +7

Over the past several decades, thousands of planets have been discovered outside of our Solar System. These planets exhibit enormous diversity, and their large numbers provide a st…

astro-ph.IM2020★ 2 cited

Exogeoscience and Its Role in Characterizing Exoplanet Habitability and the Detectability of Life

Cayman T. Unterborn, Paul K. Byrne, Ariel D. Anbar +24

The search for exoplanetary life must encompass the complex geological processes reflected in an exoplanet's atmosphere, or we risk reporting false positive and false negative dete…

astro-ph.IM2020

Enabling Effective Exoplanet / Planetary Collaborative Science

Mark S. Marley, Chester Harman, Heidi B. Hammel +11

The field of exoplanetary science has emerged over the past two decades, rising up alongside traditional solar system planetary science. Both fields focus on understanding the proc…

astro-ph.IM2020

Exoplanets in our Backyard: A report from an interdisciplinary community workshop and a call to combined action

Giada N. Arney, Noam R. Izenberg, Stephen R. Kane +5

This is a white paper submitted to the Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey. The Exoplanets in our Backyard meeting was born out of a recognition of the value and pote…

astro-ph.IM2020

Habitability Models for Planetary Sciences

Abel Méndez, Edgard G. Rivera-Valentín, Dirk Schulze-Makuch +32

Habitability has been generally defined as the capability of an environment to support life. Ecologists have been using Habitat Suitability Models (HSMs) for more than four decades…

astro-ph.EP2020★ 19 cited

The Venus Life Equation

Noam R. Izenberg, Diana M. Gentry, David J. Smith +5

Ancient Venus and Earth may have been similar in crucial ways for the development of life, such as liquid water oceans, land-ocean interfaces, favorable chemical ingredients and en…

astro-ph.EP2020★ 10 cited

A Geologically Robust Procedure For Observing Rocky Exoplanets to Ensure that Detection of Atmospheric Oxygen is an Earth-Like Biosignature

Carey M. Lisse, Steven J. Desch, Cayman T. Unterborn +7

In the next decades, the astrobiological community will debate whether the first observations of oxygen in an exoplanets atmosphere signifies life, so it is critical to establis…

astro-ph.IM2020

Human Assisted Science at Venus: Venus Exploration in the New Human Spaceflight Age

Noam R. Izenberg, Ralph L. McNutt, Kirby D. Runyon +2

Some human mission trajectories to Mars include flybys of Venus. These flybys provide opportunities to practice deep space human operations, and offer numerous safe-return-to-Earth…

astro-ph.EP2018

Solar System Ice Giants: Exoplanets in our Backyard

Abigail Rymer, Kathleen Mandt, Dana Hurley +110

Future remote sensing of exoplanets will be enhanced by a thorough investigation of our solar system Ice Giants (Neptune-size planets). What can the configuration of the magnetic f…

astro-ph.EP2018

Exoplanet Diversity in the Era of Space-based Direct Imaging Missions

Ravi Kopparapu, Eric Hebrard, Rus Belikov +55

This whitepaper discusses the diversity of exoplanets that could be detected by future observations, so that comparative exoplanetology can be performed in the upcoming era of larg…