16 papers
Ionic Liquid Biospheres
Sara Seager, William Bains, Iaroslav Iakubivskyi +4
Liquid is a fundamental requirement for life as we understand it, but whether that liquid has to be water is not known. We propose the hypothesis that ionic liquids (ILs) and deep…
Warm, water-depleted rocky exoplanets with surface ionic liquids: A proposed class for planetary habitability
Rachana Agrawal, Sara Seager, Iaroslav Iakubivskyi +6
The discovery of thousands of exoplanets and the emergence of telescopes capable of exoplanet atmospheric characterization have intensified the search for habitable worlds. Due to…
Flares on TRAPPIST-1 reveal the spectrum of magnetic features on its surface
Valeriy Vasilyev, Nadiia Kostogryz, Alexander I. Shapiro +11
TRAPPIST-1 is an M8 dwarf hosting seven known exoplanets and is currently one of the most frequently observed targets of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). However, it is notor…
The effect of stellar magnetic activity on measurements of morning and evening asymmetry of planetary terminator
N. Kostogryz, A. I. Shapiro, L. Carone +9
Differences in the ingress and egress shapes of transit light curves can indicate morning-evening temperature contrasts on transiting planets. Here, we pinpoint an alternative mech…
The Diversity of Exoplanetary Environments and the Search for Signs of Life Beyond Earth
Sara Seager, Janusz J. Petkowski, William Bains
Thousands of exoplanets orbit nearby stars, showcasing a remarkable diversity in mass, size, and orbits. With the James Webb Space Telescope now operational, we are observing exopl…
Applied Astrobiology: An Integrated Approach to the Future of Life in Space
Robin Wordsworth, Collin Cherubim, Shannon Nangle +13
Searching for extraterrestrial life and supporting human life in space are traditionally regarded as separate challenges. However, there are significant benefits to an approach tha…