Julian Chela-Flores The Abdus Salam ICTP, Trieste, Italia and

Julian Chela-FloresJulian Chela-FloresThe Abdus Salam ICTP, Trieste, ItaliaThe Abdus Salam ICTP, Trieste, Italiaandand Instituto de Estudios Avanzados, Caracas, Instituto de Estudios Avanzados, Caracas, Republica Bolivariana de VenezuelaRepublica Bolivariana de Venezuela

TThe Origins: how, when and where it all startedhe Origins: how, when and where it all started, , Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei. Centro Linceo Interdisciplinare Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei. Centro Linceo Interdisciplinare ““Beniamino SegreBeniamino Segre””, , Roma, 22 May 2006Roma, 22 May 2006

Evolution of the universe: From Astrophysics to Astrobiology

Julián Chela-FloresThe Abdus Salam ICTP, Trieste, Italia and

Instituto de Estudios Avanzados, Caracas,

Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela

Systems astrobiology for a reliable biomarker on exo-worlds

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EGU General Assembly

9 April 2013EGU2013-1327-1

Life on exoworlds The earth-like worlds (ELWs: planets and exomoons)

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Co-workers and Co-workers and collaborationscollaborations

Aranya B. BHATTACHERJEEAranya B. BHATTACHERJEE

Department of Physics, ARSD College, Department of Physics, ARSD College,

University of Delhi, New Delhi, India, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India,

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Suman DUDEJADepartment of Chemistry, ARSD College,

University of Delhi, New Delhi, India.

Moises SANTILLANComputational Systems Biology

Laboratory, Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados

del IPN, Unidad Monterrey, Mexico

UK Penetrator Consortium

Census of Kepler mission planet Census of Kepler mission planet candidates (2013)candidates (2013)

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Credit: Kepler, NASA

Orbital period

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The habitability zone of red dwarfs is indeed closer to the star

M3V, Constellation of

Libra

Orbital period

1 yearless transits

contrast less favorable

10-25 days more transits, contrast more favorable for the present

observations (Kepler), as the habitability zone

is closer to the star

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To understand biogenic exoatmospheres we wait for the Kepler’s successors: (a) Future missions, (b) Present and future instrumentation, and (c) Additional instrumentation issues for ELWs that are exomoons

or Their Habitable Exomoons

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HD 209458 bhot Jupiter/Na

atmosphere

Credit: based onDressing& Charbonneau

HD 209458Constellation Pegasus.

yellow dwarf, G0V

Future MissionsFuture Missions

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NASA’s Fast INfrared Exoplanet Spectroscopy

Survey Explorer (FINESSE)

ESA’s Exoplanet Characterisation

Observatory

NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet

Survey Satellite (TESS)

Present and future Present and future instrumentationinstrumentation

James Webb Space Telescope

The Giant Magellan Telescope,with the G-CLEF Spectrometer

The 40-metre class E-ELT 9

High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS, ESO,

La Silla)

Instrumentation issues for Instrumentation issues for ELWsELWs

when the venue for life is an when the venue for life is an exomoonexomoon

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Not incorporated in the JUICE payload

Chela-Flores, 2010, Int. J. Astrobiol.

Biogeochemistryis a useful science

Distribution of life in Distribution of life in the the universeuniverse

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( )

The Great Oxidation Event (GOE)in the habitability zone of our solar system

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Systems (astro)biologySystems (astro)biologySystems biology is used in biomedical research,

systems are, for instance, cells and perturbations are drugs.

In our special case of systems astrobiology,

Instead of systems of cells, we have systems of ELWs.

Perturbations are not drugs perturbing cells, but rather autochthonous biological perturbations of the primary planetary atmosphere.

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Systems (astro)biologySystems (astro)biology

Models of systems of ELWs will be possible with responses to biogenic perturbations that are under two constraints:

1. The perturbation is due to communities of prokaryotic photosynthetic aerobes, and anaerobes that are constrained to remain microbial waiting for an evolving magnetic core that will preserve planetary atmospheres and hydrospheres from stellar wind erosion (Tarduno et al).

2. The perturbation, while evolving, shifts the primary atmosphere into anomalous oxygenic atmospheres after the oxidation of the planetary surface is completed (Catling et al).

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An analytic model

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Assumptions:

We assume the universality of biology.

An analytic model

The current and starting abundance of biogenic gas (oxygen) and non-biogenic gas (carbon-dioxide) in an ELW of the red dwarf.

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Parameters:

The luminosity of the red dwarf hosting an ELW and the luminosity of the Sun.

A parameter taking into account photorespiration that will generate some additional CO2. (In a process of photosynthesis, not all the CO2 will be converted into O2.)

The current time, and the time at which biogenic gas started forming in substantial amount on Earth.

An analytic model

A GOE in an ELW orbiting a red dwarf.

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Allows a prediction for:

The abundance of the non-biogenic gas in an ELW orbiting a red dwarf.

ELWs orbiting a K star(Fraction of non-biogenic gas)

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Exoplanet of a K star (40% L☉)

ELWs orbiting an M dwarf(Fraction of non-biogenic gas)

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Earth

Exoplanet of red dwarf

(8% luminosity of our

sun)

0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.00.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

A g e o f th e ex o p lan et d im en sio n less u n its

Fra

ctio

nof

biog

enicg

as

ELWs orbiting a K star(Fraction of non-biogenic gas)

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Exoplanet in the HZ of a K star (40% L☉)

ELWs orbiting a red dwarf(Fraction of non-biogenic gas)

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Exoplanet in the

HZ of the red

dwarf

Earth

0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.50.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

A g e o f th e ex o p lan et d im en sio n less u n its

Fra

ctio

nof

nonb

ioge

nicg

as

Systems (astro)biologySystems (astro)biology

After the GOE event in an ELW in the HZ of a red dwarf, further steps in evolution are possible:

The microbial communities can evolve into eukaryotes that are able to turn into complex life (multicellular).

With sufficient time after the GOE has elapsed (> 2-3 Gyrs), there will be strong selection advantage for the evolution of intelligence.

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ELWs around red dwarfs are potential hosts to organisms older than terrestrial ones

Credit: based onDressing& Charbonneau

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This suggests resetting the origin of time for the ELW at the big bang

Setting the origin of time at the Big Bang for ELWs older than Earth (orbiting around red dwarfs)

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Exoplanet in the HZ of a K star (40% L☉)

Setting the origin of time at the Big Bang for ELWs older than Earth (orbiting around red dwarfs)

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Earth

Exoplanet in the HZ of

red dwarf

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 140.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

A g e as m easu red f ro m th e b ig b an g G y rs

Fra

ctio

nof

biog

enicg

as

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SKA

Habitability could have Habitability could have preceded terrestrial lifepreceded terrestrial life

Our so far tiny Kepler environment is less than 300 light Our so far tiny Kepler environment is less than 300 light years across (estimated to be ≈ 0.003 of the whole celestial years across (estimated to be ≈ 0.003 of the whole celestial sphere).sphere).

With SETI the cosmic environment accessible byWith SETI the cosmic environment accessible by 2020 should 2020 should be about three times the Kepler range, about 1000 light be about three times the Kepler range, about 1000 light years.years.

If the evolution of intelligent life is a possibility, ELWs in the If the evolution of intelligent life is a possibility, ELWs in the HZ of ancient red dwarfsHZ of ancient red dwarfs become additional observable become additional observable targets that radio astronomers with their ever more sensitive targets that radio astronomers with their ever more sensitive instruments have been following up for over half a century.instruments have been following up for over half a century.

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SummarySummary Our attention is restricted to red dwarfs of which about 6% are expected to

have Earth-like planets (Dressing and Charbonneau, 2013).

Universal biology (evolutionary convergence).

Testing the predictions for biogenic perturbations of ELWs is possible with forthcoming new missions and with future Earth-bound instrumentation, not excluding radio telescopes, such as the SKA.

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Oxygen and carbon dioxide are the only exo-bioindicators that we considered at this stage.

Our predictions are biology-dependent: