Exoplanet Atmospheres

by Seager, Sara

• ISBN13: 9780691146454
• ISBN10: 0691146454
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-08-02
• Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr

Summary

Over the past twenty years, astronomers have identified hundreds of extrasolar planets--planets orbiting stars other than the sun. Recent research in this burgeoning field has made it possible to observe and measure the atmospheres of these exoplanets. This is the first textbook to describe the basic physical processes--including radiative transfer, molecular absorption, and chemical processes--common to all planetary atmospheres, as well as the transit, eclipse, and thermal phase variation observations that are unique to exoplanets.In each chapter, Sara Seager offers a conceptual introduction, examples that combine the relevant physics equations with real data, and exercises. Topics range from foundational knowledge, such as the origin of atmospheric composition and planetary spectra, to more advanced concepts, such as solutions to the radiative transfer equation, polarization, and molecular and condensate opacities. Since planets vary widely in their atmospheric properties, Seager emphasizes the major physical processes that govern all planetary atmospheres.Moving from first principles to cutting-edge research,Exoplanet Atmospheresis an ideal resource for students and researchers in astronomy and earth sciences, one that will help prepare them for the next generation of planetary science. The first textbook to describe exoplanet atmospheres Illustrates concepts using examples grounded in real data Provides a step-by-step guide to understanding the structure and emergent spectrum of a planetary atmosphere Includes exercises for students

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xi
Introduction	p. 1
Exoplanets from Afar	p. 1
Two Paths to Observing Exoplanet Atmospheres	p. 2
Types of Planets	p. 4
Intensity and Flux	p. 9
Introduction	p. 9
Intensity	p. 9
Flux and Other Intensity Moments	p. 10
Surface Flux	p. 11
Observed Flux	p. 14
Luminosity and Outgoing Energy	p. 16
Incident Flux and Incident Energy	p. 17
Black Body Intensity and Black Body Flux	p. 19
Lambert Surface	p. 20
Summary	p. 22
Temperature, Albedos, and Flux Ratios	p. 25
Introduction	p. 25
Energy Balance	p. 25
Planetary Temperatures	p. 27
Planetary Albedos	p. 32
Planet-Star Flux Ratios	p. 40
Planetary Phase Curves	p. 45
Summary	p. 47
Composition of a Planetary Atmosphere	p. 51
Introduction	p. 51
Composition of Earth's and Jupiter's Atmospheres	p. 51
Chemical Composition	p. 56
Basic Cloud Physics	p. 66
Atmospheric Escape	p. 72
Atmospheric Evolution	p. 81
Summary	p. 83
Radiative Transfer I: Fundamentals	p. 87
Introduction	p. 87
Opacity	p. 87
Optical Depth	p. 91
Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium	p. 93
The Source Function	p. 96
The Equation of Radiative Transfer	p. 96
Summary	p. 100
Radiative Transfer II: Solutions	p. 103
Introduction	p. 103
A Conceptual Description of the Emergent Spectrum	p. 103
An Introduction to Line Formation	p. 108
Approximate Solutions to the Plane-Parallel Radiative Transfer Equation	p. 113
Monte Carlo Radiative Transfer	p. 125
Summary	p. 127
Polarization	p. 133
Introduction	p. 133
Description of Polarized Radiation	p. 134
Polarization Calculations	p. 138
Polarization from Planets	p. 140
Summary	p. 143
Opacities	p. 145
Introduction	p. 145
Energy Levels in Atoms and Molecules	p. 146
Molecular Absorption Cross Sections	p. 161
Rayleigh Scattering	p. 166
Condensate Opacities	p. 167
Summary	p. 176
Vertical Thermal Structure of a Planetary Atmosphere	p. 181
Introduction	p. 181
Earth's Vertical Atmospheric Structure	p. 181
Hydrostatic Equilibrium and the Pressure Scale Height	p. 183
Surface Temperature for a Simplified Atmosphere	p. 186
Convection versus Radiation	p. 190
The Radiative Equilibrium Temperature Profile	p. 192
The Adiabatic Temperature Profile	p. 200
The One-Dimensional Temperature-Pressure Profile	p. 202
Temperature Retrieval	p. 205
Summary	p. 207
Atmospheric Circulation	p. 211
Introduction	p. 211
Radiative and Advective Timescales	p. 213
Large-Scale Flow and Patterns	p. 215
Atmospheric Dynamics Equations	p. 218
Connection to Observations	p. 223
Summary	p. 225
Atmospheric Biosignatures	p. 229
Introduction	p. 229
Earth's Biosignatures	p. 229
The Ideal Biosignatures Gas	p. 230
Prospects	p. 231
Summary	p. 234
Planetary Data	p. 237
Index	p. 241
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