Exoplanets, Habitability and Biomarkers

Presenters: Prof Heike Rauer, Philip von Paris, and Dr John Lee Grenfell

DATE: 12.01.2010

TIME: 15:00 CET

LOCATION: TECH. UNIV. DRESDEN

Biographies

Prof Rauer heads the department of Extrasolar Planets and Atmospheres at

the Institute for Planetary Research (DLR-PF) at the German Aerospace

Center. Philip von Paris is completing a PhD in Prof Rauer’s group. Dr John

Lee Grenfell is a scientist at the Technische Universität (TU) Berlin

We present the physical characteristics of exoplanets with a focus on atmospheres and their central

role in habitability. A case-study investigating potential habitability of a known exoplanet is shown.

An overview of atmospheric biomarkers i.e. life-indicating molecules is provided.