Abstract
Diagnostic potential of the mid-infrared space interferometer LIFE for studying Earth analogues
Highlights
We quantify the potential of a mid-infrared space-based mission like LIFE (Large Interferometer for Exoplanets) [1, 2] to detect atmospheric signatures of life in the spectrum of a terrestrial planet at various stages of its evolution
Using the minimal requirements for the spectral resolution, the signal to noise ratio, and the wavelength range for LIFE, as discussed in Konrad et al [3], we retrieve the atmospheric structure and composition of thermal spectra of the Earth at various epochs [4]: modern day, the Neoproterozoic Oxygenation Event (NOE, 0.8 billion years ago), the Great Oxygenation Event (GOE, 2.0 billion years ago), and a prebiotic Earth (3.9 billion years ago)
The Bayesian retrieval routine that is currently used is composed by two modules: the forward model petitRADTRANS [9], which applies the radiative transfer equation to produce theoretical spectra given a set of parameters; the parameter estimation module, which applies the Bayesian Inference Nested Sampling method [10] to assess the goodness of the theoretical spectrum when compared to the observed spectrum
Summary
Diagnostic potential of the mid-infrared space interferometer LIFE for studying Earth analogues. This page was generated automatically upon download from the ETH Zurich Research Collection. For more information please consult the Terms of use
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