Extrasolar Planets and Astrobiology

Front Cover
University Science Books, 2009 - Science - 470 pages
This book offers an advanced introduction to the increasingly robust fields of extrasolar planets and astrobiology. No other text currently available applies this level of mathematics and physics, while also providing an extensive grounding in key issues of chemistry, biology, and geophysics.
 

Contents

Introduction Background
1
Introduction Background and Preview 1
20
Problems
28
References and Suggested Reading
73
Planet Formation
77
Extrasolar Planets
129
References
190
a Brief History and its Boundaries
196
References
296
Cosmochemistry Dust and Prebiotic Molecules
300
Comets Meteorites and Protoplanetary Disk
333
References
360
Habitable Zones
365
References
419
Alternate Habitable Zones and Beyond
424
ReferencesSuggested Reading
453

References
239
Planetary Radiation Comparative Planetology
243

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About the author (2009)

CALEB A. SCHARF was born and educated in England. He received his B.Sc. in Physics from Durham University, UK, and his PhD in Astronomy from the University of Cambridge, UK. Following postdoctoral work in X-ray astronomy and observational cosmology at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and the Space Telescope Science Institute in Maryland, USA, he has been a research scientist at Columbia University, New York, USA. He is currently Director of the multidisciplinary Columbia Astrobiology Center, USA. His research interests include the study of exoplanets, exomoons, and the nature of environments suitable for life.

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