exoplanet characterisation; atmospheres; planet formation; exoplanets; numerical modelling; planet evolution; geodynamics; habitability; biosignatures
Lichtenberg Tim, Golabek Gregor J., Burn Remo, Meyer Michael R., Alibert Yann, Gerya Taras V., Mordasini Christoph (2019), A water budget dichotomy of rocky protoplanets from 26Al-heating, in
Nature Astronomy, 307.
Bonati I., Lichtenberg T., Bower D. J., Timpe M. L., Quanz S. P. (2019), Direct imaging of molten protoplanets in nearby young stellar associations, in
Astronomy {&} Astrophysics, A125.
Near-future observational capabilities will enable us to address questions such as: What does exoplanetary atmospheric chemistry reveal about interior & surface dynamics and potential biology of these distant worlds? I hypothesise that planet formation and evolution create distinct classes of planetary behaviour, and that these classes have distinct relationships between observables and internal dynamics. To test this and develop falsifiable predictions, I propose an interdisciplinary assessment of planet formation and evolution scenarios, merging methods and expertise from astronomy, geophysics, geochemistry, petrology and atmospheric sciences to link astrophysical accretion scenarios to the observational characterisation of extrasolar planets. I will conduct a theoretical study of the accretion process of terrestrial planets from a planet-centric point-of-view to couple the feedback cycles of a planet’s interior and atmosphere, starting with its birth in the protoplanetary disk to its long-term evolution on billion-year timescales. With these models, I will tackle the most crucial physical processes during the growth of terrestrial planetary bodies and synthesise the outcome in a unified theoretical description of planetary evolution. This approach will fundamentally advance our understanding of the exoplanetary population and can be used in the near-future to probe planetary interior dynamics and surface conditions of extrasolar terrestrial worlds.