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| Paper: |
Habitability of Planets Orbiting Cool Stars |
| Volume: |
448, 16th Cambridge Workshop on Cool Stars, Stellar Systems, and the Sun |
| Page: |
391 |
| Authors: |
Barnes, R.; Meadows, V. S.; Domagal-Goldman, S. D.; Heller, R.; Jackson, B.; López-Morales, M.; Tanner, A.; Gómez-Pérez, N.; Ruedas, T. |
| Abstract: |
Terrestrial planets are more likely to be detected if they orbit M
dwarfs due to the favorable planet/star size and mass ratios.
However, M dwarf habitable zones are significantly closer to the star
than the one around our Sun, which leads to different requirements for
planetary habitability and its detection. We review 1) the current
limits to detection, 2) the role of M dwarf spectral energy
distributions on atmospheric chemistry, 3) tidal effects, stressing
that tidal locking is not synonymous with synchronous rotation, 4) the
role of atmospheric mass loss and propose that some habitable worlds
may be the volatile-rich, evaporated cores of giant planets, and 5)
the role of planetary rotation and magnetic field generation,
emphasizing that slow rotation does not preclude strong magnetic
fields and their shielding of the surface from stellar
activity. Finally we present preliminary findings of the NASA
Astrobiology Institute's workshop “Revisiting the Habitable Zone.”
We assess the recently-announced planet Gl 581 g and find no obvious
barriers to habitability. We conclude that no known phenomenon
completely precludes the habitability of terrestrial planets orbiting
cool stars. |
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