[SEMINAR] Blooms, Moons, and Exoplanets - Frozen colors as a key for life detection in the cosmos

Title: Blooms, Moons, and Exoplanets - Frozen colors as a key for life detection in the cosmos

Speaker: Lígia Fonseca Coelho

From: Cornell University

Abstract: A big misconception remains that photosynthesis requires visible light. A diverse array of biopigments enables microorganisms to harness energy from near-infrared and infrared wavelengths, allowing them to thrive in subsurface environments, fueled by heat. Biopigments serve as unique spectral fingerprints of life offering a promising avenue for detecting extraterrestrial life and their ecosystems in exoplanets and icy moons.

Current models of exoplanets (planets in other solar systems) primarily focus on chlorophyll-covered surfaces, neglecting the diversity of other colors on Earth and potential variations of microbial communities around different stars. To address this limitation, we developed a novel spectral catalog encompassing the colors of life associated with various environments, from irradiated to frigid conditions, across different solar systems.

This comprehensive library of reflectance spectra, spanning the visible to near-infrared range, is a valuable resource for astronomers, space agencies, and Earth observers. It facilitates the training of retrieval algorithms, optimization of search strategies, design of new telescopes, and refinement of models for Earth-like planets and icy moons, aiding future telescopes such as the ELTs and HWO and future missions such as JUICE and Europa Clipper.

In this research, we see the emergence of new colors indicative of life on planets with unique and varied environmental characteristics, where orange, yellow, or even purple could be the new green.