Peters, Dewy (2021) Habitable Environments in Late Stellar Evolution. Bachelor's Thesis, Astronomy.
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Abstract
With very high potential transit-depths and an absence of stellar flare activity, the planets of White Dwarfs (WDs) are some of the most promising in the search for detectable life. There is considerable evidence from spectroscopic and photometric observations that both terrestrial and gas-giant planets are capable of surviving post-main sequence evolution and migrating into the WD phase. WDs are also capable of hosting stable Habitable Zones outside orbital distances at which Earth-mass planets would be disintegrated by tidal forces. To reach the WD phase, a main-sequence star has to progress along the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) around which Circumstellar Envelopes (CSE) are found to be rich in some of the simple molecules from which amino acids and simple sugars can be synthesised. It is found that in addition to retaining most of a 1bar atmosphere, planets at orbital distances equivalent to Saturn and the Kuiper Belt would be able to accrete between 1 and 20 times the mass of Earth's atmosphere from the CSE, and therefore a likely mass of prebiotic material necessary for life to develop.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Bachelor's Thesis) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Tak, F.F.S. van der |
| Degree programme: | Astronomy |
| Thesis type: | Bachelor's Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Date Deposited: | 08 Mar 2021 09:56 |
| Last Modified: | 08 Mar 2021 09:56 |
| URI: | https://fse.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/24043 |
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