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Evolution of the Habitable Zone and Search for Life Around Giant Stars Part II: Feasibility with Darwin/TPF

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 May 2006

W. C. Danchi ,
B. Lopez ,
J. Schneider ,
A. Belu ,
R. Barry ,
J. Rajagopal  and
L. J. Richardson
W. C. Danchi
Affiliation:
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Exoplanets and Stellar Astrophysics Lab., Code 667, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
B. Lopez
Affiliation:
Observatoire de la Cote dAzur, BP 4229, 06304 Nice Cedex 4, France
J. Schneider
Affiliation:
Observatoire de Paris, Paris, France
A. Belu
Affiliation:
Observatoire de la Cote dAzur, BP 4229, 06304 Nice Cedex 4, France University of Nice - Sophia Antipolis, LUAN, Parc Valrose, 06108 Nice Cedex 2, France
R. Barry
Affiliation:
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Exoplanets and Stellar Astrophysics Lab., Code 667, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA The Johns Hopkins University, Physics and Astronomy Dept., Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
J. Rajagopal
Affiliation:
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Exoplanets and Stellar Astrophysics Lab., Code 667, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA University of Maryland, Astronomy Department, College Park, MD 20742, USA
L. J. Richardson
Affiliation:
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Exoplanets and Stellar Astrophysics Lab., Code 667, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
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Abstract

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We discuss the evolution of the habitable zone around low mass and intermediate mass stars as they evolve off the main sequence. This work shows that this new class of stars should be included in the search for life because if planets could be found in their habitable zones, and these planets showed evidence for life, it is possible to empirically determine a lower limit to the timescale for the formation of life. This time scale is not well determined from the study of the Earth (or planets around main sequence stars), as life formation initially occurred during a period of heavy bombardment from comets and asteroids during the formation of the solar system. Our initial research was recently published (Lopez, Schneider, & Danchi 2005). We will describe our work in progress, in which we perform calculations and simulations aiming to demonstrate the potential of TPF and Darwin for the search and characterization of planets around evolved stars.

Keywords

instrumentation: high angular resolutiontechniques: interferometricspace vehicles: instrumentsplanets and satellites: generalplanetary systems: formation
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 1 , Colloquium C200: Direct Imaging of Exoplanets: Science & Techniques , October 2005 , pp. 65 - 70
Copyright
© 2006 International Astronomical Union