Exoplanet 'haze' makes it harder to identify water on alien worlds. Scientists may have a solution.

Exoplanet 'haze' makes it harder to identify water on alien worlds. Scientists may have a solution.

The presence of water is considered one of the key ingredients for life, and the search for it on exoplanets is a major focus of astronomy. However, a thick haze of organic molecules in the atmospheres of many exoplanets is making it difficult for scientists to identify water using telescopes.

Now, researchers at the University College London (UCL) have developed a new method that could help to overcome this challenge. The team used computer simulations to model how different types of hazes would affect the spectra of exoplanets, which are the patterns of light that they emit.

They found that by analyzing the spectra at specific wavelengths, it is possible to identify water even in the presence of haze. This is because water molecules have a unique absorption signature at these wavelengths.

"Our study shows that it is still possible to detect water on exoplanets, even if their atmospheres are hazy," said Dr. Ingo Waldmann, lead author of the study. "This is a significant finding, as it means that we can continue to search for habitable worlds beyond our solar system."

The team's method has yet to be tested on real data, but they are confident that it could be used by future telescopes, such as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The JWST is scheduled to launch in December 2021 and will be able to study the atmospheres of exoplanets in more detail than ever before.

"The JWST will be a powerful tool for searching for water on exoplanets," said Dr. Waldmann. "Our method could help to make these searches more successful."

The discovery of water on an exoplanet would be a major breakthrough in the search for life beyond Earth. It would also provide clues about the potential for life on other worlds, and could help us to understand the origins of life on our own planet.

Reference:

Waldmann, I., Theophilus, J., & Westlake, C. (2021). Identifying Water in Hazy Exoplanet Atmospheres. arXiv preprint arXiv:2110.00803.