Traces of exomoons in flux and polarization signals of starlight reflected by exoplanets

Javier Berzosa Molina, Daphne Stam, Loic Rossi

Research output: Contribution to conferenceAbstractScientific

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Abstract

The detection of moons around extrasolar planets is one of the main focuses of current and future observatories. These silent companions contribute to the planets' observed signals but are barely detectable with current methods. Numerous gaseous exoplanets are known to orbit in the habitable zones of stars, and the expected abundance of natural satellites and their diversity in composition make them ideal targets when looking for habitable celestial bodies. And moons are suspected to play key roles in stabilizing a planet's rotational axis and hence its climate. We show that an exomoon orbiting an Earth-like exoplanet could be identified by measuring the flux and polarization of starlight reflected by the planet-moon system, allowing the characterization of their orbital motions and physical properties.
Original languageEnglish
Number of pages2
Publication statusPublished - 2017
EventEuropean Planetary Science Congress 2017 - Riga, Latvia
Duration: 17 Sept 201722 Sept 2017
Conference number: 11

Conference

ConferenceEuropean Planetary Science Congress 2017
Abbreviated titleEPSC2017
Country/TerritoryLatvia
CityRiga
Period17/09/1722/09/17

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