Chapter 14
SETI in Rocky Exoplanets: Narrowing
the Search with Climate Models
Giovanni Vladilo, Laura Silva, Michele Maris, Giuseppe Murante,
and Paolo Simonetti
Abstract The quest for inhabited worlds beyond the Solar System is focussed on
rocky exoplanets, many of which are being discovered via transit and radial-velocity
surveys. The detection of life in such planets via atmospheric biosignatures is challenging and ambient conditions that maximize the production and detectability of
atmospheric biosignatures should be preferred in the selection of targets for spectroscopic observations. In this presentation we discuss how climate models that predict
the temperature distribution on the planetary surface and the absorption properties
of the planetary atmosphere can be used to narrow the search for exoplanets able to
sustain multicellular organisms and hence, potentially, intelligent life.
14.1 Introduction
The study of the potential distribution of life in the Galaxy is one of the main goals
of astrobiology and may provide effective strategies for the search of extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI). Rocky exoplanets are natural candidates in the quest for
astronomical environments potentially able to host life. Based on the example of
terrestrial life, the emergence of complex, multicellular life is a pre-condition for the
development of neural connections, brains and, eventually, intelligent life. For this
reason, in the first part of this presentation we discuss the physical conditions that
are required to sustain multicellular life of terrestrial type on a planetary surface.
We focus, in particular, on the ambient temperature, which plays a key role in the
regulation of life processes [1]. Since the detection of life in exoplanets relies on
the spectroscopic observation of atmospheric biosignatures [2], we also discuss the
temperature limits that may maximize the generation of chemical constituents of
G. Vladilo (B) · L. Silva · M. Maris · G. Murante
INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Trieste, Trieste, Italy
e-mail: giovanni.vladilo@inaf.it
URL: http://wwwuser.oats.inaf.it/vladilo/
P. Simonetti
Università degli Studi di Trieste, Trieste, Italy
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
S. Montebugnoli and A. Melis (eds.), The Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence,
Springer Proceedings in Physics 260, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-63806-1_14
127
SETI in Rocky Exoplanets: Narrowing
the Search with Climate Models
Giovanni Vladilo, Laura Silva, Michele Maris, Giuseppe Murante,
and Paolo Simonetti
Abstract The quest for inhabited worlds beyond the Solar System is focussed on
rocky exoplanets, many of which are being discovered via transit and radial-velocity
surveys. The detection of life in such planets via atmospheric biosignatures is challenging and ambient conditions that maximize the production and detectability of
atmospheric biosignatures should be preferred in the selection of targets for spectroscopic observations. In this presentation we discuss how climate models that predict
the temperature distribution on the planetary surface and the absorption properties
of the planetary atmosphere can be used to narrow the search for exoplanets able to
sustain multicellular organisms and hence, potentially, intelligent life.
14.1 Introduction
The study of the potential distribution of life in the Galaxy is one of the main goals
of astrobiology and may provide effective strategies for the search of extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI). Rocky exoplanets are natural candidates in the quest for
astronomical environments potentially able to host life. Based on the example of
terrestrial life, the emergence of complex, multicellular life is a pre-condition for the
development of neural connections, brains and, eventually, intelligent life. For this
reason, in the first part of this presentation we discuss the physical conditions that
are required to sustain multicellular life of terrestrial type on a planetary surface.
We focus, in particular, on the ambient temperature, which plays a key role in the
regulation of life processes [1]. Since the detection of life in exoplanets relies on
the spectroscopic observation of atmospheric biosignatures [2], we also discuss the
temperature limits that may maximize the generation of chemical constituents of
G. Vladilo (B) · L. Silva · M. Maris · G. Murante
INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Trieste, Trieste, Italy
e-mail: giovanni.vladilo@inaf.it
URL: http://wwwuser.oats.inaf.it/vladilo/
P. Simonetti
Università degli Studi di Trieste, Trieste, Italy
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
S. Montebugnoli and A. Melis (eds.), The Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence,
Springer Proceedings in Physics 260, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-63806-1_14
127