Dr. Amit Levi
Studying high-pressure aqueous solutions in planetary interiors and their role in atmospheric outgassing to differentiate between atmospheric abiotic and biosignatures
We already know of thousands of planets surrounding other stars in our galaxy. We refer to such planets as exoplanets because they are not part of our solar system. For the last couple of decades, we have been collecting information on their masses and radii and slowly increasing our capability to sample their atmospheric composition. The latter set of data is exciting because life can alter the composition of an atmosphere, as has happened to Earth.
However, to interpret an atmospheric composition as being related to life, we must first rule out the possibility that this composition can be a result of a natural abiotic outgassing process. I study the high-pressure environment in planetary interiors to decide what chemical species can reach the planetary surface and become part of the atmosphere and in what quantities. This approach provides constraints on what is possible abiotically, to be compared with observations. The aim is to provide an increased confidence in any future detection and in its interpretation.
