There is a quiet revolution going on. An unprecedented number of planets outside of our solar system (exoplanets, or extrasolar planets) have been found, with an explosion in the number of discoveries in recent years. The collective human consciousness has arrived at a place that was inaccessible not long ago. Once upon a time, humanity had not even conceived questions such as, "Are there planets beyond our solar system?" or "Is there intelligent life on other planets?" Find out what has been happening in this rapidly advancing arena of human exploration, what these extrasolar planets are like, and why some traditional ideas face being thrown out. Get up to speed on the new science with "Exoplanets and Alien Solar Systems." The book is aimed at the layperson, offering translations of astrophysics into plain language, yet it has enough depth in annotated reference notes to the original scientific literature that it will also be useful for those with a greater science background, including teachers and professional scientists. The book will help educators to begin to incorporate the study of extrasolar planets into the curriculum at all academic levels.
Table of Contents:
Chapter 1: Stepping Out
-Connecting with a Conversation Through History
-Exoplanets Reveal Themselves
-Jupiter's Compelling Attraction
Chapter 2: A Sketch of the New Science
-Chapter Overview
-Near and Far
-Solar System Overview
-Why Are Some Objects Known as "Candidate" Planets?
-How Many Exoplanets and Alien Solar Systems Have Been Found?
-Why Don't Exoplanets Have Names?
-What Do We Want to Know About Exoplanets and Why?
-How Far Away Are the Discovered Planets?
-How Many Alien Moons Have Been Discovered?
-Are There Exoplanets That Are Not Associated with a Star?
-How Can I Get the Latest Updates on Exoplanets and Alien Solar Systems?
Chapter 3: How It's Done
-The Host Stars
-How are Exoplanets Discovered?
--Timing Method
--Doppler Shift Method
--Astrometry
--Transit Method
--Gravitational Microlensing Method
--Direct Imaging
-What Can We Actually Measure?
-Oblique, Retrograde, and Eccentric Orbits
-Chemical Composition
-Groundbased versus Spacebased Observations
-The CoRoT Mission
-The Kepler Mission
-When Was the First Exoplanet Discovered?
Chapter 4: The Discoveries
-Exoplanet Types
-Demographics
-The Alien Solar Systems
-Masses of the Exoplanets
-Exoplanet Sizes
-Living Close to a Star
-Orbital Period and Size
-Exoplanet Eccentricities
-Is Our Solar System Typical?
-Planet Formation and Migration
-Multiplanet Systems
-A Summary of the Important Findings So Far
-Tentative Results From the Kepler Candidates Sample
Chapter 5: Where Is Everyone?
-What Is Life?
-The Origin of Life
-Challenges for the Origin of Life on Earth
-Chemistry for Life: What's the Deal with Arsenic?
-Water In the Moon
-The Problem of Volatile Delivery
-Exoplanet Climatology and Habitable Zones
-The Host Star, Tidal Locking, and System Stability
-Temperature and Albedo
-Exoplanet Atmospheres
-Climate Solutions
-The Faint Young Sun Problem
-Circumstellar Habitable Zone
-Galactic Habitable Zone
-Is There a New Answer to the Old Question?
-How Long Would it Take to Get to the Nearest Exoplanet?
-Ant School
Appendix A: What Is a Planet?
Appendix B: Selected Websites
Notes
Dr. Tahir Yaqoob is an astrophysicist and educator with over 25 years of experience. He obtained a B.A. in physics from the University of Oxford, England, and a Ph.D. in astrophysics from the University of Leicester, England. He has tutored and mentored students across the entire academic range, from students at elementary school to those in Ph.D. programs. He has also trained postgraduate students and postdoctoral researchers to become established scientists and professors in physics and astrophysics. Dr. Yaqoob has many interests in physics and astrophysics, and works on NASA-funded astrophysics research projects. He has published over 120 research papers in peer-reviewed international journals and is also a member of the editorial board of the international peer-reviewed journal ISRN Astronomy and Astrophysics.
