Atmospheric disequilibrium as an exoplanet biosignature: Opportunities for next generation telescopes
by Joshua Krissansen-Totton, Giada N. Arney, David C. Catling, Ryan Felton, Jonathan Fortney, Ryan Garland, Patrick Irwin, Ravi Kopparapu, Owen Lehmer, Jacob Lustig-Yaeger, Victoria Meadows, Karan Molaverdikhani, Stephanie Olson, Edward W. Schwieterman, and Jake Taylor
Published onMay 31, 2019
Atmospheric disequilibrium as an exoplanet biosignature: Opportunities for next generation telescopes
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Abstract
We explore atmospheric chemical disequilibrium as an exoplanet biosignature and argue that a CH4+CO2 combination could be a common sign of life on planets with oxygen-free atmospheres such as the ancient Earth. This biosignature combination is potentially detectable with JWST and readily detectable with some next generation space-based telescopes.
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