Hanslmeier Water in the Universe

1. Auflage 2010
ISBN: 978-90-481-9984-6
Verlag: Springer-Verlag
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 242 Seiten

Due to its specific chemical and physical properties, water is essential for life on Earth. And it is assumed that this would be the case for extraterrestrial life as well. Therefore it is important to investigate where water can be found in the Universe. Although there are places that are completely dry, places where the last rainfall happened probably several 100 million years ago, surprisingly this substance is quite omnipresent. In the outer solar system the large satellites of Jupiter and Saturn are covered by a thick layer of ice that could be hiding a liquid ocean below. This of course brings up the question of whether the recently detected extrasolar planets could have some water on their surfaces and how we can detect this. Water molecules are also found in interstellar gas and dust clouds. This book begins with an introductory chapter reviewing the physical and chemical properties of water. Then it illuminates the apparent connection between water and life. This is followed by chapters dealing with our current knowledge of water in the solar system, followed by a discussion concerning the potential presence and possible detection of water on exoplanets. The signature of water in interstellar space and stars are reviewed before the origin of water in the Universe is finally discussed. The book ends with an appendix on detection methods, satellite missions and astrophysical concepts touched upon in the main parts of the book. The search for water in the Universe is related to the search for extraterrestrial life and is of fundamental importance for astrophysics, astrobiology and other related topics. This book therefore addresses students and researchers in these fields.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Hanslmeier, Arnold

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1;Preface;6
2;Contents;8
3;List of Tables;13
4;Water on Earth, Properties of Water;15
4.1;The Role of Water in History;15
4.1.1;Water in Ancient Cultures;15
4.1.1.1;Water in Ancient Egypt;16
4.1.1.2;Water in Ancient Greece;16
4.1.1.3;Water in Other Religions and Philosophical Systems;17
4.1.1.4;Water in Ancient Rome;18
4.1.1.5;Water Management by Ancient American Cultures;18
4.1.2;Modern Society and Water;19
4.2;The Chemical Elements Water Consists of;20
4.2.1;Hydrogen;20
4.2.1.1;Isotopes of Hydrogen;21
4.2.1.2;Hydrogen in the Universe;22
4.2.2;Oxygen;22
4.2.2.1;Oxygen and Palaeoclimatology;23
4.2.2.2;Oxygen in the Universe;25
4.3;Water, Chemical and Physical Properties;25
4.3.1;Chemical Properties;25
4.3.2;Physical Properties of Water;26
4.3.3;Evaporation and Condensation;30
4.3.4;Ice;31
4.3.4.1;Amorphous Ice;32
4.3.4.2;Ice Ih;33
4.3.4.3;Ice Ic;33
4.3.5;H2O+;33
4.4;Chemical Reactions and Water;34
4.4.1;Chemical Bonds;34
4.4.2;Acids and pH Value;34
4.4.3;Hydrates, Water in Crystals;34
4.4.4;Water: Spectral Signatures;35
4.5;The Hydrologic Cycle;36
4.5.1;Evaporation and Precipitation Balance;36
4.5.2;The Hydrologic Cycle and Climate Change;38
5;Life and Water;39
5.1;Life and Environment;39
5.1.1;The Importance of Water;39
5.1.2;Definition of Life;39
5.1.3;Evolution of Life;41
5.1.4;Life Under Extreme Conditions;44
5.2;Water and Other Solvents;44
5.2.1;The Importance of Solvents to Life;44
5.2.2;Other Solvents than Water;46
5.3;Energy for Life;47
5.3.1;Energy;47
5.3.2;Metabolic Diversity;47
5.3.3;Solar Energy;48
5.3.4;Photosynthesis and Respiration;49
6;Water on Planets and Dwarf Planets;51
6.1;Classification of Objects in the Solar System;51
6.1.1;Overview;51
6.1.2;Physical Parameters of Planets;52
6.2;Terrestrial Planets;52
6.2.1;Earth;53
6.2.2;Mercury;54
6.2.3;Venus;55
6.2.3.1;Water Vapor;57
6.2.3.2;Atmospheric Escape;57
6.2.4;Mars;58
6.2.4.1;Mars, Surface;59
6.2.4.2;Water Vapor in the Atmosphere of Mars;61
6.2.5;The Early Sun and Evolution of Terrestrial Planets;61
6.2.6;Dry Venus-Humid Earth-Climate Changes on Mars;63
6.2.6.1;Venus;63
6.2.6.2;Mars;65
6.2.6.3;Geologic History of Mars;70
6.3;Giant Planets;72
6.3.1;Jupiter;72
6.3.1.1;Jupiter, Atmosphere;73
6.3.2;Saturn;74
6.3.3;Uranus;75
6.3.4;Neptune;76
6.3.5;Water on Giant Planets;79
6.4;Dwarf Planets;80
6.4.1;Pluto;81
6.4.2;Ices on Other Dwarf Planets;83
7;Satellites of Planets in the Solar System;84
7.1;Galilean Satellites;84
7.1.1;Io;84
7.1.1.1;Water on Io;86
7.1.2;Europa;86
7.1.3;Callisto;90
7.1.4;Ganymede;90
7.2;Satellites of Saturn;92
7.2.1;Overview;92
7.2.2;Titan;93
7.2.2.1;Organic Haze in Titan's Atmosphere;95
7.2.2.2;Water and Ice on Titan?;96
7.2.3;Other Satellites of Saturn;97
7.2.3.1;Rhea;98
7.2.3.2;Dione;100
7.2.3.3;Tethys;100
7.2.3.4;Iapetus;102
7.2.3.5;Enceladus;103
7.3;Satellites of Uranus and Neptune;106
7.3.1;The Satellites of Uranus;106
7.3.2;The Satellites of Neptune;110
7.4;The Earth Moon;112
7.4.1;Water on the Moon?;113
8;Water on Small Solar System Bodies;117
8.1;Clouds of Particles;117
8.1.1;The Kuiper Belt;117
8.1.1.1;General Properties of KBOs;117
8.1.1.2;Orbits of KBOs;118
8.1.1.3;Physical Parameters of KBOs;118
8.1.1.4;Water Ice on KBOs;120
8.1.1.5;Satellites of KBOs;121
8.1.2;The Oort Cloud;122
8.1.2.1;Objects of the Oort Cloud, Parameters;122
8.1.2.2;Origin of the Oort Cloud;122
8.2;Comets;124
8.2.1;Early Observations;124
8.2.2;Orbital Characteristics of Comets;124
8.2.3;Physics of Comets;125
8.2.3.1;Space Missions to Comets;126
8.2.4;Collisions with Comets;128
8.2.5;Detection of Water on Comets;129
8.3;Asteroids;131
8.3.1;General Properties;131
8.3.2;Classification of Asteroids;131
8.3.3;NEOs;132
8.3.4;The Cretaceous-Tertiary Impact;133
8.3.5;Water and Ice on Asteroids;134
8.3.6;Asteroids as a Source for Water on Earth;136
8.4;Meteorites;136
8.4.1;General Properties;136
8.4.2;Classification;137
8.4.3;Water in Meteorites;138
9;Water on Extrasolar Planets?;140
9.1;How to Detect Extrasolar Planets;140
9.1.1;Detection Methods;140
9.1.2;Extrasolar Planets Found by Different Detection Methods;143
9.1.3;Some Examples of Extrasolar Planets;145
9.2;Habitable Zones;145
9.2.1;Habitability;146
9.2.2;Circumstellar Habitable Zones;146
9.2.3;Galactic Habitable Zone;147
9.2.4;Habitable Zone Around Giant Planets;148
9.3;Dust Debris Around Stars;148
9.3.1;Signatures of Dust Around Stars;149
9.3.2;Dust Around Vega;150
9.4;Water Detection on Extrasolar Planets;152
9.4.1;Detection of Planetary Atmospheres;152
9.4.2;Hot Jupiters;153
9.4.3;Water on Extrasolar Planets;157
9.4.4;Some Model Calculations;157
9.4.4.1;Atmosphere and Water on Exoplanets;160
9.4.5;Super Earth Planets;161
10;Water in Interstellar Space and Stars;163
10.1;Interstellar Medium;163
10.1.1;Physical Properties;163
10.1.2;Molecules in the Interstellar Medium;165
10.1.3;Interstellar Dust Lifecycle;167
10.1.4;Water Masers;168
10.2;Water in Starforming Regions;170
10.2.1;Clouds and Cloud Collapse;170
10.2.2;H2O Masers in Star Forming Regions-A Model;173
10.2.3;Water Signatures in Protostars;174
10.2.4;T Tauri Stars;176
10.2.4.1;Water Around T Tauri Stars;177
10.3;Water Signatures in Spectra of Late Type Stars and the Sun;179
10.3.1;Late Type Stars and Water;179
10.3.2;Water in Sunspots?;182
10.4;Water in Galaxies;183
10.4.1;The Milky Way Galaxy;183
10.4.2;Water in the Galaxy?;184
10.4.3;Water in Galaxies;184
10.4.3.1;What are Galaxies?;184
10.4.4;Galaxy Clusters;186
10.4.5;IR-Galaxies;186
10.4.6;Water Masers in Nearby Galaxies;188
10.4.7;Mega-Masers;189
11;Water-Where Does It Come from?;191
11.1;The Evolution of the Universe;191
11.1.1;An Expanding Universe;191
11.1.1.1;Accelerated Expansion;192
11.1.2;Radiation from the Early Universe;192
11.1.2.1;When the Universe Became Transparent;193
11.1.2.2;Reionization;194
11.1.3;Abundance of Elements;194
11.1.4;No Water in the Early Universe;195
11.2;Stellar Evolution;195
11.2.1;Red Giants;197
11.2.2;The Asymptotic Giant Branch;199
11.2.3;A Carbon Flash?;199
11.2.4;Post AGB Evolution;200
11.2.5;Elements Heavier than He;200
11.2.6;The Ultimate Fate of a Low Massive Star: White Dwarfs;202
11.2.6.1;No Water from Low Massive Stars;202
11.3;Massive Stars;202
11.3.1;Main Sequence Evolution of Massive Stars;202
11.3.2;Supernova Explosion;204
11.3.3;Stellar Populations;206
12;Appendix;209
12.1;How to Detect Water;209
12.1.1;Transparency of the Earth's Atmosphere;209
12.1.2;In Situ Measurements;210
12.1.3;Spectroscopic Signatures;211
12.1.3.1;Molecular Spectra;211
12.1.3.2;Formation of Water Molecules;215
12.1.3.3;The Water Hole and Interstellar Communication;215
12.2;Satellite Missions;216
12.2.1;Water Detection with SWAS;216
12.2.2;IR Satellites;217
12.2.3;Future Astronomical Telescopes;218
12.3;Some Astrophysical Concepts;219
12.3.1;Apparent Magnitude;219
12.3.2;Spectral Classes;220
12.3.3;The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram, HRD;221
13;References;223
14;Index;241