2020 Life in the Universe
Overview
This course examines the astrophysical background to the study of Life in the Universe. What is Life, and what are the most basic requirements for Life to exist in the Universe? What environments are conducive to Life, and how do these come about? Can we imagine Universes without Life.
Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Simon Lilly
Teaching Assistants: Dr. Jorryt Matthee Dr. Ruari Mackenzie
Schedule and Important Information
The lectures will be delivered at the usual time (Wednesdays 13.45 - 15.30 h) using ZOOM. The Zoom contact details for the lectures are as follows:
Topic: 42-0384-00 Life in the Universe
Time: Recurring meeting starting at 1330 CET on Wednesdays
Join Zoom Meeting external pagehttps://ethz.zoom.us/j/334516758
Meeting ID: 334 516 758
The ZOOM session will start at about 13.30 h. Starting at 13.45 h the lecture will be given “live” using ZOOM.
If you cannot find the ZOOM meeting, or have other problems connecting to it, then please email Ruari () and Simon () immediately.
The lecture should also be recorded in ZOOM. This recording will also be made available to you later, either through a download, or via a link on the course webpage.
The Powerpoint slides will (as before) be made available here in PDF format ahead of the lecture.
If you do not have the ZOOM app, you can get it at:
https://ethz.ch/services/de/it-services/katalog/multimedia/video-konferenz/zoom.html
Program
Week 1 - 19.02.20
Introduction to the course
- Conditions for Life
- Introduction to the Universe
Week 2 - 26.02.20, Week 3** - 04.03.20, Week 4 - 11.03.20 - Week 5 - 18.03.20
Life in the Solar System
- General properties of planets
- Formation and evolution of planets in the Solar System
- Origin and evolution of Life on Earth
- Extraterrestrial influences on terrestrial life
- Why Carbon?
- Possibilities for Life elsewhere in the Solar System
DownloadSlides lecture 2 (PDF, 13.5 MB)
** On March 4, I will be a way, and there will instead be a special organizational session on the seminars.
DownloadSlides Lecture 3 (March 11) (PDF, 6 MB)
DownloadSlides Lecture 4 (March 18) (PDF, 9.1 MB)
Week 6 - 25.03.20, Week 7 - 01.04.20, Week 8 - 08.04.20
Exosolar planets
- Detection of exosolar planets
- Exoplanetary systems: New perspectives on planet formation
- Habitable zones
- Remote detection of biosignatures
- Extraterrestrial intelligence: The Drake equation
- SETI techniques and possibilities
DownloadSlides Lecture 5 (25 March) (PDF, 6.5 MB)
DownloadAudio recording Lecture 5 (M4A, 31.4 MB)
DownloadVideo recording Lecture 5 (MP4, 103.3 MB)
DownloadSlides Lectures 6 & 7 (1 April, 8 April) (PDF, 14.7 MB)
DownloadAudio recording Lecture 6 (M4A, 43.9 MB)
DownloadVideo recording Lecture 6 (MP4, 974.2 MB)
DownloadAudio recording Lecture 7 (M4A, 55.3 MB)
DownloadVideo recording Lecture 7 (MP4, 967.3 MB)
Week 10 - 22.04.20, Week 11 - 29.04.20
Stars and nucleosynthesis
- Stars as sources of energy
- Stars as sources of the chemical elements
- The special case of Carbon
- Endpoints of stellar evolution and the recycling of gas
- The formation of stars
DownloadSlides Lectures 8 & 9 (22 April, 29 April) (PDF, 5.8 MB)
DownloadAudio recording Lecture 8 (M4A, 41.2 MB)
DownloadVideo recording Lecture 8 (MP4, 503.5 MB)
Week 12 - 06.05.20, Week 13 - 13.05.20
Cosmology
- The size and age of the Universe
- Baryogenesis and the content of the Universe: dark matter and baryonic matter
- The formation and evolution of galaxies
- Anthropic considerations on the cosmological parameters
- The future of the Universe
DownloadSlides Lecture 10 (6 May) (PDF, 14.5 MB)
DownloadAudio recording Lecture 10 (M4A, 43.8 MB)
DownloadVideo recording Lecture 10 (MP4, 356.9 MB)
DownloadSlides Lecture 11 (13 May) (PDF, 13.8 MB)
DownloadAudio recording Lecture 11 (M4A, 46.6 MB)
DownloadVideo recording Lecture 11 (MP4, 283.4 MB)
Week 14 - 20.05.20, Week 15 - 27.05.20
Reserved for student seminars.
