2018 Life in the Universe

Overview

This course is aimed at physics and other science students who would like to understand the astrophysics background to the multi-disciplinary question of Life in the Universe. Topics to be covered will include: the nature of Life and the thermodynamics of living systems and the general conditions for Life; the formation and evolution of stars and the origin of the chemical elements; planet formation and interstellar grain chemistry; extra-solar planets; Life on Earth and the role of catastrophic impacts; the possibility of extra-terrestrial Life in the Solar System; searches for extraterrestrial Life and extraterrestrial intelligence SETI; Cosmology and the conditions for Life in the Universe, Anthropic Principles. The course will be in English.

Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Simon Lilly

Substitute Lecturers: Dr. Bruno Henriques Dr. Benjamin Trakhtenbrot

Schedule

Lectures: Wednesday, HIT F 11.1, 13.45 - 15.30 h

Seminars

If you intend to take the exam for this course, then you should present a seminar. These will be scheduled towards the end of the semester.

Assignment of topics:

DownloadTalks Schedule.pdf (PDF, 53 KB)

DownloadTalk Topics.pdf (PDF, 52 KB)

( and can help you finding information on your topic)

Program

Week 1 - 21.02.2018

Introduction

What is Life?
What is the Universe?

DownloadIntroduction.pdf (PDF, 19.9 MB)

Week 2 - 28.02.18, Week 3 - 07.03.2018, Week 4 - 14.03.2018

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

DownloadSolar_System_part1.pdf (PDF, 11.5 MB)

DownloadSolar_System_part2.pdf (PDF, 5.3 MB)

DownloadSolar_System_part3.pdf (PDF, 30.4 MB)

Week 5 - 21.03.18, Week 6 - 28.03.2018

Exosolar planets

Detection methods of exosolar planets
New perspectives on planet formation
Habitable zones
Remote detection of biosignatures
The Drake equation
SETI techniques and possibilities

DownloadExosolar_part1.pdf (PDF, 5.2 MB)

DownloadExosolar_part2.pdf (PDF, 15.5 MB)

Week 7 - 11.04.2018, Week 8 - 18.04.2018

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

DownloadStars2018_part1.pdf (PDF, 2.3 MB)

DownloadStars2018_part2.pdf (PDF, 3.5 MB)

Week 9 - 25.04.2018, Week 10 - 02.05.2018

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

DownloadCosmology2018_part1.pdf (PDF, 14.2 MB)

DownloadCosmology2018_part2.pdf (PDF, 13.3 MB)

Week 11, 09.05.2018

Complex molecules in space

Detection of complex molecules in diffuse gas and in small bodies
Panspermia?

Week 12 - 16.05.18, Week 13 - 23.05.18, Week - 14 30.05.2018

Reserve lecture / Student talks / Summary

Summary questions

By the end of the course the students should be able to answers the following questions: Download40 summary questions (PDF, 55 KB)