Honing methods for finding life in other solar systems

Researchers must be able to analyze the light from remote planets’ atmospheres if they are to discover whether life exists on planets in other solar systems. Wallenberg Academy Fellow Kristina Davis is developing sensitive systems for optical imaging that make this possible. 

If there is life on a planet, these living organisms will affect which gases are in its atmosphere. In turn, the composition of atmospheric gases affects the wavelength of the light reflected by the planet. Researchers can therefore discover whether there is life on the planet by studying and analyzing the reflected light.

However, capturing light from planets in other solar systems, known as exoplanets, is difficult. The weak light reflected by the planet is smothered by the light of its nearby star and, in addition, the light from distant solar systems is deformed when it enters the Earth’s atmosphere. 

To make it possible to study distant planets, Dr Kristina Davis at the University of California, Santa Barbara, USA, is developing technical solutions for recreating a sharp image of an exoplanet and preserving as much as possible of the important information present in the light scattered of the planet. More detailed images of exoplanets will not only reveal whether we have company in the universe, but also provide new knowledge about these planets’ climates and how they formed. 

As a Wallenberg Academy Fellow, Kristina Davis will work at Chalmers University of Technology.  

Photo: Kristina Davis