Admission requirements
Bachelor in Astronomy or equivalent in particular on radiative processes and stars. Basic programming skills.
Description
We are in a unique time to study planets. Not only do we have space missions such as Cassini and Juno, which have led to a radical change in our knowledge of the giants in our solar system, but we also have an astonishing number of more than 5000 exoplanets that have been discovered in the last three decades. Each new exoplanet highlights a stunning diversity and impacts the perception and understanding of our own solar system. This course will provide an overview of our current theoretical understanding of the physical and chemical processes that occur in planets’ interiors and their atmospheres. This understanding is crucial to interpret observations and knowing where the field is moving for the development of future instrumentation.
This course covers the following topics:
Overview of key exoplanet detection methods
Exoplanet demographics; place the solar system in context
Interiors of giant planets, inflation in hot-Jupiters
Interiors of rocky planets
Exoplanet atmospheres: radiative transfer and chemistry
The concept of habitable zone and where best to search for life
Course objectives
On successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
Explain the demographic differences between exoplanets and solar system planets, understanding the potential detection biases.
Distinguish the main physical and chemical processes that shape the atmospheres and interiors of exoplanets.
Discuss and present current literature on Exoplanets in collaboration within a group of students.
Use state-of-the-art codes to model exoplanets’ interiors and write an individual report on the numerical experiment
Timetable
You will find the timetables for all courses and degree programmes of Leiden University in the tool MyTimetable (login). Any teaching activities that you have successfully registered for in MyStudyMap will automatically be displayed in MyTimeTable. Any timetables that you add manually, will be saved and automatically displayed the next time you sign in.
MyTimetable allows you to integrate your timetable with your calendar apps such as Outlook, Google Calendar, Apple Calendar and other calendar apps on your smartphone. Any timetable changes will be automatically synced with your calendar. If you wish, you can also receive an email notification of the change. You can turn notifications on in ‘Settings’ (after login).
For more information, watch the video or go to the 'help-page' in MyTimetable. Please note: Joint Degree students Leiden/Delft have to merge their two different timetables into one. This video explains how to do this.
Mode of instruction
Lectures and tutorial sessions.
Assessment method
Continuous assessment throughout the course, such as, Problem set assignment, Paper group presentation, Individual numerical project.
Reading list
No formal book will be used in this course and bibliographic material will be suggested for each lecture. Some useful books are listed below:
“Atmospheric evolution on inhabited and lifeless worlds” (Catling and Kasting)
"Exoplanet Atmospheres" - Sara Seager
Registration
As a student, you are responsible for registering on time, i.e. 14 days before the start of the course. This can be done via Mystudymap. You do this twice a year: once for the courses you want to take in semester 1 and once for the courses you want to take in semester 2. Please note: late registration is not possible.
Registration for courses in the first semester is possible from July; registration for courses in the second semester is possible from December. First-year bachelor students are registered for semester 1 by the faculty student administration; they do not have to do this themselves. For more information, see this page.
In addition, it is mandatory for all students, including first-year bachelor students, to register for exams. This can be done up to and including 10 calendar days prior to the exam or up to five calendar days in case of a retake exam. You cannot participate in the exam or retake without a valid registration in My Studymap.
Extensive FAQ's on MyStudymap can be found here.
Contact
Lecturer: Dr. Y. Miguel
Remarks
Soft skills
Oral and writing communication (presenting, speaking, listening, writing)
Critical thinking (asking questions, check assumptions)
Creative thinking (resourcefulness, curiosity, thinking out of the box)