Planetary Modeling Group
What we do
In the Planetary Modeling Group, we use a variety of modeling techniques to study planets near and far. We focus on the interaction between the interiors and atmospheres of rocky planets both in the Solar System and around other stars. We study the birth and differentiation of planets, the exotic lava worlds of the exoplanet population, but also questions about the environment of the early Earth and other potentially habitable planets and how those planets evolve due to geology, stellar influences, and life.
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News
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New model refines search for habitable planets
Researchers have developed the Smaller Than Earth Habitability Model (STEHM) to assess which planets can maintain life-supporting atmospheres, focusing on size and atmospheric dynamics. -
Four questions with exoplanet expert Laura Schaefer on alien life
Schaefer discusses the recent excitement over a detection of possible hints of biological life on planet K2-18b. An image of an artist's impression shows the planet K2-18b, it -
New model sheds light on evolution of Earth's oxygen
A new model of ancient asteroids bombarding the Earth has been applied to understand how oxygen levels in Earth’s atmosphere evolved.