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| Paper: |
ATMOS: Towards Resolving Ambiguities in the Spectroscopic Detection of Life |
| Volume: |
515, Workshop on Astrophysical Opacities |
| Page: |
241 |
| Authors: |
Sousa-Silva, C.; Petkowski, J. J.; Seager, S. |
| Abstract: |
The ability to identify molecules in spectra is important for a variety of scientific and industrial uses. A compelling modern focus is the spectroscopic detection of biosignature gases on exoplanets. A comprehensive analysis of any given observational spectrum requires information about the spectral signatures of each of its molecular components. However, current knowledge of molecular spectra only encompasses a few hundred molecules, and apart from a handful of exceptions (e.g., H2O, NH3), most of their spectra are incomplete. Given the relatively low-accuracy level that observations often require, it is invaluable to create approximate molecular spectral models, particularly for those species we know very little about or nothing at all. ATMOS (Approximate Theoretical MOlecular Spectra) provides approximate spectra for thousands of molecules in a computationally expedient manner, using a combination of experimental measurements, organic chemistry, and quantum mechanics. ATMOS 1.0, presented here, can identify volatile molecules with significant spectral features in any given infrared wavelength window and provide information about the main spectral features of most molecules. |
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