Universität Wien

280509 VO Consolidation module: Solids in space: dust, disks, meteorites and the early solar system (NPI) (2016W)

Over the last to decades astronomers came to realize that the Solar system is not the exception but the rule, and even more remarkably, that Earth-like planets must be abundant in the Milky Way. The Seminar will address the scientific efforts to address the old question "Are we alone?". It will start with the seminal Cocconi & Morrison 1959 (Nature 184, 844 “Searching for Interstellar Communications”) together with Schwartz & Townes, 1961 (Nature, 190, 205) and it will end with Tarter et al. 2007 (Astrobiology, 7, 30 “A Reappraisal of The Habitability of Planets around M Dwarf Stars").

Details

max. 30 participants
Language: German, English

Examination dates

Lecturers

Classes

The course will take place on Thursdays at 6 pm.


Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

Introduction: solids in space - Basics of cosmochemistry and astromineralogy - Introduction to protoplanetary discs - Introduction to meteoritics - Chondrules, CAIs and the early solar system - Presolar grains and stardust - Dust formation around red giants and supernovae - Excursion to the meteorite collection of Vienna's Museum of Natural History - Meteorites under the microscope.

Assessment and permitted materials

Assessment will be based not only on the student presentation but also also participation in the weekly discussions following paper presentation.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Examination topics

Reading list

• Th. Henning (Ed.): Astromineralogy. 2nd ed., Springer, Berlin Heidelberg 2010
• S. Schlemmer, T. Giesen, H. Mutschke, C. Jäger (eds.): Laboratory Astrochemistry. Weinheim 2015
• H.-P. Gail & E. Sedlmayr: Physics and chemistry of circumstellar dust shells. New York & Cambridge 2014
• H. McSween & G.R. Huss: Cosmochemistry. Cambridge 2010
• R. Hutchison: Meteorites. Cambridge 2004
• D.W.G. Sears (Ed.): The origin of chondrules and chondrites. Cambridge 2004.
• D. Apai (Ed.): Protoplanetary dust: astrochemical and cosmochemical perspectives. Cambridge 2010.
• P.H.Ribbe (Ed.): Planetary Materials, in Reviews in Mineralogy, Vol. 35, The Mineralogical Society of America, Washington, DC, US 1998.
• K. Lodders and S. Amari: Presolar grains from meteorites: Remnants from the early times of the solar system, Invited review Chemie der Erde – Geochemsitry, 2005.
• Jr. H. C. Connolly and S. J. Desch: On the origin of the “kleine Kügelchen” called Chondrules, Invited review Chemie der Erde – Geochemsitry, 2004.
• E. K. Zinner: Presolar Grains in Treatise in Geochemistry (Ed. Davis), 2003.
• M. M. Grady and I. Wright: Types of extraterrestrial material available for study. In: Meteorites and the early Solar System II (Eds. D.S. Lauretta and H. Y. McSween), Arizona, LPI, US, 2006.

Association in the course directory

Last modified: Mo 07.09.2020 15:42