Planetary Systems: Detection, Formation and Habitability of Extrasolar Planets (Astronomy and Astrophysics Library)

Over The Past Ten Years, The Discovery Of Extrasolar Planets Has Opened A New Field Of Astronomy, And This Area Of Research Is Rapidly Growing, From Both The Observational And Theoretical Point Of View. The Presence Of Many Giant Exoplanets In The Close Vicinity Of Their Star Shows That These Newly Discovered Planetary Systems Are Very Different From The Solar System. New Theoretical Models Are Being Developed In Order To Understand Their Formation Scenarios, And New Observational Methods Are Being Implemented To Increase The Sensitivity Of Exoplanet Detections. In The Present Book, The Authors Address The Question Of Planetary Systems From All Aspects. Starting From The Facts (the Detection Of More Than 300 Extraterrestrial Planets), They First Describe The Various Methods Used For These Discoveries And Propose A Synthetic Analysis Of Their Global Properties. They Then Consider The Observations Of Young Stars And Circumstellar Disks And Address The Case Of The Solar System As A Specific Example, Different From The Newly Discovered Systems. Then The Study Of Planetary Systems And Of Exoplanets Is Presented From A More Theoretical Point Of View. The Book Ends With An Outlook To Future Astronomical Projects, And A Description Of The Search For Life On Exoplanets. This Book Addresses Students And Researchers Who Wish To Better Understand This Newly Expanding Field Of Research.--jacket. Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Planetary Systems -- Detection Methods -- Extrasolar Planets, 12 Years After The First Discovery -- What We Learn From The Solar System -- Star Formation And Protoplanetary Disks -- The Dynamics Of Planetary Systems -- Structure And Evolution Of An Exoplanet -- Present And Future Instrumental Projects -- The Search For Life In Planetary Systems. By Marc Ollivier ... [et Al.]. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Front Matter....Pages I-XIII Planetary Systems....Pages 1-20 Detection Methods....Pages 21-68 Extrasolar Planets, 12 Years After the First Discovery....Pages 69-84 What we Learn from the Solar System....Pages 85-133 Stellar Formation and Protoplanetary Disks....Pages 135-169 The Dynamics of Planetary Systems....Pages 171-198 Structure and Evolution of an Exoplanet....Pages 199-246 Present and Future Instrumental Projects....Pages 247-294 The Search for Life in Planetary Systems....Pages 295-329 Back Matter....Pages 331-342 Addresses the question of planetary systems from various aspects. Starting from the facts (the detection of more than 300 extraterrestrial planets), this book describes the various methods used for these discoveries and proposes a synthetic analysis of their global properties