ExoFrontiers
Big questions in exoplanetary science
By (author) Nikku Madhusudhan Contributions by Scott Gaudi, Michael Meyer, Jessie Christiansen, Don Pollaco, George Ricker, Natalie Batalha, Magali Delieul, Debra Fischer, Sasha Hinkley, Arthur Vigan, Markus Kasper, Sascha Quanz, Sylvestre Lacour, Amaury Triaud, Drake Deming, Kevin Stevenson, David Ehrenreich, Matteo Brogi, Jayne Birkby, Aki Roberge, Avi Mandell, Karl Stapelfeldt, Heike Rauer, Luca Fossati, Peter McCullough, Ian Parry, Daniel Fabrycky, Ravit Helled, Alessandro Morbidelli, John Papaloizou, Ewine van Dishoeck, Edward Bergin, Mark Wyatt, Nadine Nettleman, Diana Valencia, Jonathan Fortney, Joanna Barstow Eberhardt, Julianne Moses, Adam Showman, Christiane Helling, Sergey Yurchenko, Jonathan Tennyson, James Kasting, Victoria Meadows, Sara Seager
Publication date:
25 October 2021Length of book:
308 pagesPublisher
Institute Of Physics PublishingDimensions:
254x178mm7x10"
ISBN-13: 9780750314701
This book is a compendium of key scientific questions, challenges, and opportunities across different areas of exoplanetary science. The field is currently experiencing rapid growth, and the book provides a front-row view of the advancements at the cutting-edge of the field. Each chapter contains a short exposition on the most important open questions, challenges, and opportunities in a specific area from the perspective of one or more top experts in the area. It provides a starting point for researchers, experts and non-experts alike, to obtain a quick overview of the forefront of exoplanetary science and a vision for the future of the field. Topics range from observational developments and techniques, including exoplanet detection and characterisation methods and state-of-the-art and future missions, to exoplanet theory and modelling including planet formation, planetary interiors, atmospheres, habitability and the search for life.
Key Features
- Provides a close-up view of the frontiers of exoplanetary science research
- Summarises key questions, challenges, and opportunities across different areas of the field
- Written by leading experts in the field
- Provides a valuable reference for early career researchers
- Topics span from state-of-the-art and emerging areas to long-term future directions
All (chapters) are well written, although in some cases the particular agendas and projects of the authors are given plenty of visibility. I found quite a few chapters to be particularly informative and interesting, examples being (in page order): Nikku’s introduction; ‘Radial Velocity Surveys’, by Debra Fischer; ‘Small Satellites for Exoplanet Science’, by Fossatti, McCullough & Parry; ‘Orbital Dynamics and Architectures of Exoplanets’, by Dan Fabrycky; and ‘Exoplanetary Habitability’, by James Kasting. Overall this book is a useful and informative addition to the literature on extrasolar planets, and I foresee turning to it quite often in search of particular ideas or references. The presentation is also very good, with almost no typographical or grammatical errors. The worst I could find was a reference within the text to “Sydney (2003)” whereas the bibliography of that chapter had the correct “Barnes (2003)”. The paper quality is a bit lower than expected, given the price, which is a problem in a few diagrams where small fonts have become blurred. Which brings us to the fact that it costs £120. At this price, it is unlikely to grace the bookshelves of amateurs or students. However, it is more aimed at professional astronomers who can put a book like this on expenses or suggest it as a library purchase.
John Southworth, June 2022, The Observatory