1. OATs workshop 2013 Macroarea 3 Sun, Solar System, Astrobiology
Solar System and Astrobiology. Both types of research are active in our institute, but with one important difference: Solar System is well established research, whereas Astrobiology is under development. All together, 3 staff people are involved in these activities, but with a number of local, national and international collaborations.
Contacts:
M. Fulle, M. Messerotti, M. Maris, G. Vladilo

2. OATs workshop 2013 Macroarea 3 Sun, Solar System, Astrobiology
Long tradition
Recent
Solar System and Astrobiology. Both types of research are active in our institute, but with one important difference: Solar System is well established research, whereas Astrobiology is under development. All together, 3 staff people are involved in these activities, but with a number of local, national and international collaborations.
Contacts:
M. Fulle, M. Messerotti, M. Maris, G. Vladilo

3. Solar Radio Physics and Meteorology of Space: Contact: M. Messerotti
Solar Physics
Solar Radio Physics and Meteorology of Space:
Contact: M. Messerotti
Local research on Solar System covers two topics: physics of cometary emission, carried out by Marco Fulle, and physics of interplanetary dust, carried out by Michele Maris.

4. Solar physics Projects Diachronic observations of the radio Sun
Products and services for Space Weather
Software tools for advanced handling of heliophysics data
Participation to space projects

5. Diachronic observations of the radio Sun
Carried out for many years by the Trieste Solar Radio System (TSRS), based on a set of “Callisto” digital radio spectrometer located in the Basovizza Observing Station
operating in the metric and decimetric bands
aimed at radio physics studies and at monitoring GPS interferences

6. Diachronic observations of the radio Sun
The radio system has been down for several years due to mechanical failure (2009) and lightning stroke (2010)
In 2012 Alessandro Marassi installed a radiospectrograph, e-Callisto, making the radio system partially work
Subsequent mechanical failure has again stopped the system

7. Tools for handling of heliophysics data
Software tools developed in the framework of the EC FP7 projects
“Heliophysics Integrated Observatory (HELIO)”
The FP7 project HELIO has been concluded at the end of 2012
“Coordination Action for the integration of Solar System Infrastructures and Science (CASSIS)”

8. Products and services for Space Weather
In the framework of
the EC COST Action ES0803 “Developing Space Weather products and services in Europe”
the NATO RTO SCI-229 Task Group “Space Environment Support to NATO Space Situational Awareness”

9. Physics of cometary emission Interplanetary dust
Solar System
Physics of cometary emission
Interplanetary dust
Local research on Solar System covers two topics: physics of cometary emission, carried out by Marco Fulle, and physics of interplanetary dust, carried out by Michele Maris.

10. Physics of cometary emission Contact: M. Fulle
Solar System
Physics of cometary emission
Contact: M. Fulle
Local research on Solar System covers two topics: physics of cometary emission, carried out by Marco Fulle, and physics of interplanetary dust, carried out by Michele Maris.

11. ESA Rosetta Mission (M. Fulle)
M. Fulle: Inter-Disciplinary Scientist of Rosetta Mission
Co-I of dust collector experiment GIADA
PI A. Rotundi, Univ. Napoli
Co-I of wide and small field cameras OSIRIS
PI H. Sierks, MPI
Scientific aim:
Physical models of the dust and gas emissions from comets
First 3D+t hydro-models of the dust and gas coma linked to the nucleus surface
Collaboration with J. F. Crifo, CNRS

12. ESA Rosetta Mission Rosetta: ESA’s mission to short period comet 67P
Rosetta spacecraft will be the first to undertake the long-term exploration of a comet at close quarters
It comprises a large orbiter and a small lander
Each of these carries a large complement of scientific experiments designed to complete the most detailed study of a comet ever attempted
Let’s start from cometary physics. Marco Fulle is directly involved in the ESA Rosetta mission. … READ …

13. Rosetta is coming soon ! January 2014 In the three following months
automatic awakening of the probe from the two-year hibernation (never done before)
In the three following months
“Health” tests of the instruments
Summer 2014
flyby of the nucleus starting from a distance of ~ 106 km down to less than 100 km

14. Study of the abundance of alcali elements in comets

15. Study of the alcali content of comet nuclei A rare detection of KI in a comet spectrum
Na I
K I
Li I

16. Model
A photoionization model was developed and applied to recover the primordial abundances of the nucleus starting from the present-day abundances observed in the spectrum
The model was tested on the published data of comet C/1965 S1

17. Results
After the application of the photoionization model, the results indicate a primordial Na/K abundance ratio in line with the solar ratio, but Li depleted by a factor > 4

18. Interplanetary dust Contact: M. Maris
Solar System
Interplanetary dust
Contact: M. Maris
Local research on Solar System covers two topics: physics of cometary emission, carried out by Marco Fulle, and physics of interplanetary dust, carried out by Michele Maris.

19. Interplanetary dust (M. Maris)
Zodiacal Light Emission (ZLE)
Thermal emission from Interplanetary Dust
Seen as a large-scale, far-IR foreground of the CMB
Importance
Interpretation of Planck mission data
Solar System physics
Collaboration
IAP-Paris, Univ. Paris 3, IASFBO, JPL, Grenoble
Participants
M. Maris, C. Burigana, A. Gruppuso, K.Ganga, A. Fraisse
Let’s now come to the research on Interplanetary Dust carried out by Michele Maris.

20. Zodiacal Light Emission
Recent developments based on the analysis of Planck data will be presented in the next talk by M. Maris

21. Planetary and Galactic habitability Contact: G. Vladilo
Astrobiology
Planetary and Galactic habitability
Contact: G. Vladilo
Let’s now come to astrobiology. Most of the local activity is focussed on studies of planetary and Galactic habitability.The list of collaborators will become clear in the course of this presentation. The number of people involved is not small, but for most of them the involvement is limited or sporadic.

22. General framework for studies of habitability
Life as a physical/chemical process that requires specific ambient conditions  Constraints on the physical/chemical properties of astronomical environments suitable to host life
The general idea behind the concept of habitability is to treat life as a physical/chemical process that requires specific ambient conditions.

23. Studies of habitability
Main topics
Planetary habitability
Galactic habitability
Most of the current research is centered on planetary habitability, with a parallel development of a project on Galactic habitability. Different programmes are under consideration: some are exploratory, basically feasibility studies, others have already well tested working toolsready for applications.

24. Planetary habitability
Focus on terrestrial-type planets
in the Solar System
in extrasolar planetary systems
Specific projects
Planetary climates
Dynamical stability of planetary orbits

25. Planetary habitability
Energy Balance Models of planetary climates
as a tool for investigating the habitability of terrestrial planets
G. Vladilo(1,2), G. Murante(1), L. Silva(1)
A. Provenzale(3)
G. Ferri(2), S. Scarpato(2)
(1) INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Trieste
(2) University of Trieste, Department of Physics
(3) Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC)-CNR, Torino

26. Energy balance models (EBM) of planetary climate
Surface temperature  surface habitability

28. Pressure-dependent habitable zone of Earth-like planets

29. Recent developments of the climate model
Top-of-atmosphere albedo Effects of surface gravity

30. Gravity & pressure effects on the atmospheric transfer of radiation
Gravity effects
Gravity & pressure effects on the atmospheric transfer of radiation

31. Latest applications of our model
Habitability of extrasolar planets
Latest applications of our model

32. Kepler-62e

33. “Gravity cooling” effect

34. Dynamical stability of planetary systems: effects on planetary habitability
M. Maris, G. Vladilo Effects on planetary habitability: 1) variation of the distance to the central star 2) triggering episodes of collisions with minor bodies

35. Dynamical stability of planetary systems
Methods (M. Maris)
N-body dynamical simulations
Single-step integrators
best suited for treating instabilities
Development of algorithms for treating the statistics of collisions with minor bodies
minor bodies simulated as test particles

36. Dynamical stability of planetary orbits
The integrators and original algorithms are tested and can be applied to specific studies
Dynamical instabilities in the early Solar System
Extrasolar planetary systems
This project is currently in “standby”

37. Galactic habitability
Galactic habitable zone (GHZ)
Link with Galactic evolution studies
Galactic properties relevant for habitability
Metallicity  probability of rocky planet formation
SN rate  probability of planet sterilization
… but also other properties are relevant to habitability

38. Galactic Habitable Zone
Cosmological SPH N-body simulations of a Milky Way-like galaxy
Evolutionary maps of metallicity and SN rates

39. Poster presented at the
International Meeting
ISSOL 2008, Florence

40. Galactic Habitability
In the last few years the galaxy simulations that we plan to use for this study have been developed in the framework of cosmological simulations Now these tools are ready to be applied to studies of Galactic habitability People currently involved: G. Murante, P. Monaco, G. Vladilo We are open to collaborations, in particular in aspects related to the chemical evolution

41. Links with the national exoplanets community
Participation to the PRIN request
“Architecture & Physical Properties of Planetary Systems”
No national request advanced for

42. Links with national astrobiology community
GV currently member of the board of the
Società Italiana di Astrobiologia
Links with national communities working on:
Prebiotic chemistry
Origin of life
Extremophilic organisms
Life in space environment

43. Organization of meetings
General agreement with the SIA to organize
the 2015 national workshop at Trieste … more details to come

44. Astrobiology
In the Trieste area we have a huge potential for building up a multi-disciplinary network at a very low cost (building up on existing expertise & resources)

45. Didactic activity Didactics Course on “Planets & Astrobiology”
Univ. of Trieste, Physics Dept. (laurea magistrale interateneo in Fisica)
Stages & thesis projects
Thesis of Salvatore Scarpato: “Effetti di pressione e gravità sull’abitabilità di pianeti extrasolari”
Short course at University of Ljubljana
Lesson at the Master in Science Communication (SISSA)

46. Impact on public outreach
We have directly experienced the public impact of working in the field of planetary habitability
The paper on the effects of pressure has attracted the attention of several media
newspapers
national TV (TG Leonardo)
international web site of public outreach
Astrobiology Magazine (

47. MA3
Final considerations

48. Sun & Solar System Excellent expertise is present
Involvement in top-level European space research projects
“Historical” problem: no local support
In terms of investments, collaborators, & career recognition

49. Astrobiology “Low-risk strategy”
Most collaborators dedicate a limited amount of their time
Most technical tools developed in the framework of well established research lines
People that dedicates a large amount of time focus their efforts on the most established projects
Currently, planetary climate and habitability
Future developments depend on the degree of involvement of the collaborators