Identifying Exoplanets’ Potentiality for Life in Habitable Zones: Giving
New Dimension to Cosmological
Abstract
The discovery of exoplanets has altered our understanding of the
universe. But, for the planets to show the possibility to harbour life
in it or have biosignatures, it must have optimum physical, biological,
geological and chemical conditions. There are two types of indicators of
habitability: direct and indirect. The former indication is the presence
of water and its stability on the surface of the planet. Thus, the
reflection from the waterbody will lead to ‘glint’. Polarization of
light is another alternative method to find water. The reflection,
emission of radiation help us to characterize habitable zones. Indirect
methods include the presence of CO2 and water vapour in the atmosphere,
size of the planet and extent of axial tilt. The presence of magnetic
fields and satellites revolving around the planet also play an important
role. In this review article, we aim to provide a comprehensive
explanation to the researches done till date to characterize habitable
zones for exoplanets. The methods devised to retrieve results will also
be discussed. Future prospects, the voids which could be amended are
also elaborated. This could give cosmological research a new dimension,
demonstrating that life is not limited to our planet.