Looking for Life in the IR and Neighboring Spectral Regions

Abstract

The paper focuses on the issues for detection of life by remote observations. The problem is divided into the detection of terrestrial planets and the detection of life on them. The problem of detection of planets is compared with the observations of the Hubble Deep Field. The difficulty of detection will likely result in many interesting discoveries before detection techniques are adequate. It is proposed that life is the activity of mutually assisting persistence processes. A persistence process is one that uses the Gibbs Free Energy of the environment for repair and development. It is pointed out that because life produces approximations to equilibrium it is intrinsically difficult to detect by remote observations. Chemical signs of life will be distinctive if the abiotic processes that might produce them are implausible, and preferably absent. The ease of remote detection of terrestrial life is contrasted with problems likely to arise for other planets. It is recommended that initial searches be focused on giant planets. The spectral region of the discovery observations will be set by technical issues which are not yet resolved for any technique. For determining whether life is present, as many spectral regions as possible should be observed.