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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2025
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.05660 |
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| _version_ | 1866911255448518656 |
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| author | Fernandes, Rachel B. Johnson, Samson Bergsten, Galen J. Bhure, Sakhee Boley, Kiersten M. Boss, Alan P. Bryson, Steve DeRocco, William Dietrich, Jamie Duck, Alison Giacalone, Steven Gupta, Arvind F. He, Matthias Y. Kunimoto, Michelle Ment, Kristo Sagear, Sheila Silverstein, Michele L. Sullivan, Kendall Vrijmoet, Eliot Halley Wagner, Kevin Wilson, Robert F. Brefka, Lucas Belikov, Ruslan Chakrabarty, Aritra Christiansen, Jessie L. Ciardi, David R. Dattilo, Anne Fitzmaurice, Evan Ford, Eric B. Hotnisky, Andrew Jones, Sinclaire Kar, Aman Kopparapu, Ravi Lowson, Nataliea Mamajek, Eric E. Mennesson, Bertrand Meyer, Michael R. Millholland, Sarah Mulders, Gijs D. Mullally, Susan E. Murlidhar, Arjun Pascucci, Ilaria Ragozzine, Darin Robertson, Paul Stapelfeldt, Karl Wright, Jason |
| author_facet | Fernandes, Rachel B. Johnson, Samson Bergsten, Galen J. Bhure, Sakhee Boley, Kiersten M. Boss, Alan P. Bryson, Steve DeRocco, William Dietrich, Jamie Duck, Alison Giacalone, Steven Gupta, Arvind F. He, Matthias Y. Kunimoto, Michelle Ment, Kristo Sagear, Sheila Silverstein, Michele L. Sullivan, Kendall Vrijmoet, Eliot Halley Wagner, Kevin Wilson, Robert F. Brefka, Lucas Belikov, Ruslan Chakrabarty, Aritra Christiansen, Jessie L. Ciardi, David R. Dattilo, Anne Fitzmaurice, Evan Ford, Eric B. Hotnisky, Andrew Jones, Sinclaire Kar, Aman Kopparapu, Ravi Lowson, Nataliea Mamajek, Eric E. Mennesson, Bertrand Meyer, Michael R. Millholland, Sarah Mulders, Gijs D. Mullally, Susan E. Murlidhar, Arjun Pascucci, Ilaria Ragozzine, Darin Robertson, Paul Stapelfeldt, Karl Wright, Jason |
| contents | Searching for life elsewhere in the universe is one of the most highly prioritized pursuits in astronomy today. However, the ability to observe evidence of Earth-like life through biosignatures is limited by the number of planets in the solar neighborhood with conditions similar to Earth. The occurrence rate of Earth-like planets in the habitable zones of Sun-like stars, $η_{\oplus}$, is therefore crucial for addressing the apparent lack of consensus on its value in the literature. Here we present a review of the current understanding of $η_{\oplus}$. We first provide definitions for parameters that contribute to $η_{\oplus}$. Then, we discuss the previous and current estimated parameter values and the context of the limitations on the analyses that produced these estimates. We compile an extensive list of the factors that go into any calculation of $η_{\oplus}$, and how detection techniques and surveys differ in their sensitivity and ability to accurately constrain $η_{\oplus}$. Understanding and refining the value of $η_{\oplus}$ is crucial for upcoming missions and telescopes, such as the planned Habitable Worlds Observatory and the Large Interferometer for Exoplanets, which aim to search for biosignatures on exoplanets in the solar neighborhood. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2511_05660 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Are We There Yet? Challenges in Quantifying the Frequency of Earth Analogs in the Habitable Zone Fernandes, Rachel B. Johnson, Samson Bergsten, Galen J. Bhure, Sakhee Boley, Kiersten M. Boss, Alan P. Bryson, Steve DeRocco, William Dietrich, Jamie Duck, Alison Giacalone, Steven Gupta, Arvind F. He, Matthias Y. Kunimoto, Michelle Ment, Kristo Sagear, Sheila Silverstein, Michele L. Sullivan, Kendall Vrijmoet, Eliot Halley Wagner, Kevin Wilson, Robert F. Brefka, Lucas Belikov, Ruslan Chakrabarty, Aritra Christiansen, Jessie L. Ciardi, David R. Dattilo, Anne Fitzmaurice, Evan Ford, Eric B. Hotnisky, Andrew Jones, Sinclaire Kar, Aman Kopparapu, Ravi Lowson, Nataliea Mamajek, Eric E. Mennesson, Bertrand Meyer, Michael R. Millholland, Sarah Mulders, Gijs D. Mullally, Susan E. Murlidhar, Arjun Pascucci, Ilaria Ragozzine, Darin Robertson, Paul Stapelfeldt, Karl Wright, Jason Earth and Planetary Astrophysics Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics Solar and Stellar Astrophysics Searching for life elsewhere in the universe is one of the most highly prioritized pursuits in astronomy today. However, the ability to observe evidence of Earth-like life through biosignatures is limited by the number of planets in the solar neighborhood with conditions similar to Earth. The occurrence rate of Earth-like planets in the habitable zones of Sun-like stars, $η_{\oplus}$, is therefore crucial for addressing the apparent lack of consensus on its value in the literature. Here we present a review of the current understanding of $η_{\oplus}$. We first provide definitions for parameters that contribute to $η_{\oplus}$. Then, we discuss the previous and current estimated parameter values and the context of the limitations on the analyses that produced these estimates. We compile an extensive list of the factors that go into any calculation of $η_{\oplus}$, and how detection techniques and surveys differ in their sensitivity and ability to accurately constrain $η_{\oplus}$. Understanding and refining the value of $η_{\oplus}$ is crucial for upcoming missions and telescopes, such as the planned Habitable Worlds Observatory and the Large Interferometer for Exoplanets, which aim to search for biosignatures on exoplanets in the solar neighborhood. |
| title | Are We There Yet? Challenges in Quantifying the Frequency of Earth Analogs in the Habitable Zone |
| topic | Earth and Planetary Astrophysics Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics Solar and Stellar Astrophysics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.05660 |