Both origins of life and the search for life in the universe are interdisciplinary projects, and progress is made when different groups work together. If you have ideas for experiments that involve these resources, especially if you are affiliated with the IPLU, please reach out.

StarLab

Modular Adjustible Broadband UV-Vis-IR Light Source: A Star in the Lab

The best thing we know about any exoplanet system is the star, and the star affects what prebiotic chemistry can happen on the surface of a planet, how surface life evolves, and what that planet will look like.

We are building a star in the lab. Starting with the NUV and optical wavelengths, and then dipping into the EUV and IR, and eventually into the high energies, X-rays and energetic particles.

The light source will be modular and adjustible, using liquid and other filters, to mimic the light of a given star as it would be in the lower atmosphere or on the surface of a given planet.

FlareLab

FlareLab is a simple extension for StarLab, with a variable light source that mimics the spectrum of a flare. We can use this to see how stellar variability can affect UV chemistry in the atmospheres and surfaces of the planets they host.

The Wet Lab

We have a simple wet lab that can prepare samples for gas-phase and aqueous photochemistry experiments, presently concentrating on the cyanosulfidic and carboxysulfitic chemical pathways.

Spectroscopy

From StarLab and Other Sources

StarLab itself provides an ideal source for UV, Vis and NIR spectroscopy. In addition, we have the FlareLab and other sources for UV and IR spectroscopy.

Computational Resources

TBA

Hardware

TBA

Software

STAND + ARGO