寻找太阳系外行星——2019年诺贝尔物理学奖成果简析

Searching for extra-solar planets:A brief introduction to the Nobel Prize in Physics 2019

2019年诺贝尔物理学奖授予了3位天文学家——James Peebles、Michel Mayor和Didi⁃er Queloz,以表彰他们在宇宙演化理论和太阳系外行星(系外行星)发现中做出的开创性贡献。本文评述Michel Mayor和Didier Queloz发现太阳系外行星的成果,简述系外行星研究的最新进展,展示系外行星的多样性及其对经典太阳系形成模型的挑战,探讨系外宜居行星的条件,并展望系外生命探测。

The Nobel Prize of 2019 in Physics was awarded to three astronomers for their contributions to our understanding of the evolution of the universe and the Earth's place in the cosmos.They are professor James Peebles at Princeton University“for theoretical discoveries in physical cosmology”and professors Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz at the University of Geneva“for the discovery of an exoplanet orbiting a solar-type star.”The three astronomers have different research directions.Peebles'research is on cosmology,while Mayor and Queloz's research is on searching for extra-solar planets(exoplanets).In the present paper,we reviews the scientific accomplishment by Mayor and Queloz and their important impacts on planetary sciences and astronomy,as well as the diversity of exoplanets and the great challenges to our traditional understanding of the formation of the Solar system.We also comment on the progresses on searching for potentially habitable exoplanets and the s exo-life.