Spectra Of Earth-like Exoplanets With Different Rotation Periods

We investigate the spectra of Earth-like planets but with different axial rotation periods.

Using the general circulation model of the atmosphere and considering the atmospheric circulation lasting for two years, we calculated the radiation spectra of the Earth and the exo-Earth rotating with periods of 1 and 100 days, respectively. The radiation spectra of the atmospheres were calculated with the SBDART code. We analyzed the spectrum of upward radiation at altitudes of 1 and 11 km in wavelength ranges of 1 to 18 and 0.3 to 1 micron.

The following common features were obtained for the Earth and the exo-Earth: (1) the planets exhibit a wide absorption band of CO₂ around 14 micron; (2) the radiation spectra at different locations near the equator show no significant differences; and (3) if the spectrum is integrated over the entire disk of the Earth/exo-Earth, the difference in the spectral signal obtained in observations from different directions becomes substantially lower than the difference between the results of observations of individual regions of the planets.

The differences in the spectra of exoplanets, which differ from the Earth only in axial rotation period, are comparable to the differences associated with changes in the angle of viewing the planet.

Consequently, if the observation angle is not known, the analysis of the spectrum of the planet cannot be used to determine its axial rotation period. The maximal differences in the spectra of Earth-like exoplanets were obtained for wavelengths of about 5-10 and 13-16 micron.

By analyzing the spectrum at wavelengths around 9.4-10 micron, we can determine whether the atmosphere of the exoplanet contains ozone or not. Since ozone is essential for life, the 9.4-10 micron band may be important for future observations of Earth-like exoplanets.

S. I. Ipatov, J. Y-K. Cho

Comments: 12 pages, 7 figures
Subjects: Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP)
Cite as: arXiv:2509.19174 [astro-ph.EP] (or arXiv:2509.19174v1 [astro-ph.EP] for this version)
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2509.19174
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Journal reference: Solar System Research, 2025. V. 59, id. 83 (12 p.)
Related DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1134/S0038094625600234
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Submission history
From: Sergei Ipatov
[v1] Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:47:43 UTC (1,345 KB)
https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.19174
Astrobiology,