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.