Research on exoplanets and life in the Universe
@ University of Naples Federico II
We are a small of astrophysicists and future-to-be astronomers at the Physics Department in Naples.
The group is led by Prof. Giovanni Covone.
Luca Cacciapuoti, master student in Physics. He defended his bachelor thesis in 2019, and has contributed to the discovery of six exoplanets in two different systems.
Francesco Gallo, master student in Physics. He will defend his bachelor thesis in October 2020, analyzing atmospheres of Earth-like planets
Riccardo Ienco, master student in Physics. He defended his bachelor thesis in March 2020, with a thesis on exobiology in which he has studied the effect of host-star radiation on the efficiency of oxygenic photosyntesis.
We are members of the TESS collaboration.
- Search and Validation of Exoplanets
- Habitability Conditions on other Worlds
- Exoplanets Atmospheres Spectra
- Application of Machine Learning to the search of Exoplanets
Our results appeared many times in the news. For instance:
- INAF Media
- On the first page of the Italian Society of Physics (SIF).
- Repubblica.
TESS, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, is a NASA space telescope designed to search exoplanets using the transit method around the closest stars.
Thesis projects are available on all the projects mentioned above. Just contact us!
- Visioni Bruniane: In this short series of three episodes our group, with the collaboration of local artists, cameramen and editors, has presented a documentary on the search for exo-worlds and the philosopher Giordano). You can take a look at our contribution at: (a.) Episode 1
(b.) Episode 2
(c.) Episode 3
- Interview on national italian television broadcast “Mezzogiorno Italiaâ€: The Interview