Course syllabus

Welcome to SEE145 / FAM145 Exoplanets and the Solar System

Period 2, Nov - Dec 2026 (7.5 hp)

The course is offered by the Department of Physics and Astronomy (FA).

Contact details

  • Carina Persson, professor, Astronomy and Plasma Physics, FA, carina.persson@chalmers.se,0768-669604: Examiner and lecturer.
  • Theo Khouri, senior researcher, Astronomy and Plasma Physics, FA, theo.khouri@chalmers.se: Lecturer.

 

Schedule overview (detailed schedule, lecture plan, and link to TimeEdit below)

Lectures start: Monday 2 Nov 2026.
Lectures end: Wednesday 16 Dec 2026 (7 weeks).  

14 lectures: Mondays and Wednesdays 10.00-11.45. 
6 exercises/presentations: Wednesday afternoons (except for 25 Nov since you have the afternoon off for the labour market fair, FARM).

 

Examination form

Compulsory oral examination for Assignments 1 and 3: Friday 18 Dec via Zoom, approximately 15 minutes per student. Individual examination times will be provided later.

Exam (100% of the grade):

First exam: afternoon 11 January 2027 (4 hours). 

Re-exam 1: afternoon 2 April 2027 (4 hours). 

Re-exam 2: afternoon 18 Aug 2027 (4 hours). 

You do not have to remember any equations or constants. You are allowed to bring Physics Handbook (or similar) and a calculator. Notes in the handbook are allowed. An extra sheet with relevant formulae and constants will also be attached to the exam.

 

Course design

In addition to lectures, exercises and a written exam, the course includes three compulsory assignments. All three assignments must be passed in order to receive a final grade for the course.

 

Reading instructions

Reading instructions will be uploaded under Files/Reading instructions/ before each lecture. Prepare before each session and participate in the discussions.

 

Zoom link

Course Zoom link (also used for the oral examination): https://chalmers.zoom.us/j/61625371413

Password: Exo2026

 

Course representatives

TBD

 

Course purpose

This course provides an introduction to our own solar system and planets orbiting other stars – exoplanets. Thousands of exoplanets have been discovered in recent decades following the development of groundbreaking instruments and facilities, particularly dedicated space telescopes. One of the major discoveries is the exceptional diversity of exoplanets, including several types of planets without equivalents in our own solar system. The aim is to familiarise students with this research field and provide an understanding of our own planet and planetary system in this context.

 

Learning objectives and syllabus

Learning objectives

- Describe the structure of the solar system and the fundamental properties and physical processes of the planets and moons, including calculations of the planets' orbits. 
- Have an understanding of different detection methods of exoplanets, including the possibilities and limitations of each method and basic application to observational data.
- Give an overview of planet formation theories and how these can explain the diversity of exoplanets and the architecture of planetary systems.

Content

- Introduction to stars. 
- Structure and exploration of the solar system. 
- Celestial mechanics. 
- Detection methods and challenges.
- Telescopes and instrumentation. Ground-based vs space-based telescopes.
- Planet interiors. 
- Surface processes.
- Planet atmospheres and atmospheric escape. 
- The diversity of exoplanets, demographics and occurrence. 
- Architecture of exoplanet systems. 
- Introduction to planet formation theories.
- Habitability criteria.

 

Course literature (the books are available through Chalmers and GU libraries as PDF files)

  • PS = Planetary sciences, de Pater and Lissauer, updated 2nd edition, 2015. Selected chapters.
  • EH = The exoplanet handbook, Perryman, 2nd edition, 2018. Selected chapters.
  • DM = The Doppler Method for the Detection of Exoplanets, Artie P. Hatzes, 1st edition, 2020. Selected chapters.
  • EA = Exoplanet atmospheres, Physical processes, Sara Seager, 2010. Chapter 4.5. (Also uploaded to Files/Articles)
  • Lecture slides (will be uploaded after each lecture to Files/LecturePPT/).
  • Selected articles (will be uploaded to Files/Articles/) in advance.

 

Compulsory assignments (pass/not passed) 

All three assignments are compulsory requirements for passing the course. Detailed instructions, files and submission information are available under Assignments in Canvas and the below three links.

1) Assignment 1 – Dynamics with Rebound
Investigate orbits and resonances using the Rebound software and Jupyter notebooks.
Deadline: Friday 20 Nov at 17.00.

2) Assignment 2 – Oral presentation
Prepare and give an individual 15–20 minute presentation on a chosen topic. Presentations will take place on Wednesday 2 Dec, Wednesday 9 Dec, and Wednesday 16 Dec. Topic selection, presentation dates, upload instructions and all other information are available on the Assignment 2 page. Deadline to choose a topic for Assignment 2 and a date for the presentation is Friday 20 Nov at 17.00.

3) Assignment 3 – Detecting and characterising exoplanets with transit photometry and radial velocity (RV) data
Analyse transit photometry and RV data to detect and characterise an exoplanet.
Deadline: Thursday 17 Dec at 17.00.

 

Detailed schedule 

Lecture rooms are found below and here TimeEdit . 

First week (week 45)

Monday 2 Nov, 10.00-11.45, EL43, Lecture 1: Introduction and overview of the course. Introduction to Assignment 2 (Carina)

Wednesday 4 Nov, 10.00-11.45, ML15, Lecture 2: Dynamics (Theo)

Wednesday 4 Nov, 13.15-15.00, ML15, Exercise 1: Exercise dynamics (Theo)

 

Second week (week 46)

Monday 9 Nov, 10.00-11.45, EL43, Lecture 3: Stars and brown dwarfs (Theo)

Wednesday 11 Nov, 10.00-11.45, FL62, Lecture 4: Exploration of the solar system (Carina)

Wednesday 11 Nov, 13.15-15.00, FL62, Exercise 2: Exercise dynamics and stars. Introduction to Assignment 1 (Theo)

 

Third week (week 47)

Monday 16 Nov, EL43, 10.00-11.45, Lecture 5: Overview of exoplanet detection methods. Basics radiation. The radial velocity method (Carina) 

Wednesday 18 Nov, ML15, 10.00-11.45, Lecture 6: Detection methods: Transit photometry (Carina)

Wednesday 18 Nov, ML15, 13.15-15.00, Exercise 3: Introduction to Assignment 3 (Theo)

Wednesday 18 Nov, ML15, 15.15-16.00: Theo will be available in the classroom for questions and support with Assignment 1 (Rebound).

Friday 20 Nov: Deadline Assignment 1 at 17.00.

Friday 20 Nov: Deadline to choose a topic for Assignment 2 and a date for the presentation at 17.00.

 

Fourth week (week 48)

Monday 23 Nov, 10.00-11.45, EL42, Lecture 7: Detection methods: imaging, microlensing, and astrometry (Carina)

Wednesday 25 Nov, 10.00-11.45, MB, Lecture 8: Planet atmospheres (Carina)

Wednesday 25 Nov, 13.15-15.00: No exercise – afternoon off for the labour market fair (FARM).

 

Fifth week (week 49)

Monday 30 Nov, 10.00-11.45, EL43, Lecture 9: Atmospheric escape. Observations of exoplanet atmospheres (Carina)

Wednesday 2 Dec, 10.00-11.45, MB, Lecture 10: Planetary interiors (Carina)

Wednesday 2 Dec, 13.15-16.00, ML15: Oral presentations for Assignment 2 (Carina)

 

Sixth week (week 50)

Monday 7 Dec, EL43, 10.00-11.45, Lecture 11: Surface processes (Carina)

Wednesday 9 Dec, ML15, 10.00-11.45, Lecture 12: Demography and exoplanet diversity. Architecture of exoplanet systems (Carina) 

Wednesday 9 Dec, ML15, 13.15-17.00: Oral presentations for Assignment 2 (Carina)

 

Seventh week (week 51)

Monday 14 Dec, 10.00-11.45, EL43, Lecture 13: Introduction to planet formation and migration (Carina)

Wednesday 16 Dec, MC, 10.00-11.45, Lecture 14: Habitability criteria. Searches for life (Carina) 

Wednesday 16 Dec, ML15, 13.15-16.00: Oral presentations for Assignment 2 (Carina)

Thursday 17 Dec: Assignment 3 deadline at 17.00.

Friday 18 December, 08.00–14.00: Oral examination for Assignments 1 and 3 via Zoom (Carina and Theo). 15 minutes per student in total for both assignments. Individual examination times will be provided later.