Manfred Cuntz

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Manfred Cuntz
MCuntz edit2.jpg
Manfred Cuntz (2022)
Born(1958-04-21)April 21, 1958
Landau in der Pfalz, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
EducationEduard-Spranger Gymnasium
Alma mater University of Heidelberg (Diplom, PhD)
SpouseAnne-Gret Vera Friedrich
Children1
AwardsAcademy of Distinguished Teachers at University of Texas at Arlington [1]
Scientific career
Fields
Institutions University of Colorado
High Altitude Observatory
University of Heidelberg
University of Alabama in Huntsville
University of Texas at Arlington
Thesis Generation of Extended Chromospheres and Mass Loss of Late-Type Giant Stars due to Acoustic Shock Waves (1988)
Doctoral advisor Dr. P. Ulmschneider

Manfred Cuntz is a German astrophysicist based in the United States since 1988. He is a Distinguished Professor of physics at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA). His primary research interests include stellar astrophysics, astrobiology, and planetary habitability. In 2023, he became a fellow with the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Manfred Cuntz was born on April 21, 1958, in Landau in der Pfalz in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.[ citation needed ] He was the first-born son of Gerhard Hermann Cuntz and Irene Emma Cuntz (née Messerschmitt) and was raised in Bornheim. His family's business was in viticulture and livestock agriculture. As the eldest son, Cuntz would have inherited the farm. Early on, however, his family deemed him unsuitable for farm work and, instead, had him focus on his education. [3]

Cuntz attended secondary school at the Eduard-Spranger Gymnasium in Landau, from which he graduated with the Abitur in 1977. Even though he was a dedicated student, especially in mathematics and the natural sciences, academic success did not come easily to Cuntz in all subjects. In fact, he had to repeat the eighth grade. After that, however, he became a top student, especially in the last years of secondary school when he was able to focus on the subjects of mathematics, chemistry, and social studies. [3]

Cuntz went on to study physics and astronomy at the University of Heidelberg, Germany. [3] There, he earned a Diplom (equivalent to having earned both a U.S. bachelor's and master's degrees) in Physics in 1985. He earned his PhD (Dr. rer. nat.) in Astronomy from the same university in 1988 [1] with a dissertation on stellar atmospheric heating and stellar winds, titled Generation of Extended Chromospheres and Mass Loss of Late-Type Giant Stars due to Acoustic Shock Waves. [4]

Career

After completing his degrees at the University of Heidelberg, Manfred Cuntz moved to the United States. He held positions as a postdoctoral research assistant in the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics (JILA) at the University of Colorado from 1989 to 1991 and at the High Altitude Observatory (HAO) from 1992 to 1993, a division of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). In 1994, he returned to the University of Heidelberg as Habilitation Fellow. Then, he joined the Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research at the University of Alabama in Huntsville from 1996 until 1999. In 2000, Cuntz became a visiting professor in the physics department of the University of Texas at Arlington, then moved up the tenure track to become Professor in 2012. [1]

He is an editor of the journal Astronomische Nachrichten (Astronomical Notes). [5]

Research

Cuntz's research focuses on the probability and possible distribution of extraterrestrial life on extrasolar planets and moons and "is based on a pure theoretical approach." [6]

In 2000, Manfred Cuntz, together with Steven Saar of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, made predictions "that planetary magnetic fields could produce detectable effects on stars". This phenomenon was later observed in 2003 by E. Shkolnik of the University of British Columbia, Canada. [7] Cuntz also argues that "extreme magnetic protection by a powerful planetary magnetic dipole field" could increase the probability that a planet is habitable even if it is subject to "extreme ultraviolet and x-ray" radiation from its star. [8]

In January of 2012, Manfred Cuntz and Billy Quarles, as part of a team of researchers from the University of Texas Arlington, "gained international recognition for identifying the possibility of a habitable moon within the orbit of the recently discovered planet called Kepler-16b." The scientists used data from NASA's Kepler space telescope to analyze the possibilities of an Earth-like planet or moon to sustain life within the Kepler binary star system. They relied on Cuntz’s expertise in astrobiology "to develop a range within the system where life would be able to exist." [9] According to Cuntz, "the planet's critical feature to sustain life would be liquid water"; and he suggests those "life form[s] could be along the lines of a plant or bacteria." [10]

Cuntz and Quarles collaborated again as co-authors on a study led by Oshina Jagtap published in 2021, which "explores the possibility of exomoons in a planetary system named HD 23079, located in Reticulum, a small constellation in the southern sky." This system is of interest because it contains a planet similar to Jupiter. Cuntz argues that since "Jupiter [is] a host to four planet-size moons (among many other moons), with two of them (Europa and Ganymede) having a significant chance of being habitable," gas giants in other star systems which could host an Earth-sized moon with the conditions for liquid water. [11]

To assist astrophysicists in identifying habitable zones, Cuntz developed "BinHab, a new online tool that can be used to calculate the regions of binary systems favorable for life" in 2014. According to Cuntz, the program considers both "the amounts of stellar radiation, which provides a favorable planetary climate for life, and the gravitational influence of both stars on an existing planet." The interim dean of the UTA College of Science, James Grover, said this tool "holds enormous potential for those who study space in the search for life." [6]

Cuntz has worked with other researchers to "examined both the damaging and the favourable effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation from stars on DNA molecules" and how it could affect "potential carbon-based extraterrestrial life forms in the habitable zones around other stars." [12] A study conducted by Cuntz, Satoko Sato, and researchers from the University of Guanajuato in Mexico found that F-type star systems "may [...] be a good place to look for habitable planets" because they have a larger "area where conditions are right for general Earth-type planets to develop and sustain life" than smaller, cooler stars like our Sun. The research demonstrated that the damage to DNA from UV radiation on planets "in the outer portions of F-star habitable zones" was "similar to the damage on Earth, if Earth did not have an atmosphere." [13]

In 2016, Cuntz, while collaborating with Edward Guinan at Villanova University, explored which types of stars are best suited to offer prospects of habitability. They argued in favor of orange dwarfs, namely low-luminosity G-type and K-type stars; the related planetary condition is sometimes also called superhabitability. Guinan pointed out that "[m]any K-stars can be much older than our Sun. So, if life formed and evolved on habitable zone planet hosted by a[n] old K-star ... a few to several billions of years older than the Sun; it could maybe even harbor intelligent life." [14]

Community involvement

Cuntz actively participates in education and public outreach (EPO). He has worked with The Planetarium at University of Texas at Arlington to create several shows. A 45-minute film titled Magnificent Sun, for which Cuntz co-authored the script, is intended to allow "the general public to share information and excitement about solar physics." [15] Another show, Cosmic CSI: Looking for Life in the Universe, aims to present Cuntz's "research in astrobiology to the rest of the community." [16] Additionally, he was the Principal Investigator for the development of a 3-D planetarium film "based on NASA's research and outreach mission, Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA." [17]

Outside of his academic work, Cuntz pursues examination of fake news in science by writing articles in the journal Skeptical Inquirer. [18] This has included articles about misguided criticism of the work of Albert Einstein [19] and commentary about responses from religious groups regarding the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). [20]

Literary influences

A publication by Cuntz on possible Earth-like planets in the star system 55 Cancri served as inspiration for Kenneth E. Ingle's science fiction novel First Contact: Escape to 55 Cancri. [21]

Cuntz has also chosen to explore urban legends. He offered contributions to Rolf Wilhelm Brednich, at that time a professor of Folklore / European ethnology at the University of Göttingen in Germany, for one of his books on modern legends. [22]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exoplanet</span> Planet outside the Solar System

An exoplanet or extrasolar planet is a planet outside the Solar System. The first possible evidence of an exoplanet was noted in 1917 but was not then recognized as such. The first confirmation of the detection occurred in 1992. A different planet, first detected in 1988, was confirmed in 2003. As of 1 March 2024, there are 5,640 confirmed exoplanets in 4,155 planetary systems, with 895 systems having more than one planet. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is expected to discover more exoplanets, and to give more insight into their traits, such as their composition, environmental conditions, and potential for life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Planetary system</span> Set of non-stellar objects in orbit around a star

A planetary system is a set of gravitationally bound non-stellar objects in or out of orbit around a star or star system. Generally speaking, systems with one or more planets constitute a planetary system, although such systems may also consist of bodies such as dwarf planets, asteroids, natural satellites, meteoroids, comets, planetesimals and circumstellar disks. The Sun together with the planetary system revolving around it, including Earth, forms the Solar System. The term exoplanetary system is sometimes used in reference to other planetary systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">55 Cancri</span> Binary star with at least five exoplanets 41 light-years away

55 Cancri is a binary star system located 41 light-years away from the Sun in the zodiac constellation of Cancer. It has the Bayer designation Rho1 Cancri (ρ1 Cancri); 55 Cancri is the Flamsteed designation. The system consists of a K-type star and a smaller red dwarf.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Habitable zone</span> Orbits where planets may have liquid surface water

In astronomy and astrobiology, the habitable zone (HZ), or more precisely the circumstellar habitable zone (CHZ), is the range of orbits around a star within which a planetary surface can support liquid water given sufficient atmospheric pressure. The bounds of the HZ are based on Earth's position in the Solar System and the amount of radiant energy it receives from the Sun. Due to the importance of liquid water to Earth's biosphere, the nature of the HZ and the objects within it may be instrumental in determining the scope and distribution of planets capable of supporting Earth-like extraterrestrial life and intelligence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exomoon</span> Moon beyond the Solar System

An exomoon or extrasolar moon is a natural satellite that orbits an exoplanet or other non-stellar extrasolar body.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super-Earth</span> Planet with a mass between Earth and Uranus

A Super-Earth is a type of exoplanet with a mass higher than Earth's, but substantially below those of the Solar System's ice giants, Uranus and Neptune, which are 14.5 and 17 times Earth's, respectively. The term "super-Earth" refers only to the mass of the planet, and so does not imply anything about the surface conditions or habitability. The alternative term "gas dwarfs" may be more accurate for those at the higher end of the mass scale, although "mini-Neptunes" is a more common term.

HD 23079 is a star in the southern constellation of Reticulum. Since the star has an apparent visual magnitude of 7.12, it is not visible to the naked eye, but at least in binoculars it should be easily visible. Parallax measurements give a distance estimate of 109 light years from the Sun. it is slowly drifting further away with a radial velocity of +0.65 km/s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Habitability of natural satellites</span> Measure of the potential of natural satellites to have environments hospitable to life

The habitability of natural satellites is the potential of moons to provide habitats for life, though it is not an indicator that they harbor it. Natural satellites are expected to outnumber planets by a large margin and the study of their habitability is therefore important to astrobiology and the search for extraterrestrial life. There are, nevertheless, significant environmental variables specific to moons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kepler-16b</span> Gas giant orbiting Kepler-16 star system

Kepler-16b is an exoplanet. It is a Saturn-mass planet consisting of half gas and half rock and ice, and it orbits a binary star, Kepler-16, with a period of 229 days. "[It] is the first confirmed, unambiguous example of a circumbinary planet – a planet orbiting not one, but two stars," said Josh Carter of the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, one of the discovery team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kepler-22b</span> Super-Earth exoplanet orbiting Kepler-22

Kepler-22b is an exoplanet orbiting within the habitable zone of the Sun-like star Kepler-22. It is located about 640 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Cygnus. It was discovered by NASA's Kepler Space Telescope in December 2011 and was the first known transiting planet to orbit within the habitable zone of a Sun-like star, where liquid water could exist on the planet's surface. Kepler-22 is too dim to be seen with the naked eye.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kepler-47c</span> Kepler-47c is a gas giant.

Kepler-47c is an exoplanet orbiting the binary star system Kepler-47, the outermost of three such planets discovered by NASA's Kepler spacecraft. The system, also involving two other exoplanets, is located about 3,400 light-years away.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PH2</span> Star in the constellation Cygnus

PH2, also known as Kepler-86, or KIC 12735740, is a G-type star 1,120 light-years distant within the constellation Cygnus. Roughly the size and temperature of the Sun, PH2 gained prominence when it was known to be the host of one of 42 planet candidates detected by the Planet Hunters citizen science project in its second data release. The candidate orbiting around PH2, known as PH2b, had been determined to have a spurious detection probability of only 0.08%, thus effectively confirming its existence as a planet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kepler-90h</span> Exoplanet in the constellation Draco

Kepler-90h is an exoplanet orbiting within the habitable zone of the early G-type main sequence star Kepler-90, the outermost of eight such planets discovered by NASA's Kepler spacecraft. It is located about 2,840 light-years, from Earth in the constellation Draco. The exoplanet was found by using the transit method, in which the dimming effect that a planet causes as it crosses in front of its star is measured.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kepler-438b</span> Super-Earth orbiting Kepler-438

Kepler-438b is a confirmed near-Earth-sized exoplanet. It is likely rocky. It orbits on the inner edge of the habitable zone of a red dwarf, Kepler-438, about 472.9 light-years from Earth in the constellation Lyra. It receives 1.4 times our solar flux. The planet was discovered by NASA's Kepler spacecraft using the transit method, in which the dimming effect that a planet causes as it crosses in front of its star is measured. NASA announced the confirmation of the exoplanet on 6 January 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Superhabitable world</span> Hypothetical type of planet or moon that may be better-suited for life than Earth

A superhabitable world is a hypothetical type of planet or moon that is better suited than Earth for the emergence and evolution of life. The concept was introduced in a 2014 paper by René Heller and John Armstrong, in which they criticized the language used in the search for habitable exoplanets and proposed clarifications. The authors argued that knowing whether a world is located within the star's habitable zone is insufficient to determine its habitability, that the principle of mediocrity cannot adequately explain why Earth should represent the archetypal habitable world, and that the prevailing model of characterization was geocentric or anthropocentric in nature. Instead, they proposed a biocentric approach that prioritized astrophysical characteristics affecting the abundance and variety of life on a world's surface.

Kepler-419c is a super-Jupiter exoplanet orbiting within the habitable zone of the star Kepler-419, the outermost of two such planets discovered by NASA's Kepler spacecraft. It is located about 3,400 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cygnus. The exoplanet was found by using the transit timing variation method, in which the variations of transit data from an exoplanet are studied to reveal a more distant companion.

Kepler-419 is an F-type main-sequence star located about 3,400 light years from Earth in the constellation Cygnus. It is located within the field of vision of the Kepler spacecraft, the satellite that NASA's Kepler Mission used to detect planets that may be transiting their stars. In 2012, a potential planetary companion in a very eccentric orbit was detected around this star, but its planetary nature was not confirmed until 12 June 2014, when it was named Kepler-419b. A second planet was announced orbiting further out from the star in the same paper, named Kepler-419c.

Kepler-1708b is a Jupiter-sized exoplanet orbiting the Sun-like star Kepler-1708, located in the constellation of Cygnus approximately 5,600 light years away from Earth. It was first detected in 2011 by NASA's Kepler mission using the transit method, but was not identified as a candidate planet until 2019. In 2021, a candidate Neptune-sized exomoon in orbit around Kepler-1708b was found by astronomer David Kipping and colleagues in an analysis using Kepler transit data.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Habitability of yellow dwarf systems</span> Likelihood of finding extraterrestrial life in yellow dwarf systems

Habitability of yellow dwarf systems defines the suitability for life of exoplanets belonging to yellow dwarf stars. These systems are the object of study among the scientific community because they are considered the most suitable for harboring living organisms, together with those belonging to K-type stars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Habitability of F-type main-sequence star systems</span> Overview of the habitability of F-type main-sequence star systems

The habitability of F-type main-sequence starsystems is disputed due to the shorter lifetimes and higher levels of UV radiation. Indeed, F0 stars are considered by many scientists as the hottest and most massive stars capable of supporting habitable planets. A planet orbiting an F-type star at the Earth boundary within the HZ would receive 2.5 to 7.1 times the UV that Earth gets from the sun.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Dr. Manfred A Cuntz". UTA. The University of Texas at Arlington. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  2. ↑ "Committee for Skeptical Inquiry Elects Twelve New CSI Fellows". centerforinquiry.net. Center for Inquiry. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 Cuntz, Manfred. "Abiturjahrgang 1977 Prof. Dr. Manfred Cuntz-heute Astrophysiker in Texas" [Class of 1977 Prof. Dr. Manfred Cuntz-today astrophysicist in Texas]. Yumpu (in German). Vereinigung der Freunde des Eduard-Spranger Gymnasiums. pp. 124–129. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  4. ↑ Cuntz, Manfred. "Generation of Extended Chromospheres and Mass Loss of Late-Type Giant Stars due to Acoustic Shock Waves". IOP Science. Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  5. ↑ "Meet the Editors". Wiley Online Library. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  6. 1 2 "UT Arlington astrophysicist offers new method for finding regions favorable for life in stellar binary systems". University of Texas Arlington. 22 December 2014. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  7. ↑ Naeye, Robert. "Footprint of a Magnetic Exoplanet". Sky & Telescope. AAS Sky Publishing, LLC. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  8. ↑ Dorminey, Bruce. "Odds Are Against Life On Seven TRAPPIST-1 Planets". Forbes. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  9. ↑ Kirby, Russell (18 January 2012). "UT-Arlington research team gains worldwide attention for Kepler-16b findings". The Shorthorn. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  10. ↑ Smith, Diane (17 January 2012). "Is there anyone else out there?". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  11. ↑ Pederson, Greg (14 February 2022). "Physics Doctoral Student Leads New Study about Plausibility of Exomoons". UTA College of Science. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  12. ↑ "The violent youth of solar proxies steer course of genesis of life". International Astronomical Union. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  13. ↑ "Don't forget F-type stars in search for life, UT Arlington researchers say". EurekaAlert!. 25 March 2014. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  14. ↑ Dorminey, Bruce (July 11, 2016). "Orange Dwarfs Most Likely To Harbor Intelligent Life, Say Astronomers". forbes.com. Forbes. Archived from the original on 17 February 2024. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  15. ↑ "UT Arlington planetarium to premier NASA funded show". University of Texas Arlington. 6 December 2010. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  16. ↑ Buffington IV, Ray Edward. "Is There Anybody Out There?". The Shorthorn. UTA Student Publications. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  17. ↑ "Planetarium produces first active stereo 3-D planetarium show about NASA's SOFIA mission". Phys Org. 8 September 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  18. ↑ "Author: Manfred Cuntz". Skeptical Inquirer. Center for Inquiry. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  19. ↑ Cuntz, Manfred (November 2020). "100 Authors against Einstein: A Look in the Rearview Mirror". Skeptical Inquirer. 44 (6): 48–51. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  20. ↑ Cuntz, Manfred (January 2023). "The James Webb Space Telescope: First Responses from Religion". Skeptical Inquirer. 47 (1): 38–40.
  21. ↑ Ingle, Kenneth E. (2009). First Contact: Escape to 55 Cancri. Booksforabuck.com. ISBN   1602150982.
  22. ↑ Brednich, Rolf Wilhelm (2004). Pinguine in Rückenlage – Brandneue sagenhafte Geschichten von heute[Penguins in Supine Position - Brandnew Legendary Stories of today] (in German). Munich: C. H. Beck. ISBN   3-406-51069-8.

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