A Consolidated Grant Proposal for Solar and Planetary Science at the University of Leicester, 2022 - 2025
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Leicester
Department Name: Physics and Astronomy
Abstract
We propose a world-class programme of research that focuses on 3 main areas of study concerned with our solar system. The first involves study of the outer environments of the planets where the gas is ionised, such that it not only feels the gravitational pull of the planet, but also interacts strongly with its magnetic and electric fields. In the second area we seek to study the origin and evolution of solar system bodies, through examination of materials from asteroid, chondrite and lunar samples, and through laboratory-based exploration of X-ray fluorescence from Mercury analogues. The third area will employ spectroscopy from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and ground observatories to explore the planetary stratospheres and tropospheres at the ice giants Uranus and Neptune.
Previous work in the first area shows that the outer environments of the planets vary widely, determined by the interaction with the plasma that blows continuously from the Sun on the outside, and the interaction with the planet and its moons on the inside. The solar wind is prone to outbursts that can lead to magnetic storms and bright auroras at Earth, as well as varying strongly over the solar cycle, and with distance from the Sun. Its interaction with the planets then depends on whether the planet is magnetised, has an atmosphere, and has active moons. We will use MESSENGER data to study Mercury close to the Sun, a planet that has a magnetic field but almost no atmosphere; use the constellation of spacecraft at Mars, more distant from the Sun, which has an atmosphere but no strong magnetic field to prevent its erosion by the solar wind; and combine multi-spacecraft and ground instrumentation at Earth, at intermediate distances having both an atmosphere and a magnetic field. We will also study the strongly magnetized giant planets Jupiter and Saturn using data from the Juno mission at Jupiter and Cassini at Saturn, combined with observations of the auroras at ultraviolet wavelengths using the Hubble Space Telescope and at infrared wavelengths using large ground-based telescopes. Auroras are caused by large-scale electric currents flowing between the outer environments and the upper ionized atmospheres, which communicate force between these regions. Overall emphasis will be on the complex physical processes that couple the solar wind on the outside, the magnetic field surrounding the planet (if any), and the planetary atmospheres or surface on the inside.
In the second area, laboratory studies, we will analyse material returned from C-class asteroid Ryugu by the Hayabusa2 mission. We will make complementary analyses on Apollo lunar regolith grains and recent, unique carbonaceous chondrite falls to build a new understanding of space weathering and C-class asteroid parent body processes. This project builds on the leading expertise we have in the microanalysis of planetary materials, through electron microscopy at ePSIC and UoL, and synchrotron-based X-ray spectroscopy. Laboratory work focused on Mercury will centre on the MIXS Ground Reference Facility, a purpose-built system to allow detailed analysis of X-ray fluorescence, induced using an X-ray or electron source, for bespoke surface analogues. This laboratory facility will uniquely allow us to expand our science programme using the MIXS data from the BepiColombo mission, both in relation to the dayside surface composition goals at global and local scales on Mercury, and in terms of the nightside magnetosphere-surface interaction which produces a significant X-ray fluorescence associated with electron bombardment.
The final theme leverages Leicester's leadership of the guaranteed-time giant planets programme on the JWST, exploiting MIRI spectroscopic maps of the Ice Giants Uranus and Neptune, combined with a ground-based observation programme, to understand how stratospheric circulation, photochemistry, and tropospheric meteorology shape the atmospheres of sub-giant-sized worlds.
Previous work in the first area shows that the outer environments of the planets vary widely, determined by the interaction with the plasma that blows continuously from the Sun on the outside, and the interaction with the planet and its moons on the inside. The solar wind is prone to outbursts that can lead to magnetic storms and bright auroras at Earth, as well as varying strongly over the solar cycle, and with distance from the Sun. Its interaction with the planets then depends on whether the planet is magnetised, has an atmosphere, and has active moons. We will use MESSENGER data to study Mercury close to the Sun, a planet that has a magnetic field but almost no atmosphere; use the constellation of spacecraft at Mars, more distant from the Sun, which has an atmosphere but no strong magnetic field to prevent its erosion by the solar wind; and combine multi-spacecraft and ground instrumentation at Earth, at intermediate distances having both an atmosphere and a magnetic field. We will also study the strongly magnetized giant planets Jupiter and Saturn using data from the Juno mission at Jupiter and Cassini at Saturn, combined with observations of the auroras at ultraviolet wavelengths using the Hubble Space Telescope and at infrared wavelengths using large ground-based telescopes. Auroras are caused by large-scale electric currents flowing between the outer environments and the upper ionized atmospheres, which communicate force between these regions. Overall emphasis will be on the complex physical processes that couple the solar wind on the outside, the magnetic field surrounding the planet (if any), and the planetary atmospheres or surface on the inside.
In the second area, laboratory studies, we will analyse material returned from C-class asteroid Ryugu by the Hayabusa2 mission. We will make complementary analyses on Apollo lunar regolith grains and recent, unique carbonaceous chondrite falls to build a new understanding of space weathering and C-class asteroid parent body processes. This project builds on the leading expertise we have in the microanalysis of planetary materials, through electron microscopy at ePSIC and UoL, and synchrotron-based X-ray spectroscopy. Laboratory work focused on Mercury will centre on the MIXS Ground Reference Facility, a purpose-built system to allow detailed analysis of X-ray fluorescence, induced using an X-ray or electron source, for bespoke surface analogues. This laboratory facility will uniquely allow us to expand our science programme using the MIXS data from the BepiColombo mission, both in relation to the dayside surface composition goals at global and local scales on Mercury, and in terms of the nightside magnetosphere-surface interaction which produces a significant X-ray fluorescence associated with electron bombardment.
The final theme leverages Leicester's leadership of the guaranteed-time giant planets programme on the JWST, exploiting MIRI spectroscopic maps of the Ice Giants Uranus and Neptune, combined with a ground-based observation programme, to understand how stratospheric circulation, photochemistry, and tropospheric meteorology shape the atmospheres of sub-giant-sized worlds.
Publications
Malsky I
(2024)
A Direct Comparison between the Use of Double Gray and Multiwavelength Radiative Transfer in a General Circulation Model with and without Radiatively Active Clouds
in The Astrophysical Journal
Campbell B
(2024)
SHARAD Mapping of Mars Dayside Ionosphere Patterns: Relationship to Regional Geology and the Magnetic Field
in Geophysical Research Letters
Strauss R
(2024)
Jovian Electrons in the Inner Heliosphere: Opportunities for Multi-spacecraft Observations and Modeling
in The Astrophysical Journal
Gerekos C
(2024)
Observation of solar radio burst events from Mars orbit with the Shallow Radar instrument
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Hodnett R
(2024)
Modeling and Observations of the Effects of the Alfvén Velocity Profile on the Ionospheric Alfvén Resonator
in Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics
Bockelée-Morvan D
(2024)
Composition and thermal properties of Ganymede's surface from JWST/NIRSpec and MIRI observations
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Irwin P
(2024)
Modelling the seasonal cycle of Uranus's colour and magnitude, and comparison with Neptune
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Coy B
(2023)
Spitzer IRS Observations of Titan as a Precursor to JWST MIRI Observations
in The Planetary Science Journal
Fogg A
(2023)
Multi-Instrument Observations of the Effects of a Solar Wind Pressure Pulse on the High Latitude Ionosphere: A Detailed Case Study of a Geomagnetic Sudden Impulse
in Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics
Irwin P
(2023)
Spectral determination of the colour and vertical structure of dark spots in Neptune's atmosphere
in Nature Astronomy
Hueso R
(2023)
An intense narrow equatorial jet in Jupiter's lower stratosphere observed by JWST
in Nature Astronomy
Eriksen N
(2023)
On the Creation, Depletion, and End of Life of Polar Cap Patches
in Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics
Sinclair J
(2023)
Long-term variability of Jupiter's northern auroral 8- µ m CH 4 emissions
in Icarus
Wijsen N
(2023)
The Effect of the Ambient Solar Wind Medium on a CME-driven Shock and the Associated Gradual Solar Energetic Particle Event
in The Astrophysical Journal
Fleetham A
(2023)
Solar Wind Control of Hemispherically-Integrated Field-Aligned Currents at Earth
in Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics
Carter J
(2023)
Mean Energy Flux, Associated Derived Height-Integrated Conductances, and Field-Aligned Current Magnitudes Evolve Differently During a Substorm
in Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics
Sánchez-Cano B
(2023)
Mars' ionosphere: The key for systematic exploration of the red planet
in Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences
Sinclair J
(2023)
A High Spatial and Spectral Resolution Study of Jupiter's Mid-infrared Auroral Emissions and Their Response to a Solar Wind Compression
in The Planetary Science Journal
Lee C
(2023)
Heliophysics and space weather science at ~1.5 AU: Knowledge gaps and need for space weather monitors at Mars
in Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences
King O
(2023)
PlanetMapper: A Python package for visualising, navigating and mapping Solar System observations
in Journal of Open Source Software
Schillings A
(2023)
Signatures of wedgelets over Fennoscandia during the St Patrick's Day Storm 2015
in Journal of Space Weather and Space Climate
De Pater I
(2023)
An Energetic Eruption With Associated SO 1.707 Micron Emissions at Io's Kanehekili Fluctus and a Brightening Event at Loki Patera Observed by JWST
in Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets
Fletcher L
(2023)
Saturn's Atmosphere in Northern Summer Revealed by JWST/MIRI
in Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets
Sánchez-Cano B
(2023)
Solar Energetic Particle Events Detected in the Housekeeping Data of the European Space Agency's Spacecraft Flotilla in the Solar System
in Space Weather
Antuñano A
(2023)
Jupiter's Multi-Year Cycles of Temperature and Aerosol Variability From Ground-Based Mid-Infrared Imaging
in Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets
Pacios D
(2023)
Serverless Architecture for Data Processing and Detecting Anomalies with the Mars Express MARSIS Instrument
in The Astronomical Journal
Fletcher LN
(2023)
Jupiter Science Enabled by ESA's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer.
in Space science reviews
Dawkins E
(2023)
Solar Cycle and Long-Term Trends in the Observed Peak of the Meteor Altitude Distributions by Meteor Radars
in Geophysical Research Letters
Blake J
(2023)
Saturn's seasonal variability from four decades of ground-based mid-infrared observations
in Icarus
Bower G
(2023)
Formation and Motion of Horse Collar Aurora Events
in Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics
Yu B
(2023)
Tianwen-1 and MAVEN Observations of the Response of Mars to an Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejection
in The Astrophysical Journal
Wilson R
(2023)
Internal and External Jovian Magnetic Fields: Community Code to Serve the Magnetospheres of the Outer Planets Community
in Space Science Reviews
Chi Y
(2023)
The Dynamic Evolution of Multipoint Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejections Observed with BepiColombo, Tianwen-1, and MAVEN
in The Astrophysical Journal Letters
Roman M
(2023)
Mid-Infrared Observations of the Giant Planets
in Remote Sensing
Sulaiman A
(2023)
Poynting Fluxes, Field-Aligned Current Densities, and the Efficiency of the Io-Jupiter Electrodynamic Interaction
in Geophysical Research Letters
James A
(2023)
The Temporal Brightening of Uranus' Northern Polar Hood From HST/WFC3 and HST/STIS Observations
in Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets
Milan S
(2023)
The Association of Cusp-Aligned Arcs With Plasma in the Magnetotail Implies a Closed Magnetosphere
in Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics
Kempton E
(2023)
A reflective, metal-rich atmosphere for GJ 1214b from its JWST phase curve
in Nature
Milan S
(2023)
Solar Wind-Magnetosphere Coupling During High-Intensity Long-Duration Continuous AE Activity (HILDCAA)
in Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics
Fogg A
(2023)
Extreme Value Analysis of Ground Magnetometer Observations at Valentia Observatory, Ireland
in Space Weather