Magnetosphere - Ionosphere Coupling at Jupiter

Hannah will be investigating ionospheric outflow at the Gas Giants. Hannah will be working with an existing model of ionospheric outflow, modifying it to contain more realistic conditions and then trying to interpret how the ionospheric outflow impacts magnetospheric dynamics. This is a critical piece of work and a current big topic in the magnetospheres of the outer planets community.

The first project will involve modifying the auroral currents applied to the ionospheric outflow model to better understand how variations in these structures can alter the amount of material being transferred from planet to magnetosphere. In the later stages of the project, Hannah can choose where to go with this model. One avenue would be to address exactly how the atmospheric outflow reaches the magnetosphere and over what timescales and at what locations. Another approach could be to use this model in concert with models of the high-latitude density structure to better determine the nature of quasi-static acceleration at high-latitudes. A final approach could be to combine magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere coupling models more directly with the ionospheric outflow model to better fully describe the system.

Hannah wishes to be an expert in comparative planetary magnetospheres, and thus I expect that she will apply any of her studies to both Jupiter and Saturn. This will allow her to test underlying drivers across multiple systems