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Planetary Science Seminar - spring-2013

Highlights from LPSC

April 4, 2013
noon - 1 p.m.
Slichter 3853

Presented By:

  • ESS Graduate Students - UCLA
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OSIRIS-REx: NASA New Frontiers 3 Sample Return Mission from Asteroid 1999 RQ36

April 11, 2013
noon - 1 p.m.
Slichter 3853

Presented By:

  • Harold Connolly - City University of New York
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Sculpting the Outer Solar System: The Trojans, Kuiper Belt and Beyond

April 25, 2013
noon - 1 p.m.
Slichter3853

Presented By:

  • Scott Sheppard - Carnegie Institute of Washington
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Understanding exchanges across interfaces between stratified and convective zones

May 2, 2013
noon - 1 p.m.
Slichter3853

Presented By:

  • Michael LeBars - CNRS/UCLA
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In many geophysical and astrophysical situations, a turbulent convective fluid layer stays above or below a stably stratified one. Examples include planetary atmospheres and cores, convective and radiative zones of stars, Earth's oceans, ... While the influence of the stratified layer has long been neglected, it can in fact support oscillatory motions (gravito-inertial waves) excited by the neighboring turbulence. These waves carry momentum and energy, thus significantly influence the dynamics of the system under consideration. I will present here simple analytical models as well as two experimental studies designed to obtain a comprehensive description of the properties of the excited wave field and to quantify its interactions with the turbulent motions responsible for its creation.

The Composition of the Solar Nebula, the Sun and the Solar Wind – A Summary of Results from the Gene

May 9, 2013
noon - 1 p.m.
3853 Slichter

Presented By:

  • Veronika Heber - UCLA
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Stellar Abundances in Exoplanet Hosts and Non-Hosts

May 16, 2013
noon - 1 p.m.
Slichter 3853

Presented By:

  • Natalie Hinkel - NExScI/Caltech
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Are high-density exoplanets the un-decompressed naked cores of gas giants?

May 23, 2013
noon - 1 p.m.
Slichter 3853

Presented By:

  • Cristophe Sotin - JPL/Caltech
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Data extracted from the Extrasolar Planets Encyclopaedia (http://exoplanet.eu) show the existence of planets that are more massive than same-size iron cores. After meticulous verification of the data, we have concluded that the mass of the smallest of these planets was actually unknown. However, three high-density planets, Kepler-52b, Kepler-52c, and Kepler-57b, which are between 30 and 100 times the Earth mass, have indeed density larger than asame-size iron planet. This observation triggered the present study that investigates under which conditions these planets could represent the naked cores of gas giants that would have lost their atmospheres during their migration towards the star. The bulk viscosity of the cores of giant planets can indeed be large enough to hold a very high density during geological timescales. This would make those planets a new kind of planets which, in return, would provide useful information on the interior structure of the gas giants.

Fang-TBD

May 30, 2013
noon - 1 p.m.
Slichter 3853

Presented By:

  • Julia Fang - UCLA
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Saving the best for last!

June 6, 2013
noon - 1 p.m.
Slichter 3853

Presented By:

  • Hilke Schlichting - UCLA
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