Investigating Planetary Magnetic Fields: From Mercury to Hot Jupiters

PI在行星磁场领域处于国际领先地位。她的团队继续将最先进的计算机模型与行星任务数据的约束相结合，以调查该领域的主要开放性问题。

The PI is an international leader in the field of planetary magnetic fields. Her group continues to combine state of the art computer models with constraints from planetary mission data in order to investigate leading open questions in the field. The study of magnetic field generation in planetary bodies provides vital information on planetary structure, dynamics and evolution. Studying a planet's deep interior is challenging because the region cannot be observed directly. Because magnetic fields are generated in a planet's deep interior and extend beyond the surface where they are observable, magnetic fields can act as important probes of planetary interior structure and dynamics. Many aspects of the magnetic field generation process (dynamo action) are not well understood. This is because it is a very nonlinear, complex system with extreme control parameters. Because magnetic fields are important in so many physical processes in the universe, such as the formation of stellar and planetary systems, the retention of planetary atmospheres and the protection of life on Earth from harmful solar radiation, it is crucial that we gain a better understanding of how they are generated. The PI’s research program involves innovative numerical simulations of the dynamo process in combination with data from spacecraft missions to study the magnetic field generation process in planets throughout our solar system and beyond. Her work will determine the feasibility of detecting extrasolar planetary magnetic fields, investigate the implications of magnetic field shielding for habitability, and provide spacecraft mission teams with necessary information to plan upcoming planetary magnetic field studies. Trainees who will be funded through this proposal will receive multi-faceted training in high-performance scientific computing, mathematical physics, fluid dynamics, magnetohydrodynamics and planetary science, making them skilled candidates for either academia or scientific and computational industries. These skills will help meet the current and future demand for a highly qualified workforce in Canada.