Life, Energy, Dynamics and Dark Matter - Exploring X-rays from the Outer Planets

外太阳系确实是一个充满奇迹的地方：壮观的极光显示，如此充满活力，它们可以为人类文明提供动力;卫星与全球地下水海洋-潜在的生命完美环境;磁泡（“磁层”），是太阳系中最大的相干结构;强烈的辐射带充满了粒子，它们的能量如此之高，以至于它们以接近光速的速度传播;标志性的闪闪发光的光环延伸到太空中，直径是地球的20倍，环绕着它们的气态宿主。宇宙如何创造这些奇迹以及是什么过程控制它们是太阳系科学和这项研究的核心。历史上，美国宇航局和欧空局的旗舰X射线天文台钱德拉和XMM-牛顿，已被广泛用于研究不可比拟的能量或大（黑洞，中子星或星系之间流动的气体）。然而，X射线天文台也提供了对行星体的宝贵和未充分利用的见解。我的研究旨在确保我们充分利用X射线的各种能力来研究外行星。X射线荧光是一种产生原子元素“指纹”特征的过程。因此，它非常适合确定某个元素是由什么原子组成的。在地球上，X射线荧光被用于从确定一件艺术品是否是假的，到识别油漆中的铅，食品中的氯和化妆品中的金属。通过ERF，我将研究来自木星卫星木卫一，木卫二，木卫三和木卫四的X射线荧光。这将确定哪些元素在其冰冷的表面上最常见，区分木卫二海洋中的不同盐，以确定那里有什么条件适合潜在的生命。木卫二在木星的磁层内绕木星运行。木星周围巨大的磁腔是通过木星的快速旋转，强大的磁场和木星卫星木卫一上火山的等离子体（电离粒子）的不断注入而形成的。等离子体构成了观测到的宇宙的99%。因此，了解什么过程控制着等离子体的行为，对于理解我们在宇宙中观察到的物质至关重要。我将使用X射线观测与在行星轨道上的航天器测量相结合，以几种方式研究这些基本的等离子体过程：1。探索木星舞动的极光，以探测粒子流和控制它们的过程。分析强辐射带的X射线图像，以确定它们如何随时间变化，以及是什么过程引发了这些变化。计算木星、土星、天王星和海王星磁层与太阳风之间的边界沿着的X射线辐射，为拍摄这一边界的视频奠定基础，以研究每个行星与其周围空间环境（太阳风）之间的全球关系。对系外行星的研究表明，冰巨人是宇宙中最常见的行星类型之一。然而，我们对当地的冰巨人天王星和海王星的了解非常少。20世纪80年代旅行者号飞船的快速飞越是我们对这两颗行星的唯一访问。如果没有任何近期计划访问这些行星，我们必须通过地球上的望远镜来研究它们。我将寻求获得新的天王星X射线观测时间。这将使我们能够探索许多令人兴奋的提示建议由以前的观察，测试的存在：通过这些不同的项目，研究方案将在利用X射线观测外太阳系方面带来一场革命，建立新的研究领域，并利用X射线波段提供独特的见解，神秘和奇妙的世界在我们的太阳系的外部区域。

The outer solar system is truly a place of wonders: spectacular auroral displays, so energetic that they could power Human civilization; moons with global sub-surface water oceans - potentially perfect environments for life; magnetic bubbles ('magnetospheres') that are the largest coherent structures in the solar system; intense radiation belts filled with particles so energetic that they travel at close to the speed of light; iconic glistening rings extending 20 times the diameter of Earth into space to encircle their gaseous hosts. How the cosmos creates these marvels and what processes govern them is at the heart of solar system science and this research.Historically, NASA and ESA's flagship X-ray observatories, Chandra and XMM-Newton, have been widely used to study the unimaginably energetic or large (black holes, neutron stars or the gas that flows between galaxies). However, X-ray observatories also provide invaluable and under-utilised insights into planetary bodies. My research aims to ensure that we fully utilise the diverse range of X-ray capabilities to study the outer planets.X-rays fluorescence is a process that produces 'fingerprint' signatures of atomic elements. Consequently, it is excellent for determining what atomic elements something is composed of. On Earth, X-ray fluorescence is used for everything from determining whether a piece of art is fake, to identifying lead in paint, chlorine in food and metals in cosmetics. Through the ERF, I will study X-ray fluorescence from Jupiter's moons Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. This will identify which elements are most common on their icy surfaces, distinguishing between different salts in Europa's ocean to identify what conditions are available there for potential life.Europa orbits Jupiter within Jupiter's magnetosphere. This vast magnetic cavity around the planet forms through the combination of Jupiter's rapid-rotation, strong magnetic field, and the constant injections of plasma (ionised particles) from the volcanoes on Jupiter's moon, Io. Plasma makes up 99% of the observed Universe. Understanding what processes govern the behaviours of plasmas is therefore critical to understanding the matter we observe across the cosmos. I will use X-ray observations in tandem with measurements by spacecraft in orbit at the planets to study these fundamental plasma processes in several ways: 1. exploring Jupiter's dancing auroral displays to probe the flows of particles and the processes that control them2. analysing X-ray images of the intense radiation belts to determine how they change over time and what processes trigger these changes3. calculating the X-ray emissions along the boundary between the magnetospheres of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune and the solar wind, laying foundations to take videos of this boundary, to study the global relationship between each planet and its surrounding space envrionment (the solar wind).The study of exoplanets has shown that Ice Giants are amongst the most common type of planet in the Universe. However, our local Ice Giants, Uranus and Neptune, are very poorly understood. The rapid flybys of the Voyager spacecraft in the 1980s are the only visit we have ever made to either planet. Without any near-term plans to visit these planets, we have to study them through telescopes at Earth. I will seek to acquire new X-ray observing time for Uranus. This will enable us to explore many of the exciting hints suggested by previous observations, testing for the presence of: sparkling X-ray aurorae, the X-ray glow of the rings and potential fluorescence from the atmosphere.Through these diverse projects, the research programme will usher in a revolution in the uses of X-ray observations for the outer solar system, founding new research fields and leveraging the X-ray waveband to provide unique insights into the mysterious and wonderous worlds in the outer regions of our solar system.