Planetary Atmospheres Research

牛津拥有欧洲领先的行星大气小组，涵盖任务设计和支持、科学仪器开发、数据分析和解释的先进技术，以及大气辐射和动力学的建模和理论。一个世界上任何地方都无法比拟的特殊优势是，在基础大气物理学方面的实验结果的综合，使得可以在行星和地球之间进行比较研究。行星大气研究的滚动拨款已经支持这项工作20多年了。它巩固了上面定义的广泛领域，支持参与空间任务(对于一个大学团体来说，这在世界上是独一无二的)，跨越从水星到土星的经典太阳系，包括研究月球和彗星等几乎没有空气的天体上的挥发物。该小组在推动欧洲金星快车任务方面发挥了重要的科学和实验作用，这是20多年来第一个探索地球邻近世界大气层的轨道器。我们现在有一个跨学科的科学家角色，包括飞行任务设计和仪器协调，以最大限度地增加科学回报，以及数据分析和解释，重点是制作改进的低层大气能量平衡模型；验证和改进大气环流模型；使用受测量限制的简单物理方法生成新的气候演变模型；以及在所有三个领域与其他类地行星进行比较研究。火星的大气和气候仍然是一个高度优先的活动领域，包括目前在火星周围运行的火星气候探测仪的设计和建造。我们为命运多舛的Beagle 2任务贡献了就地风传感器，并参与了欧空局外火星任务的气象仪器的开发。我们运行着一些最复杂和最现实的火星大气数值环流模型，能够模拟当今火星天气的逐日变化，并调查过去和未来的气候。正在进行的工作包括通过我们参与伽利略和卡西尼号任务，调查木星和土星的结构、组成和动力学，以及太阳系中唯一有厚大气的卫星土卫六。在这两次任务中，我们都参与了红外仪器的设计和开发，对于卡西尼号，我们为提供高性能的光谱仪建造了焦平面和辐射冷却器。尤其是，外层行星的工作得到了地面观测以及实验室光谱和流体动力学实验方案的支持。我们与欧空局合作开发比佩科伦坡任务，并与英国工业界合作研究新的低成本火星和金星任务。我们正在与喷气推进实验室合作，建造一台新的仪器Diviner，将于明年在月球侦察轨道器上发射，以绘制月球上的热环境和挥发物地图，特别是在NASA正在考虑的极地地区，以及英国通过新的空间探索计划，作为下一个十年晚些时候载人基地的地点。我们正在为罗塞塔上的VIRTIS光谱仪开发模型和数据分析工具，这是我们与意大利、法国和德国的同事共同设计的。通过测量2014年到达67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko的彗星的红外发射光谱，我们计划确定这颗彗星的挥发性成分。由于最近设立了一个新的大学讲师一级的行星职位，目前正在填补中，将于2007年10月增加第五名首席研究员。我们正在申请总共10个PDRA和6个项目学生，以支持5名高级学者，外加2名技术人员、1名程序员/分析员以及设备、消耗品和旅费。

Oxford has the leading planetary atmospheres group in Europe, covering mission design and support, scientific instrument development, advanced techniques for data analysis and interpretation, and modelling and theory of atmospheric radiation and dynamics. A particular strength, unmatched anywhere in the world, is the synthesis of experimental results in terms of basic atmospheric physics in ways that permit comparative studies between the planets and the Earth. The rolling grant for Planetary Atmospheres Research has supported this work for more than 20 years. It consolidates the broad areas defined above, supports involvement in space missions that (again uniquely in the world, for a university group) span the classical Solar System from Mercury to Saturn, including work on volatiles on virtually airless bodies including the Moon and comets. The group had major scientific and experimental roles in instigating the European Venus Express mission, the first orbiter to explore the atmosphere of Earth's neighbouring world in over 20 years. We now have an Interdisciplinary Scientist role involving mission design and instrument coordination to maximise science return, and data analysis and interpretation that is focussed on producing improved models of the energy balance in the lower atmosphere; validating and improving general circulation models; generating new climate evolution models using simple physics constrained by measurements; and comparative studies in all three areas with the other terrestrial planets. The atmosphere and climate of Mars continues to be a high priority area of activity, including the design and construction of the Mars Climate Sounder now operating around Mars. We contributed the in situ wind sensor for the ill-fated Beagle 2 mission, and are participating in the development of meteorological instrumentation for ESA's ExoMars mission. We operate some of the most sophisticated and realistic numerical circulation models of the Martian atmosphere, capable of simulating the day-to-day variations in Martian weather for the present day, and of investigating past and future climates. Ongoing work includes investigations of the structure, composition and dynamics of Jupiter and Saturn, and the only moon in the Solar System with a thick atmosphere, Titan, through our involvement in the Galileo and Cassini missions. For both missions we had a role in designing and developing the infrared instruments, and for Cassini we built the focal plane and radiative cooler for the spectrometer that delivers its high performance. The outer planet work, in particular, is supported by ground-based observations, and a programme of laboratory spectroscopic and fluid dynamical experiments. We worked with ESA on the development of the BepiColombo mission and with UK industry on studies of new low-cost missions to Mars and Venus. We, in collaboration with JPL, are building a new instrument, Diviner, for launch next year on Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to map the thermal environment and volatiles on the Moon, especially in the polar regions that are being considered by NASA, and the UK through the new space exploration initiative, as the site for a manned base later in the next decade. We are developing models and data analysis tools for the VIRTIS spectrometer on Rosetta, which we designed with colleagues in Italy, France and Germany. By measuring the spectra of infrared emissions from the coma on arrival at 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in 2014 we plan to determine the volatile composition of the comet. A fifth lead researcher will be added to the group in October 2007 as the result of the recent creation of a new planetary post at University Lecturer level, now in the process of being filled. We are requesting a total of 10 PDRAs and 6 project studentships to support the 5 senior academics, plus 2 technical staff, one programmer/analyst, and equipment, consumables, and travel costs.