Research

Planetary Interiors

Gravity and magnetic measurements reveal deep winds, electrical structure, and interior dynamics. Spacecraft gravity fields, magnetic constraints, and geophysical modeling help infer how atmospheric jets extend below cloud tops, how conducting fluids move inside giant planets, and what those hidden motions reveal about planetary structure and evolution.

Planetary Magnetic Fields

Dynamo models and spacecraft magnetometry connect evolving fields to fluid motion inside planets. Magnetic-field geometry and time variation from missions such as Juno and Cassini provide constraints on planetary dynamos, secular variation, and the electrically conducting regions where deep flows generate observable magnetic signals.

Ocean Worlds

Magnetic induction and plasma interactions probe icy moons and coupled interior-space environments. Electromagnetic responses help characterize subsurface oceans, ice shells, and the plasma environments around moons such as Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto, linking interior structure with the surrounding magnetospheric system.

Surface Magnetometry

Instrument development supports long-duration magnetic measurements on the lunar surface. The miniaturized, low-power fluxgate magnetometer systems built for surface observatories provide sustained magnetic records for investigating electrical structure, thermal state, and interactions with plasma environments.

Space Weather

Fluxgate magnetometers help measure Earth's near-space response to solar-wind forcing. The TRACERS mission and related instrument work apply magnetic-field measurements to study reconnection, polar cusp dynamics, and the way solar-wind energy enters Earth's magnetosphere.