Exploring the Magnetosphere of an Ice Giant: Probing Uranus is No Laughing Matter

Details
Speaker Name/Affiliation
Carol Paty / University of Oregon
When
-
Location (Room)
JILA Auditorium
Event Details & Abstracts
Abstract:
The National Academies Decadal Survey for Planetary Science and Astrobiology ranked the Uranus Orbiter and Probe as the highest priority new flagship mission to initiate in the 2023-32 decade.  From the perspective of magnetospheric scientists, Uranus provides one of the most interesting natural laboratories for studying the influence of large obliquities, rapid rotation, highly asymmetric magnetic fields, and large Alfvénic and sonic Mach numbers on magnetospheric processes. Uranus is subjected to extreme seasonal variations resulting from the nearly 98° tilt of its rotation axis. The solar wind-magnetosphere interaction varies dramatically on diurnal timescales as well due to the apparent offset and tilt of the dipole field. With in situ observations at Uranus limited to a single encounter by the Voyager 2 spacecraft in 1986, a growing number of analytical and numerical models have been put forward to characterize its magnetosphere and test hypothesis related to magnetospheric boundary layers, the solar wind interaction, the formation of the intense radiation belts, dynamo processes and interior structure, understanding charged particle precipitation, aurora, and energy deposition to the atmosphere, and quantifying potential plasma sources and the distribution of plasma observed. Despite these recent studies, many questions regarding the observations of Uranus’ unique magnetosphere remain unanswered. Here I'll discuss some key science objectives relevant for the upcoming flagship mission to Uranus. These objectives are centered in magnetospheric science, but cross key disciplines in planetary science, geophysics, and heliophysics.