Upcoming SwRI Boulder Colloquia

Colloquia are normally on Tuesdays at 11:00 am in the 4th-floor conference room, except as indicated below in bold text.
Show previous colloquia
Suggest a New Speaker

For questions or suggestions for speakers, please contact the SwRI colloquium organizers:
Raluca Rufu, 303-226-0879 or raluca(at)boulder.swri.edu
Julien Salmon, 720-208-7203 or julien(at)boulder.swri.edu
Kelsi Singer, 303-226-5910 or ksinger(at)boulder.swri.edu
Sierra Ferguson, sierra.ferguson(at)swri.org
Rogerio Deienno, rogerio.deienno(at)swri.org
Sam Van Kooten, 303-226-5909 or svankooten(at)boulder.swri.edu

To be added to the SwRI Boulder Colloquia email list, please contact Kelsi Singer, ksinger(at)boulder.swri.edu

Suggest a New Speaker HERE

Tue Feb 4, 2025
In 4th Floor CR + Webex 11:00 am Isaac Smith York University, Toronto Ice and Climate at the Poles of Mars

Webex info will be sent to our e-mail list, if you are not on our e-mail list and would like the dail-in please contact kelsi.singer@swri.org
Tue Feb 11, 2025
In Room 4.615 11:00 am Jacob Kegerreis Durham University, UK The destructive formation of moons and rings

Tue Feb 18, 2025
In Room 4.615 11:00 am Matt Hedman University of Idaho The Uranian rings and small satellites are really unusual things

Tue Feb 25, 2025
In Room 4.615 11:00 am Ananyo Bhattacharya University of Michigan Probing Jupiter’s Deep Atmosphere and Northern Aurora at Microwave Frequencies

Abstract: Microwave remote sensing from Earth and space-borne instruments have been crucial to understanding the atmospheric dynamics of Jupiter and monitoring its space environment. Probing Jupiter’s atmosphere below the water cloud region offers valuable insights into Jupiter’s deep convective-diffusive transport and overall energy balance. The inventory of heavy elements in the Jovian envelope, including condensable volatile species, provides us with inference about the origin and evolution of Jupiter. Jupiter’s magnetic field interacts with its upper atmosphere through precipitation of energetic electrons and ions. The contribution of high-energy electrons to auroral heating, ionization, and chemical kinetic processes serves to coupling the Jovian magnetosphere to its upper atmosphere. The Juno Microwave Radiometer instrument measures the thermal radiation emitted by Jupiter’s atmosphere at six different frequencies. It is sensitive to any changes in the microwave opacity of the Jovian atmosphere. The 600 MHz channel is sensitive to microwave opacity sources originating between 100–1000 bar deep into the atmosphere. Measurement of Jovian thermal emission and its angular dependence constrains the free electron density of the deep atmosphere. Free electrons produced by the thermal ionization of alkali vapors can be leveraged to constrain the abundance of sodium and potassium in the deep atmosphere. The MWR measurements within the main auroral oval show low brightness temperatures compared to the deep thermal emission. Electron precipitation-driven ionization is expected to cause an increase in ionospheric electron density that leads to the absorption of microwaves near 1 GHz in a highly collisional medium. The microwave data provides a complementary perspective to understand magnetosphere-ionosphere-atmosphere coupling in addition to the in-situ electron flux and ultraviolet auroral emissions observed by Juno.

Tue Mar 4, 2025
In Room 4.615 11:00 am Ankit Barik Johns Hopkins University TBD

Tue Mar 25, 2025
In 4th Floor CR + Webex 11:00 am Joe Masiero Caltech/IPAC TBD Asteroids

Tue Apr 1, 2025
In Room 4.615 11:00 am Douglas Hemingway University of Texas TBD

Tue Apr 8, 2025
In Room 4.615 11:00 am Alessandro Morbidelli Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur Formation and evolution of a protoplanetary disk: combining observations, simulations and cosmochemical constraints

Tue Apr 15, 2025
In Room 4.615 11:00 am Krista Soderlund University of Texas at Austin TBD

Tue May 6, 2025
In Room 4.615 11:00 am Mike Wong University of California-Berkeley TBD

Tue May 27, 2025
In Room 4.615 11:00 am Rutu Parekh Jet Propulsion Laboratory TBD

Tue Feb 4, 2025 In 4th Floor CR + Webex	11:00 am	Isaac Smith	York University, Toronto	Ice and Climate at the Poles of Mars
	Webex info will be sent to our e-mail list, if you are not on our e-mail list and would like the dail-in please contact kelsi.singer@swri.org
Tue Feb 11, 2025 In Room 4.615	11:00 am	Jacob Kegerreis	Durham University, UK	The destructive formation of moons and rings
Tue Feb 18, 2025 In Room 4.615	11:00 am	Matt Hedman	University of Idaho	The Uranian rings and small satellites are really unusual things
Tue Feb 25, 2025 In Room 4.615	11:00 am	Ananyo Bhattacharya	University of Michigan	Probing Jupiter’s Deep Atmosphere and Northern Aurora at Microwave Frequencies
	Abstract:	Microwave remote sensing from Earth and space-borne instruments have been crucial to understanding the atmospheric dynamics of Jupiter and monitoring its space environment. Probing Jupiter’s atmosphere below the water cloud region offers valuable insights into Jupiter’s deep convective-diffusive transport and overall energy balance. The inventory of heavy elements in the Jovian envelope, including condensable volatile species, provides us with inference about the origin and evolution of Jupiter. Jupiter’s magnetic field interacts with its upper atmosphere through precipitation of energetic electrons and ions. The contribution of high-energy electrons to auroral heating, ionization, and chemical kinetic processes serves to coupling the Jovian magnetosphere to its upper atmosphere. The Juno Microwave Radiometer instrument measures the thermal radiation emitted by Jupiter’s atmosphere at six different frequencies. It is sensitive to any changes in the microwave opacity of the Jovian atmosphere. The 600 MHz channel is sensitive to microwave opacity sources originating between 100–1000 bar deep into the atmosphere. Measurement of Jovian thermal emission and its angular dependence constrains the free electron density of the deep atmosphere. Free electrons produced by the thermal ionization of alkali vapors can be leveraged to constrain the abundance of sodium and potassium in the deep atmosphere. The MWR measurements within the main auroral oval show low brightness temperatures compared to the deep thermal emission. Electron precipitation-driven ionization is expected to cause an increase in ionospheric electron density that leads to the absorption of microwaves near 1 GHz in a highly collisional medium. The microwave data provides a complementary perspective to understand magnetosphere-ionosphere-atmosphere coupling in addition to the in-situ electron flux and ultraviolet auroral emissions observed by Juno.
Tue Mar 4, 2025 In Room 4.615	11:00 am	Ankit Barik	Johns Hopkins University	TBD
Tue Mar 25, 2025 In 4th Floor CR + Webex	11:00 am	Joe Masiero	Caltech/IPAC	TBD Asteroids
Tue Apr 1, 2025 In Room 4.615	11:00 am	Douglas Hemingway	University of Texas	TBD
Tue Apr 8, 2025 In Room 4.615	11:00 am	Alessandro Morbidelli	Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur	Formation and evolution of a protoplanetary disk: combining observations, simulations and cosmochemical constraints
Tue Apr 15, 2025 In Room 4.615	11:00 am	Krista Soderlund	University of Texas at Austin	TBD
Tue May 6, 2025 In Room 4.615	11:00 am	Mike Wong	University of California-Berkeley	TBD
Tue May 27, 2025 In Room 4.615	11:00 am	Rutu Parekh	Jet Propulsion Laboratory	TBD