Gas Planet Seismology and Cooling

Citation

Markham, Stephen Robert (2022) Gas Planet Seismology and Cooling. Dissertation (Ph.D.), California Institute of Technology. doi:10.7907/zb52-0517. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechTHESIS:09242021-014822132

Abstract

In this thesis I advocate for the enhancement of interdisciplinary expertise between atmospheric and interiors sciences. I illustrate the intimate connection between atmosphere and interior with four projects involving two major topics: giant planet seismology, and convective inhibition by condensation. First I advance a heuristic to evaluate generic localized excitation sources for giant planet seismicity, concluding observed oscillations on Jupiter may be caused by highly energetic rock storms lurking deep beneath the visible clouds. Next I develop a method to use existing spacecraft data to probe for seismic activity on giant planets, applying the method to Cassini data. This method finds possible evidence of p-modes on Saturn, excited to staggering amplitudes warping the surface of Saturn with kilometer scale displacements. Next I explore the impact of convective inhibition on Uranus and Neptune, finding that condensation of methane and water produces non-negligible corrections to these planets' thermal histories. Finally I explore a similar mechanism operating in the limit where condensing species are highly abundant. I find that considering convective inhibition, super-Earths can retain their primordial heat for longer than the age of the universe.

Thesis Files