KECK INSTITUTE FOR SPACE STUDIES

       

Workshop: Determining the Interior Structure of Uranus - A Case Study for Leveraging Cross-Discipline Science to Answer Tough Questions

September 11 - 15, 2023
California Institute of Technology - Pasadena, CA 91125

Workshop Overview:

This Study Program will bring together theorists, observers, experimentalists, and mission architects to draft an innovative yet practical plan for determining the interior structure of Uranus. This Study will lead to a fully integrated approach, crossing scientific and engineering disciplines, to overcome the traditional limitations of determining a giant planet's interior structure.

Understanding the internal structure and composition of planets in our solar system is critical for understanding their origin and evolution. This knowledge is also important for characterizing exoplanets for which we may only know their mass and radius. As a result, determining these properties of Uranus is a high-priority objective for the Uranus Flagship mission recommended by the recently released Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey. Unfortunately, the internal structure of planets cannot be measured directly. Instead, it is inferred from various measurements, typically gravity, magnetic field, and, at Saturn, ring seismology. Bulk composition also comes from the gravity data and measurements of the atmosphere. For both composition and internal structure, however, the indirect nature of the measurements and theoretical uncertainties prevent convergence on a unique solution.

To address our goal of determining the interior structure of Uranus, we will produce an integrated plan that outlines a series of calculations together with observations that, if implemented, will be able to discriminate among competing models for Uranus's interior structure. That plan will likely include:

  • Recommended laboratory measurements of Equations of State and of the optical, thermal, and physical properties of key species and compounds.
  • Identification of important dynamical, chemical, and condensation processes not accounted for in current atmospheric models.
  • Identification of discriminators of Uranus formation models that might be found on other bodies (e.g., the composition of outer solar system small bodies).
  • Identification of what measurements of the Uranus system to make, and how to make them, in order to discriminate among competing interior models.

The workshop's final product will be a mutually-supporting list of experiments, models, and observations that will best determine Uranus's interior structure and bulk composition.


Monday, September 11, 2023
Sharp Lecture Hall - Arms Building (Building #25) - Caltech

Short Course: What Do We Know About Uranus's Interior? Preparation for a Mission to Uranus

Introductory Lectures - Open to all interested students, researchers and faculty

Time
Event
Speaker
8:15 - 8:45 Coffee and Refreshments
8:45 - 9:00 Logistics / Course Introduction

Janet Seid

Mark Hofstadter

9:00 - 9:45 Giant Planet Formation: Reservoirs and Processes
Jonathan Lunine
9:45 - 10:30 Uranus's Evolution and Current Structure
Ravit Helled
10:30 - 11:00 Break
11:00 - 11:45 Measurements to Constrain Uranus's Interior Structure Krista Soderlund
11:45 - 12:30 Uranus Flagship Mission Constraints Marzia Parisi
12:30 - 1:30 Short Course Ends: Informal Lunch is provided outside short course location

Invitation-Only Workshop Begins

Keck Canter - Think Tank, Room 155

1:30 - 1:45 Walk to Keck Center, pick up badge and welcome packet, find seat in the Think Tank
1:45 - 2:30 Workshop Logistics and Introduction to KISS

Michele Judd

Janet Seid

2:30 - 3:00 Participant Introductions Janet Seid
3:00 - 3:30 Study vision and goals for this workshop

Ravit Helled

Mark Hofstadter

Dave Stevenson

3:30 - 4:00 Break
4:00 - 5:15 Finalize study vision and goals for this workshop Team Leads
5:15 - 5:30 Solicitation of Lightning Talks Team Leads
5:30 - 6:00 Pack up and walk to the Athenaeum All
6:00 Dinner at the Athenaeum

Tuesday, September 12, 2023
Keck Center - Think Tank, Room 155

Time
Event
Speaker
8:00 - 8:30 Institute Opens - FREE THINK TIME
8:30 - 9:00 Coffee and Refreshments at Keck Center
9:00 - 9:15 Logistics and Team Lead Goals for the Day

Janet Seid

Ravit Helled

9:15 - 10:00 A review and brainstorming session: What measurements can we make to infer Uranus' s interior structure? Krista Soderlund
10:00 - 10:30 Lightning Talks (2) TBD by participants
10:30 - 11:00 Break
11:00 - 11:15

Overview of KISS Breakout Group Format

Selection of Breakout Groups: Measurement to infer interior structure

Janet Seid

All

11:15 - 12:30 Breakout Groups Meet Groups
12:30 - 2:00 Group Picture and Lunch at the Athenaeum
2:00 - 2:45 Report outs from breakout groups (15 mins each) Groups
2:45 - 3:15 Lightning Talks (2) TBD by participants
3:15 - 3:30 Selection of Breakout Groups: What knowledge gaps can we fill to be able to interpret the measurements we make? All
3:30 - 4:00 Break
4:00 - 5:30 Breakout Groups Meet Groups
5:30 - 7:30 POSTERish SESSION and Informal food truck dinner at the Keck Center
(dinner starts at 6:30 pm)

Wednesday, September 13, 2023
Keck Center - Think Tank, Room 155

Time
Event
Speaker
8:00 - 8:30 Institute Opens - FREE THINK TvIME
8:30 - 9:00 Coffee and Refreshments at Keck Center
9:00 - 9:15 Logistics and Team Lead Goals for the Day

Janet Seid

Dave Stevenson

9:15 - 9:45 Report Outs from Breakout Groups (10 mins each) Groups
9:45 - 10:30 Plenary Discussion, how do we optimize the science return from the measurements we can make? All
10:30 - 11:00 Break
11:00 - 11:45 Group pulse on how the workshop is proceeding and what still needs to happen All
11:45 - 12:30 Plenary Discussion, Selection of Breakout Groups: Are there additional knowledge gaps/measurements that need to be addressed? All
12:30 - 2:00  Lunch at the Athenaeum
2:00 - 3:30 Breakout Groups Meet Groups
3:30 - 4:00 Break
4:00 - 4:45 Report outs from breakout groups (15 mins each) Groups
4:45 - 5:30 Lightning talks (3) or Plenary Discussion on Participant Wants and Needs All
5:30 Workshop Day #3 Ends All
5:30 Dinner on your own

Thursday, September 14, 2023
Keck Center - Think Tank, Room 155

Time
Event
Speaker
8:00 - 8:30 Institute Opens - FREE THINK TIME
8:30 - 9:00 Coffee and Refreshments at Keck Center
9:00 - 9:15 Logistics and Team Lead Goals for the Day

Janet Seid

Mark Hofstadter

9:15 - 10:00 Putting it all together: Prepare outline of final report All
10:00 - 10:30 Lightning talks (2) or Selection of Breakout Groups TBD by participants
10:30 - 11:00 Break
11:00 - 12:30 Breakout Groups Meet or Plenary Discussion All
12:30 - 2:00  Lunch on your own
2:00 - 2:30  FREE THINK TIME (individual, or self organizing small groups) All
2:30 - 3:15 Report outs from breakout groups (15 mins each) Groups
3:15 - 3:30 Plenary Discussion All
3:30 - 4:00 Break
4:00 - 4:45 Plenary Discussion of Workshop Vision & Goals Part 1 All
4:45 - 5:30 Plenary Discussion of Workhop Vision & Goals Part 2 or Writing Session All
5:30 Workshop Day #4 Ends All
6:00 Dinner at the Athenaeum 

Friday, September 15, 2023
Keck Center - Think Tank, Room 155

Time
Event
Speaker
8:00 - 8:30 Institute Opens - FREE THINK TIME
8:30 - 9:00 Coffee and Refreshments at Keck Center
9:00 - 9:15 Logistics and Team Lead Goals for the Day

Janet Seid

Team Leads

9:15 - 10:30 Plenary Discussion: Path Forward All
10:30 - 11:00 Break
11:00 - 12:15

Path Forward (continued) - action items assigned, etc.

Discussion of report imagery, team collaboration plan, advocacy, papers, conferences, etc.
All
12:15 - 12:30 Workshop Closeout

Janet Seid

Ravit Helled

Mark Hofstadter

Dave Stevenson

12:30 Formal Workshop Concludes
12:30 Informal Lunch in the Keck Center Courtyard
1:30 - 5:00 INFORMAL WORKSHOP SMALL GROUP COLLABORATION AND WRITING TIME
5:00 Institute Closes

Workshop Participants:

  • Mandy Bethkenhagen - Institute of Science and Technology Austria 
  • Hao Cao – University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
  • JJ Dong – Caltech
  • Maryame El Moutamid – Cornell University
  • Anton Ermakov - University of California, Berkeley
  • Jim Fuller – Caltech 
  • Tristan Guillot - Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur
  • Ravit Helled – University of Zürich 
  • Mark Hofstadter – JPL
  • Benjamin Idini – University of California, Santa Cruz 
  • Andre Izidoro – Rice University 
  • Yohai Kaspi - Weizmann Institute 
  • Tanja Kovacevic – University of California, Berkeley 
  • Valéry Lainey – Paris Observatory
  • Steve Levin – JPL 
  • Jonathan Lunine – Cornell University
  • Christopher Mankovich – JPL 
  • Stephen Markham - Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur
  • Marius Millot - Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
  • Olivier Mousis - Aix-Marseille University  
  • Simon Müller - University of Zurich
  • Nadine Nettelmann - University of Zürich
  • Francis Nimmo – University of California, Santa Cruz
  • Marzia Parisi – JPL
  • Krista Soderland - University of Texas at Austin
  • Dave Stevenson – Caltech 
  • Lars Stixrude - University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
  • Nick Teanby – University of Bristol
  • Allona Vazan - The Open University of Israel