EART 290Q – PHYSICS OF THE OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM

Spring 2009 Class Notes

 

Email Prof. Nimmo (fnimmo@es.ucsc.edu) if you have problems accessing the files below

  

Timing/Location: Tu/Thurs from 2:00 to 3:45 in E&MS D250

 

Course Goals: To provide a quantitative, graduate-level investigation of the physical processes controlling the origin, evolution and state of bodies in the outer solar system, especially icy satellites.

  

Texts:  Various, but Turcotte and Schubert Geodynamics and Murray and Dermott Solar System Dynamics are the two essentials.

 

          (Approximate) Course Outline

 

          Week 1 (31 March): Conductive heat transfer.  Notes

 

            Week 2 (7 April): Convection and Navier-Stokes. Notes

 

          Week 3 (14 April): Rheology and viscoelasticity. Notes

                   No lecture 16 April

 

          Week 4 (21 April): Flexure and relaxation. Notes.

 

          Week 5 (28 April): No lectures this week

 

          Week 6 (5 May): Tides and Orbits (1). Notes. Powerpoint slides.

 

          Week 7 (12 May): Tides and Orbits (2). Notes.

 

          Week 8 (19 May): No lectures this week.

 

          Week 9 (26 May): Shape, gravity, internal structure. Notes.

 

          Week 10 (2 June): Impacts. Notes.