EART 290Q – PHYSICS OF THE OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM

Spring 2020 Class Notes

Email Prof. Nimmo (fnimmo@ucsc.edu) if you have questions

Timing/Location: Mon/Fri from 1:30 to 3:10 in E&MS D258 except as noted below.

 

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.

 

 Course Outline

 

Week 1 (Tu 21 Jan A340 11:40; Fri 24 Jan 1:30)

Heat transfer  (notes)   Problem Set #1  Solutions

 

Week 2 (Mo 27 Jan 1:30; Fri 31 Jan 1:30)

Convection  (notes)  Problem Set #2 Solutions

 

Week 3 (Mo 3 Feb 1:30; Fri 7 Feb 1:30)

Rheology  (notes) Problem Set #3 Solutions

 

Week 4 (Mo 10 Feb 1:30; Fri TBD)

Tides  (notes)

 

Week 5 (Tu 18 Feb 11:30; Fri 21 Feb 1:30)

Tides & orbits  (notes) Problem Set #4 Solutions

 

Week 6 (Mo 24 Feb 1:30; Fri 28 Feb 1:30)

Cassini states and librations (notes)

 

Week 7 (Mo 2 Mar 1:30; Fri 6 Feb 1:30)

Shape & gravity (notes) Problem Set #5 Solutions

 

Week 8 (Mo 9 Mar 1:30; Tu 10 Mar 11:30)

Reorientation / true polar wander (notes) KISS presentation on tides