Among the many conditions that make a planet able to sustain life as we know it, the presence of a thick enough atmosphere and of liquid water seems necessary. The evolution and stability of planetary atmospheres depend on the interactions at their interface with the surface of the planet and with space.
It is a vast and complex issue requiring a precise knowledge of the many processes associated to the atmospheric sources and sinks and of the environment in the past solar system.
Source and sink processes cover many scientific domains, like
- the interaction of the atmosphere with the solid part of planets,
- the physico-chemical cycles of atmospheric constituents or
- the exchange of material between the atmosphere and space.
Among those processes, atmospheric escape into space may have significantly impacted planetary atmospheres as it is universal in our solar system throughout its history.
Aim of the IPA project:
Constraining the impact of planetary magnetization on atmospheric escape into space for past solar and planetary conditions.
Indeed, the widely spread paradigm: "The presence of a large scale magnetic field protects planetary atmospheres" is challenged by in-situ measurements made around:
- Venus by Venus Express,
- Earth by Cluster and
- Mars by Mars Express and MAVEN.
Contact:
For questions or collaborations do not hesitate to contact us:
- Maria Luisa Alonso Tagle
luisa (dot) alonsotagle (AT) aeronomie (dot) be - Romain Maggiolo
romain (dot) maggiolo (AT) aeronomie (dot) be
