PH20104: Planets and exoplanets
[Page last updated: 05 August 2021]
| Academic Year: | 2021/2 |
| Owning Department/School: | Department of Physics |
| Credits: | 6 [equivalent to 12 CATS credits] |
| Notional Study Hours: | 120 |
| Level: | Intermediate (FHEQ level 5) |
| Period: |
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| Assessment Summary: | EX 100% |
| Assessment Detail: |
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| Supplementary Assessment: |
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| Requisites: | Before taking this module you must take PH10004 AND take PH10007 AND ( take PH10005 OR take PH10053 ) |
| Description: | Aims: The aim of this unit is to review our current picture of planets and exoplanets, discuss the physics behind the discoveries and behind planetary processes, describe the link between laboratory experiments, computer models and in situ or remote observations, and provide a quantitative approach to planetary physics, both in our solar system and beyond. Learning Outcomes: After taking this unit the student should be able to: * describe current knowledge of the constituents of our own Solar System; * describe the latest advances in our knowledge of exoplanetary physics; * explain the tools of current and future planetary exploration, quantifying their advantages, limits and accuracies; * explain the physical processes determining a planetary environment, from the magnetosphere to the core; * quantify the variations of planetary parameters and explain their significance. Skills: Numeracy T/F A, Problem Solving T/F A. Content: Taking Stock (3 hours): Current knowledge of the Solar System. Review of planetary bodies, from interior planets to gas giants, from the Kuiper Belt to the Oort Cloud. Large asteroids and comets. Planetary Exploration (4 hours): The tools of planetary exploration and their underlying physics (satellites, landers, instruments). Examples of recent planetary missions: Venus missions and Cassini-Huygens. Remote Sensing (6 hours): Electromagnetism, from radio-sounding to radar mapping. Optical spectroscopy. Neutron mapping (Mars/Moon/Earth). Seismics/acoustics (helioseismology, moonquakes). From the magnetosphere to the core (6 hours): Magnetospheres and solar wind interactions. Atmospheres. Surface processes (volcanism, tectonics, erosion). Impact cratering. Planetary interiors (tidal forces/convection processes). Exoplanets (3 hours): Overview of current status and main results so far. Detection techniques. Analogies and differences with the Solar System. The search for water. Habitable zones and the physics of exobiology. |
| Programme availability: |
PH20104 is Compulsory on the following programmes:Department of Physics
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