Related papers: Linking Uranus' temperature profile to wind-induce…
Uranus and Neptune exhibit fast surface zonal winds that can reach up to few hundred meters per second. Previous studies on zonal gravitational harmonics and Ohmic dissipation constraints suggest that the wind speeds diminish rapidly in…
Determining the depth of atmospheric winds in the outer planets of the Solar System is a key topic in planetary science. We provide constraints on these depths in Uranus and Neptune via the total induced Ohmic dissipation, due to the…
Uranus and Neptune share properties that are distinct from the other giant planets in the solar system, but they are also distinct from one another, particularly in their relative internal heat flux. Not only does Neptune emit about ten…
Uranus provides a unique laboratory to test our understanding of planetary atmospheres under extreme conditions. Multi-spectral observations from Voyager, ground-based observatories, and space telescopes have revealed a delicately banded…
The low luminosity of Uranus is a long-standing challenge in planetary science. Simple adiabatic models are inconsistent with the measured luminosity, which indicates that Uranus is non-adiabatic because it has thermal boundary layers…
The shapes of fluid planets bear the signatures of rotational flattening and atmospheric flows. Precise knowledge of their shapes and wind profiles may therefore reveal their interior rotation rates. We re-examine this idea for the ice…
Both Uranus and Neptune are thought to have strong zonal winds with velocities of several hundred meters per second. These wind velocities, however, assume solid-body rotation periods based on Voyager 2 measurements of periodic variations…
Close orbits by a Uranus Orbiter and Probe (UOP) could be used to deduce Uranus's multipolar gravity field to higher precision and angular degree than the J2 and J4 currently measured from ground-based ring occultations and the Voyager 2…
Uranus and Neptune have intrinsic magnetic fields generated via convection in a molten H2O layer, where the field strength is determined by its electrical conductivity (EC) along with convection size and velocity. Previous shock experiments…
Uranus and Neptune are still poorly understood. Their gravitational fields, rotation periods, atmosphere dynamics, and internal structures are not well determined. In this paper we present empirical structure models of Uranus and Neptune…
Uranus' bulk composition remains unknown. Although there are clear indications that Uranus' interior is not fully convective, and therefore has a non-adiabatic temperature profile, many interior models continue to assume an adiabatic…
The intrinsic luminosity of Uranus is a factor of 10 less than that of Neptune, an observation that standard giant planetary evolution models, which assume negligible viscosity, fail to capture. Here we show that more than half of the…
It has been a common assumption of interior models that the outer planets of our solar system are convective, and that the internal temperature distributions are therefore adiabatic. This assumption is also often applied to exoplanets.…
The interior composition and structure of Uranus are ambiguous. It is unclear whether Uranus is composed of fully differentiated layers dominated by an icy mantle or has smooth compositional gradients. The Uranus Orbiter and Probe (UOP),…
The absence of global magnetic fields is often cited to explain why Mars lacks a dense atmosphere. This line of thought is based on a prevailing theory that magnetic fields can shield the atmosphere from solar wind erosion. However, we…
The mechanism behind angular momentum transport in protoplanetary disks, and whether this transport is turbulent in nature, is a fundamental issue in planet formation studies. Recent ALMA observations have suggested that turbulent…
We present a new framework for constructing agnostic and yet physical models for planetary interiors and apply it to Uranus and Neptune. Unlike previous research that either impose rigid assumptions or rely on simplified empirical profiles,…
A Uranus orbiter would be well positioned to detect the planet's free oscillation modes, whose frequencies can resolve questions about Uranus's weakly constrained interior. We calculate the spectra that may manifest in resonances with ring…
The hydrogen ions in the superionic ice can move freely, playing the role of electrons in metals. Its electromagnetic behavior is the key to explaining the anomalous magnetic fields of Uranus and Neptune. Based on the ab initio evolutionary…
Since the Voyager fly-bys of Uranus and Neptune, improved gravity field data have been derived from long-term observations of the planets' satellite motions, and modified shape and solid-body rotation periods were suggested. A faster…