On the origin of the moons of Jupiter

Title

On the origin of the moons of Jupiter

 Author

Serman, Matteo (TU Delft Aerospace Engineering)

Contributor

Cazaux, Stephanie (mentor)

Degree granting institution

Delft University of Technology

 Programme

Aerospace Engineering

 Date

2019-01-18

 Abstract

The origin of the Galilean moons have puzzled the scientists for centuries. The most recent theories affirm that they formed within a circumplanetary disk (CPD), a disk of gas and dust very similar to the protoplanetary disk (PPD), from which the planets formed. However, there are still many uncertainties on this CPD, such as its size, mass, the contribution of the young Jupiter, the young Sun and many more. In this project, an innovative way of simulating this CPD has been undertaken. With the help of the software ProDiMo, thermo-chemical simulations of the disk have been carried out. Originally designed to simulate PPDs, for the first time it has been applied to the tinier CPD. The software has proven itself to work well even with CPDs. The results are coherent with the current theories and, with this new approach, more clarity has been added to the formation process of the Galilean moons. This helps us to understand the origin of our solar system and to refine the research methods for possible habitable exomoons outside of the solar system border.

 Subject

Galilean moons
Circumplanetary Disk
Ice
Snowline
ProDiMo

 To reference this document use:

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:84b70214-b345-4a55-b9cb-a42b0078193b

 Part of collection

Student theses

 Document type

master thesis

 Rights

© 2019 Matteo Serman
Files
PDF ThesisFinalVersion.pdf 6.43 MB
Close viewer