Solar System planetary environments – in view of upcoming spacecraft explorations II

This prolongation proposal seeks funding for the continuation and growth of Lorenz Roth’s (LR) research and career as planetary space scientist at the KTH Space and Plasma Physics group.

The first period (2022-2024) of this grant was sucessful and productive with a total of 19 publications (on different subjects), several lead roles in different teams and contexts, and a promotion at KTH. Plans for the coming three years in research and career development after presented here.

Three research projects (A, B, and C) from the first three years of this career grant will be continued in the coming three years.Projects A and B are a continuation of LR’s successful work on the Galilean moons of Jupiter. Project B is expanded to studies of Jupiter moon Callisto and Saturn moons Enceladus, and possibly Mimas.

New observations by both the Hubble (HST) and James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) on the various targets (Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto, Enceladus) have recently or will soon be obtained to be used in the coming years. In-situ data from the Juno spacecraft will be used to study Io´s mass loss. Project C continues the research on the upper atmospheres of the ice giant planets.

New JWST infrared observations of Uranus will be obtained in 2025 and new observing strageties with HST were developed for this project and programs have been proposed. In addition, in project D studies of exoplanetary systems and cold stars will be pursued. A small study will seek for detection of auroral-like emissions (similar to Jupiter) at nearby binaries and cold stars.

A larger project on atmospheric escape at exoplanets was proposed in a team and is pending approval.The continuation and expansion of LR’s research will allow the long-term establishment of a working group at KTH with focus on the applicant’s research on planetary environments.

The next 3-4-years will be very important for the optimized preparation the large ESA and NASA missions to the icy moons of Jupiter: NASAs Europa Clipper will start its science phase after arrival in 2030, ESAs Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer (JUICE) will follow one year later. Applicant LR is involved in both mission through different instruments and as active member of science working groups.

The continued work in the next years (2025-2028) on the Jupiter moons in projects A and B will be key for two aspects: (A) to educate a generation of young scientists with expertise on the planetary space physics and in particular the Jupiter system; and (B) to secure a leading role for myself also for the science phases of the two large missions in the period thereafter (2030-2035).The work on Uranus will be a fundament in preparing and developing ideas for a first dedicated mission to this planet.

A Uranus probe was ranked highest for the next flagship mission in the most recent NASA planetary decadal survey.