Ph.D. in Astronomy and Space Science, B.S. in Astrophysics
Solar System Dynamics
“Science is organized common sense where many a beautiful theory was killed by an ugly fact.” Thomas Henry Huxley
This proposal focuses on the dynamics of satellites orbiting three outer solar system objects: Saturn, Pluto and the triple trans-Neptunian object (TNO) 1999 TC_36. The proposed work is divided into two main themes, one dealing with the dynamical evolution of the Saturnian satellite system, and the other concentrating on the dynamics of gravitationally bound fragments in TNO collisions.
This proposal aims to study the orbital evolution of three interesting groups of small bodies in the Inner Solar System: meteoroids originating in the Hungaria region, small binary asteroids, and Mars Trojans.
This proposal focuses on the dynamics of satellites orbiting three outer Solar System objects: Jupiter, Saturn and the dwarf planet Haumea. The proposed work is divided into three main themes, each dealing with one of the above systems. In each case we use dynamical models to uncover the past of the system.