Planetary Science

A. Petculescu

Andi Petculescu is developing models to predict the properties of wave motion in terrestrial atmospheres (Mars, Venus, and Titan). Recent missions such as Cassini-Huygens, Mars Phoenix, and Venus Express have shown the growing interest in detecting and analyzing signatures of wave motion in planetary atmospheres. The different projects combine data analysis, theoretical and computational modeling to predict the characteristics of acoustic and gravity wave propagation in terrestrial atmospheres. A comparative analysis of the atmospheric acoustics of Earth, Mars, Venus, and Titan can be found here. These studies are important in planetary science because they guide instrumentation development and data analysis. For example, Andi simulated the generation and propagation of thunder on Titan. The results, published here, show the optimum frequency bands in which future detectors should look. He is using theoretical models to predict the turbulence spectrum inside porous domes to be used as easily deployable windnoise filters for infrasound sensing on Mars. The most recent project involves a predictive framework for the absorption and dispersion of infrasound in Venus's main cloud layers.