Pluto/Charon Atmospheres Workshop

November 29-30, 2012

Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Bldg 200 Auditorium

This workshop will focus on summarizing and clarifying our current knowledge of the atmospheres of  Pluto and Charon. Goals of the workshop will be to identify areas where observations are needed to improve models, and to identify areas where model development is needed in order to interpret the data expected from the New Horizons 2015 encounter observations.

 

Day 1

08:30-08:35    Welcome & Logistics  – Hal Weaver
08:35-09:20    Introduction & Overview of New Horizons’ Plans – Alan Stern

Session 1         Observational Reviews
09:20-09:50    Spectroscopy Results – Jason Cook
09:50-10:20    Occultation Results – Cathy Olkin

10:20-10:35    Break

Session 2         Lower Atmosphere Structure & Dynamics
10:35-11:05    Surface Albedo Variations Over Time– Marc Buie
11:05-11:35    Volatile Transport – Leslie Young

11:35-12:05    On Pluto's Seasonal Changes: Vapor Pressure, Ices, and Equilibrium – Larry Trafton

12:05-13:05    Pizza Lunch

Session 3         Lower Atmosphere Structure & Dynamics (cont’d)
13:05-13:35    Aerosols & Clouds – Eliot Young
13:35-14:05    Pluto GCM – Angela Zalucha
14:05-14:35    Pluto GCM including the CH4 Cycle – Francois Forget

14:35-14:50    Break

Session 4         Upper Atmosphere Structure & Chemistry
14:50-15:20    Vertical Structure & Energetics –Xun Zhu
15:20-15:50    Photochemistry– Vladimir Krasnopolsky
15:50-16:20    Ionosphere– Tom Cravens (given remotely)
16:20-16:50    Airglow– Mike Stevens / Randy Gladstone
16:50-17:20    Solar Wind Interaction – Fran Bagenal
18:00              Group Dinner (at Ranazul, which is nearby; prix-fixe menu available for group)
Day 2

Contributed Oral Talks
08:30-08:45    Pluto’s Light Curve Over Time – Bonnie Buratti
08:45-09:00    Occultation Light Curve Asymmetries – Amanda Zangari
 
Session 5         Atmospheric Escape
09:00-09:30    Atmospheric Escape Overview – Darrell Strobel 
09:30-10:00    Preliminary Results from Kinetic Simulations – O. J. Tucker, J. T. Erwin, R. E. Johnson

10:00-10:15    Break

Session 6         Near Space Environment
10:15-10:45    Energetic Particles – Matt Hill / Ralph McNutt
10:45-11:15    Pluto/Charon Binary Atmosphere – O. J. Tucker, J. T. Erwin, R. E. Johnson

Session 7         Discussion & Wrap-Up
11:15-11:45    What Do We Need To Know? – John Spencer
11:45-12:15    Summary & Future Plans – Alan Stern