Current research includes:
Galileo data analysis and laboratory investigations of minor species (e. g., carbonates, sulfates, and hydroxides) on the surfaces of the Galilean satellites and their radiation chemistry and sputtering properties.
Cassini data analysis and related laboratory studies, determining the state of trapped CO2 on the icy Galilean and Saturnian satellites.
Venus Express analyses, using VIRTIS spectra and laboratory measurements to characterize Venus’s sulfuric acid clouds and identity the ultraviolet absorber.
Rosetta, Experimental radiolytic and photolytic studies of ices relevant to the outer solar system, and the interstellar medium; Radiative transfer of resonance lines in cometary comas.
Laboratory photolysis of gaseous ammonia + acetylene producing iminonitrile chromophores, enabling spectral comparisons to Jupiter’s Great Red Spot.
“Airburst” explosions of sun-impacting comets, extending my SL-9 shock and fireball calculations to solar impact conditions (with J. Brown, U. Glasgow).
Development of “Compositional Infrared Interferometric Spectrometer” (CIRIS) for planetary missions (PIDDP); Related analyses of radiation noise physics at Jupiter.
Development of ultraviolet spectrometer for planetary missions (JPL R&TD Program).