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Numerical modelling of water stability and dynamics on the Moon: a physical parameter study

Institute
Professur für Lunare und Planetare Explorationstechnologien (TUM-ED)
Type
Semester Thesis / Master's Thesis /
Content
theoretical /  
Description

Topic description:

The study of volatile elements on airless bodies provides key insights into the formation and evolution of the Solar System. The presence of water on the Moon was confirmed through a variety of remote sensing data, indicating the existence of a lunar water cycle driven by solar wind and impact bombardment, as well as migration and escape mechanisms [1]. We have implemented a solver that solves the equations of heat transfer, mass transfer, and sorption mechanics to study the Moon’s diurnal water cycle. With it, we can observe the thermal-pumping effect that drives water migration in lunar soil [2]. The project would involve using this solver to investigate the relationships between various uncertain physical parameters and the water adsorption profile, with the end goal of generating a regional map of adsorbed water on the Moon. A list of tasks that should be done through the thesis would be:

  • Thorough literature review of physical parameters, their value ranges, and confidence intervals.
  • Sensitivity analysis study of the solver to these physical parameters.
  • Implementation of physical tests to make sure that conservation of energy is preserved.
  • Processing of LOLA slope dataset.
  • Coupling solver results with regional parameters, to generate adsorption lunar maps.
  • Optional: Implementation of new modelling components of the solver, and the study of their impact.
  • Optional: solver implementation improvements (coupling with implicit libraries, implementing stretched grids…)

 

Bibliography:

[1] Reiss, P. (2024). Exploring the lunar water cycle. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(52), e2321065121.

[2] Schorghofer, N., & Aharonson, O. (2014). The lunar thermal ice pump. The Astrophysical Journal, 788(2), 169.

 

Requirements

Requirements:

  • Strong programming skills, ideally with experience in HPC and familiarity with the Julia programming language.
  • Basic knowledge of numerical programming and differential equations, or a strong interest in learning it.
  • Interest in space and planetary scientific research.
Possible start
sofort
Contact
Marc Amorós Trepat
Room: 9377.02.211
Phone: +49 (89) 289 - 55686
marc.amorostum.de
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