Research

The interactions between the ambient plasmas and the objects of the Solar System result in variable exchanges both in time and space of mass, momentum and energy within different types of magnetospheres. The characterization of the sources, the general circulation and the losses of the magnetospheric plasmas as well as the identification of the coupling processes between the different regions composed of plasmas of different properties and origins, in particular at their interface where the exchanges are at the origin of the dynamics of the magnetosphere, constitute the key objectives of magnetospheric physics. While the planetary magnetospheres involve similar physical principles and electromagnetic processes, each of them constitutes a unique plasma physics laboratory and their comparative study allows us to test our understanding of how the Solar System works in all its complexity.

My research aims to deepening our understanding of the large-scale structure and dynamics of some planetary magnetospheres through the theoretical modeling of plasma processes operating therein, the analysis of multi-instrument and multi-mission space data, the development of instruments measuring in situ the properties of magnetospheric plasmas, the proposal of missions to explore the magnetospheres of the Solar System, and the development of planetary plasma databases as well as multi-instrument and multi-technique analysis tools for the community, all of which provide a better understanding of the large-scale structure and dynamics of planetary magnetospheres. All of these approaches are essential to better understand the physical and phenomenological state of the natural environments of the Solar System.

The multidisciplinary exploration of the magnetospheres of Solar System objects allows me to acquire a fundamental understanding both of the phenomena operating in these unique plasma physics laboratories, and of the objects in planetary sciences.