معرفی
Professor Jonathan Fortney is a faculty member in the Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz, where he also serves as Department Chair as of July 1, 2023. He directs the Other Worlds Laboratory, which seeks to build and foster new collaborations in studying planets.
Dr. Fortney's research interests span multiple areas of planetary science:
- Exoplanet Atmospheres - studying exotic atmospheres of alien worlds with extreme temperatures featuring rock dust clouds and supersonic winds
- Exoplanet Structure and Evolution - comparing exoplanets to solar system planets and understanding transformation processes like sub-Neptune to super-Earth evolution
- Solar System's Giant Planets - interpreting Cassini and Juno mission data to understand interior processes like helium rain
- Brown Dwarfs and Faint Stars - researching how these objects inform exoplanetary atmospheric chemistry
His theoretical modeling work connects exoplanet studies with solar system research, leveraging data from NASA missions including Kepler (5000 exoplanet discoveries) and Cassini. He has developed sophisticated models of giant exoplanet atmospheres and contributed to understanding planetary formation patterns observed in both solar system and exoplanetary systems.
Dr. Fortney has received notable recognition for his work:
- Simons Investigator in Astrophysics award (2021)
- 2020 Farinella Prize from the Europlanet Society for contributions to giant planet science
As director of the Other Worlds Laboratory, Dr. Fortney leads research that provides foundational understanding for characterizing giant planets. His work includes crafting science cases for potential future missions to Uranus and Neptune, and he has demonstrated that heavy element enrichment patterns in solar system giants are also observed in exoplanets.
