Peter Jahl
By Peter Jahl
Geological Sciences graduate student
This summer, I ended up adding new sections to my exoplanetary models in order to represent more realistic components of a planet’s interior.
I added a layer of a mineral called “post-perovskite,” which is a high-pressure phase of perovskite found near the core-mantle boundary, and created custom Earth-like temperature profiles for planets with a wide range of core sizes.
Additionally, I created an all-new model for an interior composed of Si-rich minerals Coesite and Stishovite. This new model is used to model planets that have a composition with more Si than Mg.
Vernal Falls from the John Muir Trail
Outside of research, I went on two road trips over three weeks that covered eight western states, 16 national parks, and more than 8,000 miles.
It was quite an experience revisiting so many locations with my newfound knowledge in geology.
Death Valley’s Titus Canyon
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