Jovian Interiors Velocimetry Experiment
in New Mexico

The Jovian Interiors Velocimetry Experiment in New Mexico (JIVE in NM), a NASA-funded project, will determine the interior structure and composition of Jupiter using seismology. A sensitive imaging spectrometer will be built by close collaborators in Nice, France that can measure the confirmed oscillations of these planets to a precision high enough to enable detailed studies of the planetary interiors. Since the gas-giant planets played such a critical role in the formation of the Solar System, and since so little about their core and compositional properties is constrained by observation, the seismic discoveries we will make with JIVE will finally allow us to discriminate between competing theories of planetary formation. Furthermore, precise measurements of the atmospheric winds will uncover new details into the physical processes that drive the zonal jets, and provide the data necessary to carry out monitoring of Jovian climatology to understand its complex dynamics.

JIVE in NM strongly aligns with several current and planned space missions carried out in the Planetary Division of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, such as Juno and Cassini. It will establish and foster important partnerships between New Mexico State University and the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. It will strengthen ties to another major statewide facility, Los Alamos National Laboratory, through its interior modeling component. It expands the collaboration to scientists with critical expertise located at three NASA centers: Ames, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Goddard Space Flight Center. Finally, it leverages the team's connections to a group of scientists and engineers in Nice, France who paved the way for this groundbreaking research by designing the initial instruments that demonstrated that Jupiter pulsates, and whose latest design we will adapt for JIVE.

This is a project of collaboration among undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, and professional scientists and engineers geared towards ultimately solving fundamental questions in planetary science. See the project overview for more details.