The National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Astronomical Sciences awarded a $399,362 Project Grant to the University of California-Santa Cruz (UCSC) to explore the physics of cloud formation and dynamics in the atmospheres of giant planets and brown dwarfs. The three-year research program will simulate cloudy atmospheric conditions on the four solar system giant planets as well as exoplanets and brown dwarfs, in order to improve understanding of temperature, chemical mixing, and patchiness across a range of hydrogen-dominated atmospheres from 100 K to 2000 K. The open-source atmospheric models developed through this work will support cross-disciplinary collaboration and enhance graduate and undergraduate coursework. The research aims to provide solutions to long-standing challenges in interpreting observational data on exoplanet and brown dwarf atmospheres, particularly with respect to the role of cloud formation and convection.
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