Spinlab | Simulated Planetary Interiors Lab

Librationally-Driven Fluid Systems

Significant scientific resources are presently being devoted to the study of planetary bodies that undergo librational motions. Yet no comprehensive studies to date have investigated how libration, the oscillatory motion of a planet around its rotation axis, affects interior planetary fluid dynamics. To begin looking at the effects of libration, Jerome Noir is carrying out experimental and numerical simulations (in...

Dynamics of Gas Planets

In collaboration with Moritz Heimpel (University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada), Lorraine Allen (US Coast Guard Academy) and Johannes Wicht (Max Plank Institute for Solar System Research, Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany), SPINLab members Krista Soderlund, Eric King and Prof. Aurnou have been carrying out numerical studies of zonal wind generation on the giant planets.

The Lab

The UCLA SPINLab is a 900 square foot experimental fluid dynamics facility. SPINLab facilities, equipment and technical capabilities include: Custom heavy-duty rotary table capable of stable rotation over the range 0.3 Ð 100 rpm Walker LDJ 35 cm bore solenoidal electromagnet with 10-1300 gauss field, uniform to +/-0.5% field over 20 cm diameter by 25 cm volume MetFlow UVP-Duo MX ultrasonic Doppler velocimetry...

Outreach Films

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Effects of Fluid Properties on Core Turbulence

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Core Dynamics and Dynamo Physics

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Convection Experiments

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