Michelle F. Thomsen is space physicist known for her research on the
magnetospheres of Earth,
Jupiter, and
Saturn.
Education and career
Thomsen received an undergraduate degree from
Colorado College in 1971.[1] She then earned an M.S. (1974)[2] and a Ph.D. (1977) in physics from the
University of Iowa.[3] Her doctoral advisor,
James Van Allen, recruited her right from her entrance exam to work on the data from
Pioneer 10 and
Pioneer 11 on the radiation belts of Jupiter and Saturn.[4][5] From 1977 until 1980 she remained at the University of Iowa as a postdoctoral scientist, and then left for the Max-Planck-Institut fur Aeronomie in Lindau, West Germany. In 1981 she joined
Los Alamos National Laboratory.[2] As of 2019, she is a guest scientist at Los Alamos and a senior scientist at the
Planetary Science Institute.[5]
Research
Thomsen's early research was on the magnetospheres of Jupiter[6][7][8][9] and Saturn.[10][11] Her research on Earth's
bow shock used the
ISEE-1 and
ISEE-2 satellites to track the behavior of high energy particles from the magnetosphere.[12][13] She has also studied the cavities upstream of Earth's bow shock,[14] the comet
21P/Giacobini–Zinner,[15][16] and the physics of collisionless shocks.[17][18] As a co-investigator of the co-investigator of Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (CAPS) program,[19] she used the
Cassini–Huygens mission to research Saturn and its moons.[20][21]
Selected publications
Young, D. T.; Berthelier, J. J.; Blanc, M.; Burch, J. L.; Coates, A. J.; Goldstein, R.; Grande, M.; Hill, T. W.; Johnson, R. E.; Kelha, V.; Mccomas, D. J.; Sittler, E. C.; Svenes, K. R.; Szegö, K.; Tanskanen, P.; Ahola, K.; Anderson, D.; Bakshi, S.; Baragiola, R. A.; Barraclough, B. L.; Black, R. K.; Bolton, S.; Booker, T.; Bowman, R.; Casey, P.; Crary, F. J.; Delapp, D.; Dirks, G.; Eaker, N.; Funsten, H.; Furman, J. D.; Gosling, J. T.; Hannula, H.; Holmlund, C.; Huomo, H.; Illiano, J. M.; Jensen, P.; Johnson, M. A.; Linder, D. R.; Luntama, T.; Maurice, S.; Mccabe, K. P.; Mursula, K.; Narheim, B. T.; Nordholt, J. E.; Preece, A.; Rudzki, J.; Ruitberg, A.; Smith, K.; Szalai, S.; Thomsen, M. F.; Viherkanto, K.; Vilppola, J.; Vollmer, T.; Wahl, T. E.; Wüest, M.; Ylikorpi, T.; Zinsmeyer, C. (September 2004). "Cassini Plasma Spectrometer Investigation". Space Science Reviews. 114 (1–4): 1–112.
Bibcode:
2004SSRv..114....1Y.
doi:
10.1007/s11214-004-1406-4.
S2CID125352558.
Feldman, W. C.; Anderson, R. C.; Bame, S. J.; Gary, S. P.; Gosling, J. T.; McComas, D. J.; Thomsen, M. F.; Paschmann, G.; Hoppe, M. M. (1983). "Electron velocity distributions near the Earth's bow shock". Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics. 88 (A1): 96–110.
Bibcode:
1983JGR....88...96F.
doi:
10.1029/JA088iA01p00096.
Thomsen, M. F.; Reisenfeld, D. B.; Delapp, D. M.; Tokar, R. L.; Young, D. T.; Crary, F. J.; Sittler, E. C.; McGraw, M. A.; Williams, J. D. (2010). "Survey of ion plasma parameters in Saturn's magnetosphere". Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics. 115 (A10): n/a.
Bibcode:
2010JGRA..11510220T.
doi:
10.1029/2010JA015267.
^Energy, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC, for the U. S. Department of.
"Fellows Biographies". www.lanl.gov. Retrieved 2021-09-08.{{
cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link)
Michelle F. Thomsen is space physicist known for her research on the
magnetospheres of Earth,
Jupiter, and
Saturn.
Education and career
Thomsen received an undergraduate degree from
Colorado College in 1971.[1] She then earned an M.S. (1974)[2] and a Ph.D. (1977) in physics from the
University of Iowa.[3] Her doctoral advisor,
James Van Allen, recruited her right from her entrance exam to work on the data from
Pioneer 10 and
Pioneer 11 on the radiation belts of Jupiter and Saturn.[4][5] From 1977 until 1980 she remained at the University of Iowa as a postdoctoral scientist, and then left for the Max-Planck-Institut fur Aeronomie in Lindau, West Germany. In 1981 she joined
Los Alamos National Laboratory.[2] As of 2019, she is a guest scientist at Los Alamos and a senior scientist at the
Planetary Science Institute.[5]
Research
Thomsen's early research was on the magnetospheres of Jupiter[6][7][8][9] and Saturn.[10][11] Her research on Earth's
bow shock used the
ISEE-1 and
ISEE-2 satellites to track the behavior of high energy particles from the magnetosphere.[12][13] She has also studied the cavities upstream of Earth's bow shock,[14] the comet
21P/Giacobini–Zinner,[15][16] and the physics of collisionless shocks.[17][18] As a co-investigator of the co-investigator of Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (CAPS) program,[19] she used the
Cassini–Huygens mission to research Saturn and its moons.[20][21]
Selected publications
Young, D. T.; Berthelier, J. J.; Blanc, M.; Burch, J. L.; Coates, A. J.; Goldstein, R.; Grande, M.; Hill, T. W.; Johnson, R. E.; Kelha, V.; Mccomas, D. J.; Sittler, E. C.; Svenes, K. R.; Szegö, K.; Tanskanen, P.; Ahola, K.; Anderson, D.; Bakshi, S.; Baragiola, R. A.; Barraclough, B. L.; Black, R. K.; Bolton, S.; Booker, T.; Bowman, R.; Casey, P.; Crary, F. J.; Delapp, D.; Dirks, G.; Eaker, N.; Funsten, H.; Furman, J. D.; Gosling, J. T.; Hannula, H.; Holmlund, C.; Huomo, H.; Illiano, J. M.; Jensen, P.; Johnson, M. A.; Linder, D. R.; Luntama, T.; Maurice, S.; Mccabe, K. P.; Mursula, K.; Narheim, B. T.; Nordholt, J. E.; Preece, A.; Rudzki, J.; Ruitberg, A.; Smith, K.; Szalai, S.; Thomsen, M. F.; Viherkanto, K.; Vilppola, J.; Vollmer, T.; Wahl, T. E.; Wüest, M.; Ylikorpi, T.; Zinsmeyer, C. (September 2004). "Cassini Plasma Spectrometer Investigation". Space Science Reviews. 114 (1–4): 1–112.
Bibcode:
2004SSRv..114....1Y.
doi:
10.1007/s11214-004-1406-4.
S2CID125352558.
Feldman, W. C.; Anderson, R. C.; Bame, S. J.; Gary, S. P.; Gosling, J. T.; McComas, D. J.; Thomsen, M. F.; Paschmann, G.; Hoppe, M. M. (1983). "Electron velocity distributions near the Earth's bow shock". Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics. 88 (A1): 96–110.
Bibcode:
1983JGR....88...96F.
doi:
10.1029/JA088iA01p00096.
Thomsen, M. F.; Reisenfeld, D. B.; Delapp, D. M.; Tokar, R. L.; Young, D. T.; Crary, F. J.; Sittler, E. C.; McGraw, M. A.; Williams, J. D. (2010). "Survey of ion plasma parameters in Saturn's magnetosphere". Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics. 115 (A10): n/a.
Bibcode:
2010JGRA..11510220T.
doi:
10.1029/2010JA015267.
^Energy, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC, for the U. S. Department of.
"Fellows Biographies". www.lanl.gov. Retrieved 2021-09-08.{{
cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link)