Title of the HDR
Interaction of the solar wind with Mercury and Uranus.
Composition of the jury
- Mathieu Barthelemy, Professor at the University of Grenoble Alpes (IPAG), Rapporteur
- Aurélie Marchaudon, Senior Research Fellow at the CNRS (IRAP), Rapporteur
- Petr Hellinger, Senior Researcher at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics in Prague, Rapporteur
- Laurence Rezeau, Professor Emerita at Sorbonne University, Chair of the jury
- Dimitra Koutroumpa (CNRS, LATMOS), Examinatrice
- Eric Buchlin (CNRS, IAS), Examinateur
Abstract
Léa Griton’s (LIRA) research focuses on the role of space plasmas in star-planet interactions, with expertise in magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) modelling of the interaction between the solar wind and the magnetospheres of Mercury and Uranus, having co-developed the AMRVAC-PLANET code with Filippo Pantellini (LIRA). She has expanded her expertise to include kinetic numerical simulations, contributing to the development of the Winterfell centre-guide code to study energetic particles, whilst co-supervising Ahmed Houeibib’s PhD thesis (to be defended in 2025). She has also developed instrumental expertise, notably through the operation of the SORBET receiver (BepiColombo) and the analysis of FIELDS data (Parker Solar Probe), co-supervising with Karine Issautier (LIRA) the PhD thesis of Baptiste Verkampt (defence scheduled for 2027). Since 2022, she has been responsible for LIRA’s contribution to the Plasma Observatory mission (in the M7 competition at ESA).
Her work has yielded three major results : the analysis of the properties of the slow solar wind using the Parker Solar Probe ; the study of the boundaries of Mercury’s magnetosphere using BepiColombo and magnetohydrodynamic simulations ; and the preparation for the Uranus Orbiter & Probe mission through simulations of rotating magnetospheres. She is currently supervising Inès Mertz’s PhD thesis (defence scheduled for 2028, co-supervised with Filippo Pantellini) on the magnetospheric dynamics of Mercury, in collaboration with national and international experts.
