Michael E. (Mike) Brown
Richard and Barbara Rosenberg Professor of Planetary Astronomy; Terence D. Barr Leadership Chair, Center for Comparative Planetary Evolution; Director, Caltech Center for Comparative Planetary Evolution
A.B., Princeton University, 1987; M.A., University of California, 1990; Ph.D., 1994. Visiting Associate, Caltech, 1995; Assistant Professor, 1997-2002; Associate Professor, 2002-04; Professor, 2005-2008; Rosenberg Professor, 2008-; Barr Leadership Chair, 2021-, Director, 2020-.
Research Options
Planetary Science;
Research Areas
Planetary Astronomy;
Publications
Please see Mike Brown's publication page:
Ge 108. Applications of Physics to the Earth Sciences.
9 units (3-0-6); first term, 2023-24.
Prerequisites: Ph 2 and Ma 2 or equivalent.
An intermediate course in the application of the basic principles of classical physics to the earth sciences. Topics will be selected from: mechanics of rotating bodies, the two-body problem, tidal theory, oscillations and normal modes, diffusion and heat transfer, wave propagation, electro- and magneto-statics, Maxwell's equations, and elements of statistical and fluid mechanics.
Instructor: Brown
Instructor: Brown
Ge 194. Special Topics in Planetary Sciences.
Units to be arranged; offered by announcement only, 2023-24.
Advanced-level discussions of problems of current interest in planetary sciences. Students may enroll for any or all terms of this course without regard to sequence.
Instructor: Brown
Instructor: Brown
FS/Ge 20. First-Year Seminar: Life in the Universe.
6 units (2-0-4); first term, 2023-24.
For now, Earth remains the only place in the universe where life is known to exist, but recent advances in planetary exploration and astronomical observation could change that in the near future. We will explore the conditions that led to life on Earth and will investigate the history of our own biosphere. We will look at the current techniques used to understand where conditions might be amenable for life to have arisen elsewhere, and we will discuss the prospects for detection of such life in the future at places including Mars, Europa, Titan, and planets around other stars. This course will bring in ideas and techniques from biology, geology, planetary science, and astronomy to allow us to address -- and perhaps some day answer -- the millennia-old question of whether or not we are alone in the universe. First-year (undergraduates) only; limited enrollment.
Instructor: Brown
Instructor: Brown
Ge 108. Applications of Physics to the Earth Sciences.
9 units (3-0-6); first term, 2022-23.
Prerequisites: Ph 2 and Ma 2 or equivalent.
An intermediate course in the application of the basic principles of classical physics to the earth sciences. Topics will be selected from: mechanics of rotating bodies, the two-body problem, tidal theory, oscillations and normal modes, diffusion and heat transfer, wave propagation, electro- and magneto-statics, Maxwell's equations, and elements of statistical and fluid mechanics.
Instructor: Brown
Instructor: Brown
Ge 194. Special Topics in Planetary Sciences.
Units to be arranged; offered by announcement only, 2022-23.
Advanced-level discussions of problems of current interest in planetary sciences. Students may enroll for any or all terms of this course without regard to sequence.
Instructor: Brown
Instructor: Brown
Ge 108. Applications of Physics to the Earth Sciences.
9 units (3-0-6); first term, 2021-22.
Prerequisites: Ph 2 and Ma 2 or equivalent.
An intermediate course in the application of the basic principles of classical physics to the earth sciences. Topics will be selected from: mechanics of rotating bodies, the two-body problem, tidal theory, oscillations and normal modes, diffusion and heat transfer, wave propagation, electro- and magneto-statics, Maxwell's equations, and elements of statistical and fluid mechanics.
Instructor: Brown
Instructor: Brown
Ge 194. Special Topics in Planetary Sciences: Europa Seminar.
Units to be arranged; first term, 2021-22.
Advanced-level discussions of problems of current interest in planetary sciences. Students may enroll for any or all terms of this course without regard to sequence.
Instructor: Brown
Instructor: Brown