Thomas RONNET

My main research topic is the formation of the satellites around planets. I am particularly interested in the origin of the massive moons of Jupiter. I am also interested in the broader topic of planet formation inside and outside of the Solar System, the evolution of disks, the transport of dust, and the origin of comets. I generally use numerical simulations to investigate the processes that took place in the early Solar System and lead to the formation of moons around the planets.

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Understanding the formation of the satellites is important to help comprehend the data that will be collected in situ by the future ESA and NASA spacecrafts dedicated to the study of the jovian moons, NASA Mission to Europa and ESA JUpiter ICy moons Explorer (JUICE). It also allows to put constraints on the presence of moons around extrasolar planets and their potential habitability. This issues are crucial for the ongoing search of life outside of our Solar system as the icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn are so far the best candidates to find extraterrestrial life.