Flagship Research Projects

INPOP et la recherche de la planete P9To explain the unusual distribution of Kuiper Belt objects, several authors have advocated the existence of a super-Earth planet in the outer solar system.

It has recently been proposed that a 10 M⊕ object with an orbit of 700 AU semi major axis and 0.6 eccentricity can explain the observed distribution of Kuiper Belt objects around Sedna. Here A. Fienga, J. Laskar and their teams use the INPOP planetary ephemerides model as a sensor for testing for an additional body in the solar system.

We test the possibility of adding the proposed planet without increasing the residuals of the planetary ephemerides, fitted over the whole INPOP planetary data sample. We demonstrate that the presence of such an object is not compatible with the most sensitive data set, the Cassini radio ranging data, if its true anomaly is in the intervals [−130°:−100°] or [−65°:85°]. Moreover, we find that the addition of this object can reduce the Cassini residuals, with a most probable position given by a true anomaly v=117.8°(+11°/-10°).

TRANSLATION IN PROGRESS

The REMAKE project, funded by the French National Research Agency, aims at developing a pilot prototype of earthquake forecast model in Ecuador and Northern Peru, a region frequently affected by devastating earthquakes, such as the Pedernales earthquake of 16 April 2016. The novelty of the model is that it will integrate all existing and forthcoming knowledge on faults, including their seismic potential quantitatively assessed from geodetic, seismological, and geological approaches. The primary deliverable will address the issues of anticipation of potential future extreme events, in terms of location, size, and frequency, which will be translated into the probability of exceeding the specified ground-motion level.

SISMED lowThe southwestern segment of the Hellenic subduction zone has generated a M>8 tsunamigenic earthquake in the past (365 AD), the largest event ever reported in Europe, but fundamental questions remain about the deep geometry and characteristics of the interplate fault and connected splay faults in the overriding plate that might be rooted in the megathrust. In the Fall 2015, we chartered the R/V Marcus Langseth equipped with unmatched seismic facilities in the European academic fleet by means of a strong mobilization of the French and American involved laboratories (Géoazur, LDEO, ISTEP, ENS-Paris, EOST, LDO, Pau Univ.) and their research agencies (CNRS, NSF, OCA, and UCA).