My research focuses on terrestrial planets and moons. I am particularly interested in polar ice caps and their interactions with planetary atmospheres. For example, the polar deposits of Mars record striking climate changes driven by seasonal cycles, orbital variations, and long-term atmospheric loss. Volatiles also appear in seemingly unlikely places (Mercury, Moon, and the Asteroid Belt) and in dramatic fashion, they reveal ongoing activity on moons of the outer Solar System (Europa, Enceladus, and Titan). To study these planetary bodies, I develop physical models and use observations from ground-based and spacecraft-based instruments. I am also an active member of several NASA planetary missions.
Selected Recent Publications:
Hayne, P.O., Bandfield, J.L., Siegler, M.A., Vasavada, A.R., Ghent, R.R., Williams, J.P., Greenhagen, B.T., Aharonson, O., Elder, C.M., Lucey, P.G. and Paige, D.A., 2017. Global regolith thermophysical properties of the Moon from the Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. DOI: 10.1002/2017JE005387
Hayne, P.O. and Aharonson, O., 2015. Thermal stability of ice on Ceres with rough topography. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 120(9), pp.1567-1584.
Hayne, P.O., Paige, D.A. and Heavens, N.G., 2014. The role of snowfall in forming the seasonal ice caps of Mars: Models and constraints from the Mars Climate Sounder. Icarus, 231, pp.122-130.