Thesis defence by Loïc Trompet (Physics)

Title: "First analysis of the spectra obtained from the NOMAD instrument on-board ESA’s Trace Gas Orbiter"

Since April 2018, the Nadir and Occultation for Mars Discovery (NOMAD) instrument onboard the ESA’s Trace Gas Orbiter is continuously recording measurements of the atmosphere of Mars with the goal of confirming the presence of methane, a possible proxy for life. While no methane was found, many other constituents were determined from Mars atmospheric spectra. In this framework, Loïc Trumpet’s thesis (supervisor Muriel Lepère) focuses on the determination of vertical profile of carbon dioxide, the main component of Mars’ atmosphere, and the temperature of the atmosphere.
During this public defence, Loïc will present the NOMAD instrument, the technique used to remote sense the atmosphere of our neighbouring planet Mars and his results on the seasonal, spatial variation of CO₂ on Mars as well as the temperature of its atmosphere.