Jeff Cuzzi

 Principal Scientific Interests:

Planetary rings: theoretical and observational studies of the properties of ring material, the nature of ring structure, and the physical processes responsible. Major topics addressed have included moonlet belt dynamics, the evolution of ring composition and structure due to bombardment by interplanetary meteoroids, and radially variable ring composition as constrained by spacecraft and groundbased observations at microwave, infrared, and visual wavelengths.

Formation of planetesimals: a variety of theoretical studies centering on particle-gas dynamics in turbulent and laminar protoplanetary disks are being pursued to explain long-puzzling meteorite properties such as chondrule size, size distribution, dust rims, the presence of refractory and metallic constituents, and the global evolution of solids and volatiles in the nebula.

Honors and Awards: Lawrence Sperry Award, AIAA (1982) Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal, NASA (1982, 1986, 1999) Sustained Superior Performance Award, NASA/Ames (1986) Ames Associate Fellow Award, Ames Research Center (1987) Special Achievement Award, Space Science Division (1989, 1994) Editor's Commendation for Excellent Referees (Icarus) (1991, 1993) Ames Honor Award for Excellence (Manager/Supervisor) (1995) H. Julian Allen Award for best Ames research paper (1997) NASA Group Achievement Award, Cassini IDS's (1998) NASA Group Achievement Award, Astrobiology Team (2000)

Selected publications

Ciesla, F. J. and J. N. Cuzzi (2006) The evolution of the water distribution in a viscous protoplanetary disk; Icarus, 181, 178-204

Cuzzi, J. N. and C. M. O'D. Alexander (2006) Size and density of chondrule formation regions from missing isotopic fractionation; 37th LPSC, League City, Texas, abstract 1256

Cuzzi, J. N. and C. M. O'D. Alexander (2006) Chondrule formation in particle-rich nebular regions at least several hundred kilometres across; Nature, 441, 483-485

Cuzzi, J. N. and S. J. Weidenschilling (2006) Particle-Gas Dynamics and Primary Accretion; a chapter in ``Meteorites and the Early Solar System, II; D. Lauretta, L. A. Leshin, and H. McSween, eds.; in press

Russell, S. S., L. A. Hartmann, J. N. Cuzzi, A. N. Krot, and S. J. Weidenschilling (2006) Timescales of the protoplanetary disk; a chapter in "Meteorites and the Early Solar System II"; D. Lauretta, L. A. Leshin, and H. McSween, eds.; in press

Weidenschilling, S. J. and J. N. Cuzzi (2006) Timescales of planetary accretion; a chapter in ``Meteorites and the Early Solar System, II; D. Lauretta, L. A. Leshin, and H. McSween, eds.; in press

Dominik, C. P., J. Blum, J. N. Cuzzi, and G. Wurm (2006) Growth of dust as initial step towards planet formation; in ``Protostars and Planets V", University of Arizona Press, B. Reipurth, S. Krot, and E. Scott, eds.; in press

Yurimoto, H., K. Kuramoto, A. N. Krot, E. R. D. Scott, J. N. Cuzzi, M. H. Thiemens, and J. R. Lyons (2006) Origin and evolution of oxygen isotopic composition of the solar system; in ``Protostars and Planets V", University of Arizona Press, B. Reipurth, S. Krot, and E. Scott, eds.; in press

Cuzzi, J. N.; Petaev, M. I.; Ciesla, F. J.; Krot, A. N.; Scott, E. R. D. (2005) Nebula Models of Non-Equilibrium Mineralogy: Wark-Lovering Rims; 36th LPSC, abstract no. 2095

McGhee, C. A., R. C. French, L. Dones, J. N. Cuzzi, H. Salo, and R. Danos (2005) HST observations of spokes in Saturn's B ring; Icarus, 173, 508-521

Krot, A. N., I. D. Hutcheon, H. Yurimoto, J. N. Cuzzi, K. D. McKeegan, E. R. D. Scott, G. Libourel, M. Chaussidon, J. Aleon, and M. I. Petaev (2005) Evolution of Oxygen isotopic composition in the inner solar nebula; ApJ, 622, 1333-1342

Marshall, J., T. A. Sauke, and J. N. Cuzzi (2005) Microgravity studies of aggregation in particulate clouds; GRL, 32, L11202

Cuzzi, J. N., M. Petaev, E. R. D. Scott, and F. Ciesla (2005) History of thermally processed solids in the protoplanetary disk: reconciling theoretical models and meteorite evidence; Conference on Chondrites and the Protoplanetary Disk, Kauai, Hawaii, November 2004; ASP Conference Series vol 341, 732-773

Contact information for Jeff Cuzzi:

Email: Jeffrey.N.Cuzzi@nasa.gov

Telephone: +1 650-604-6343

Fax: +1 650-604-6779

Post: Mail Stop 245-3,

NASA Ames Research Center,

Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000

U.S.A.

Science | People | Education | Organization | Recent Papers

Astrophysics (SSA) | Planetary Systems (SST) | Exobiology (SSX) | Recent Highlights

NASA Home | Ames Research Center | Code S Directorate | NASA Astrobiology Institute | SETI Institute