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Isamu Matsuyama

Miller Research Fellow

Department of Earth & Planetary Science

University of California Berkeley

307 McCone Hall

Berkeley, CA 94720-4767

isa at berkeley.edu

CV:

My research interests range widely. I developed several new theoretical treatments for the analysis of rotational   dynamics, gravity, shape, and tectonic patterns on planets. I used these formalisms to analyze the rotational stability and propose explanations for the stress patterns and gravity field of planets and moons in the solar system. The formalisms are general enough to form the foundation of any future study of similar processes on any terrestrial planet or moon.

I am also interested in planet formation. A crucial time scale issue in planet formation is the timing required for the loss of the parent disk material. The outcome for a particular planetary system might be very different if the parent disk is dispersed faster or slower than in our solar system. However, relatively little attention has been paid to the processes responsible for dispersing protoplanetary disks. I developed new models for the dispersal of protoplanetary disks.