Sharpening GRACE: where on the ice sheet is the mass going?

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The GRACE and GRACE-FO satellites weigh the ice sheets from space every month. But they see the world through blurry glasses: the gravity field is only resolved down to a few hundred kilometres, so mass change on the ice sheet smears into the ocean and onto neighbouring land. Can we use physics to sharpen the picture?

Can charged particles measure gravity?

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Gravity is extraordinarily weak compared to electromagnetic forces. Could it nevertheless be measured using charged particles moving in electric and magnetic fields?

In this computational physics project, we will simulate the trajectories of different ion species and investigate whether gravitational acceleration can be distinguished from electromagnetic disturbances. The project will involve numerical integration of particle trajectories, statistical analysis, and studies of experimental limitations and systematic errors.

A central question is whether comparing ions with different masses can help separate the effects of gravity from those of stray electric and magnetic fields. Depending on the student’s interests, the project may range from a numerical feasibility study to the design of a hypothetical experimental setup.

Gravimetry on Aslak Grinsted

Sharpening GRACE: where on the ice sheet is the mass going?

Can charged particles measure gravity?