Scientists and space agencies are on the quest of imaging the interior structure and unveiling the interior composition of asteroids and other small solar system bodies (SSSBs). Because asteroids, for instance, are either partly primitive bodies that were not aggregated into planets when the solar system was formed or are part of disintegrated planets, the organic matter and water contained in them can give a clue about the evolution of life on Earth.
M.Sc. (Tech) Yusuf Oluwatoki Yusuf’s dissertation focuses on advancing the goal of asteroid analogue tomography (imaging the interior of asteroid analogues) via numerical techniques such as full-wave inversion. This technique combines computationally intensive forward simulation with advanced inversion algorithm using high-performance computers (HPCs) equipped with high-end GPU (graphics processing unit) resources.
Yusuf’s dissertation also proposed filtering approaches suitable for improving quasi-monostatic laboratory measurement of 3D printed asteroid analogues. The improved measurements were used to structurally reconstruct the analogues to reveal distinguishing interior composition.
Numerical models and laboratory measurements for imaging asteroid analogues are proof-of-concept for real asteroid radar tomography investigations
One significant objective of Yusuf’s research was to utilise a realistic signal frequency in relation to future space mission investigations. This realistic frequency was incorporated into the radar imaging model to obtain reconstruction results which were compared to results from earlier proposed signal frequency in the research community.
The performance of the imaging techniques when different noise levels are incorporated into the reconstruction process, and the effect of wavelength-induced (WI) uncertainties on the reconstruction due to the signal frequency were also investigated in the dissertation.
“Obtaining the interior structure of SSSBs is quite challenging and needs to be solved via rigorous mathematical techniques. My dissertation supports ongoing investigation in obtaining the interior structure and material distribution of asteroid Dimorphos. The Juventas Radar (JuRa) onboard the Juventas CubeSat will probe asteroid Dimorphos in 2027 as part of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) HERA mission,” says Yusuf Oluwatoki.
Public defence on Friday, 29 November 2024
The doctoral dissertation of M.Sc. (Tech) Yusuf Oluwatoki Yusuf in the field of Applied Mathematics titled Pathways to Robust Tomographic Full-Wave Radar Imaging of Small Solar System Bodies’ Interior will be publicly examined at the Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences of Tampere University at 3:00 PM on Friday, 29th November 2024. The venue will be at the auditorium TB109 of Tietotalo building, Hervanta campus, Tampere University. The Opponents will be Professor Erik Asphaug from the University of Arizona, USA and Professor Valérie Ciarlétti from Université Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France. The Custos will be Professor Sampsa Pursiainen from the Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences, Tampere University.
The doctoral dissertation is available online.
The public defence can be followed via remote connection on Zoom.