LATMOS

Presentation of the laboratory

In short

The Atmospheric Space Observations Laboratory is a joint research unit specializing in the study of fundamental physicochemical processes governing terrestrial and planetary atmospheres and their interfaces with the surface, ocean, and interplanetary environment.
For this end, the Laboratory has developed a strong instrumental skill, built innovative instruments deployed from the ground and sometimes put into orbit or going to meet other bodies of the solar system. Numerical atmospheric models are also developed and used to interpret the various observations.

LATMOS is a joint research unit (UMR 8190)

of the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS)
of the University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)
of Sorbonne University (SU)
of the Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES)

It was created in January 2009, following the merger of the Aeronomy Service (SA) and part of the CETP (see history).

LATMOS is part of the Pierre Simon Laplace Institute ( IPSL ) bringing together 9 laboratories whose research themes concern the global environment, a field which extends from the surface to the Sun on Earth and the other planets of the solar system.

Finally, for observation activities, it is attached to the Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Observatory ( OVSQ ) and the Paris 6 Observatory ( Ecce-Terra ) and contributes to services to the community .

It is a laboratory based on 2 sites ( Guyancourt , Paris ) bringing together around 150 permanent staff (researchers, teacher-researchers, engineers, technicians and administrative staff) and more than 230 people in total.

The main research themes

physical and chemical processes in the Earth’s atmosphere (from the lower atmosphere to the stratosphere and mesosphere) and exchanges between the atmosphere and the Earth’s surface (ocean/continents);
the study of planets and small bodies of the solar system (atmospheres, surfaces, sub-surfaces);
the physics of the heliosphere, the exosphere of the planets, and the plasmas of the solar system.
l’étude des planètes et petits corps du système solaire (atmosphères, surfaces, sub-surfaces);
la physique de l’héliosphère, de l’exosphère des planètes, et des plasmas du système solaire.

The laboratory promotes its work through numerous publications in scientific journals in the field and maintains strong collaborations with other French laboratories in the field and various other partners such as foreign laboratories but also industrial partners.

The strong points of LATMOS

LATMOS is a laboratory with a strong instrumental component which develops:

a significant activity of design and production of innovative instruments implemented from ground stations , from planes or balloons or from satellites ; the main techniques which are the specialty of LATMOS relate to:
- optical instruments (optical spectrometers, lidars) for the study of the composition of terrestrial and planetary atmospheres (gases, aerosols), the characterization of the thermal structure and dynamics of the terrestrial upper atmosphere, the study of the properties of the sun ( diameter, irradiance),
- microwave instruments (radars, radiometers), for the study of precipitating weather systems, clouds, atmospheric dynamics and surface (ocean/continent) and subsurface characteristics (stratifications and composition of the deep layers of the planet Mars),
- gas chromatography, for the study of the chemical composition of the atmosphere and soil of terrestrial planets, time-of-flight mass spectrometry for measuring the molecular composition of neutral planetary atmospheres,
- chemical ionization mass spectrometry for the study of atmospheric pollutants
- measuring electric fields in the Earth’s atmosphere or planets;
recognized activity and expertise in the field of analysis of observations of the Earth, planets and the heliosphere from space (involvement in space missions such as ENVISAT/GOMOS, ENVISAT/SAR, METOP/IASI, TRMM, CLOUDSAT/CALIPSO, MEGHA-TROPIQUES, SMOS, CFOSAT, SOLSPEC, SPICAM, SPICAV, PICARD, SOHO, …);
an activity based on ground observation networks or systems (international measurement networks, in particular NDACC network for monitoring the atmospheric composition of the upper atmosphere, European GEOMON project);
active participation in international field campaigns (AMMA, SCOUT-O3, POLARCAT, etc.) through the implementation of ground and airborne instrumentation;
studies in a planetary atmosphere simulation chamber (PAMPRE).

In addition, skills and research in digital modeling and simulation are developed in support of this experimental research:

numerical modeling of the physics and chemistry of the atmosphere, used as an essential integrative tool for the analysis of observations, the study of observed processes, and the study of climate/chemical composition relationships of the atmosphere;
physical and digital modeling of interactions between electromagnetic waves and the natural environment;
statistical modeling of the natural environment;
numerical simulation of physical processes in plasmas of the solar system.