Joe Caggiano
PhD Candidate | Earth Sciences
University of Oregon
Hi, I'm Joe! Welcome to my website! I am a PhD Candidate in the Earth Sciences department at the University of Oregon. My research is primarily focused in space physics and planetary science. I seek to understand the magnetospheric dynamics of planets with complex magnetic fields such as those of our Solar System's Ice Giants (Uranus and Neptune) and Earth during geomagnetic reversals. My secondary research is focused on applying deep neural networks to identify minerals on planetary surfaces from orbit using infrared spectroscopy data.
Research Interests
Quadrupole Magnetospheres
Earth's magnetic field protects the planet from high-energy particles from the Sun. Little is known about what happens to Earth’s magnetic field during a geomagnetic pole reversal, yet pole reversals occur regularly on geological timescales. Previous studies suggested that during pole reversals, Earth's magnetic field becomes more complex, taking on the appearance of magnetic quadrupoles, and the overall magnetic field strength decreases. The presence of strong quadrupole fields are also evident in other planets in our Solar system. I seek to understand the magnetospheric dynamics of planets with complex magnetic fields such as those of our Solar System's Ice Giants (Uranus and Neptune) and Earth during geomagnetic reversals.
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Machine Learning & Infrared Spectroscopy
Significant scientific interest exists for unveiling the surface composition of Mars. Typically this composition is found using infrared spectroscopy from orbit. Current manual methods for performing infrared spectroscopy are very tedious and time consuming, and automated methods rely on detection of limited factors and are incomplete. My secondary research is focused on applying deep neural networks to identify minerals on planetary surfaces from orbit using infrared spectroscopy data.
Select Publications
Caggiano, J., C. S. Paty, S. Simon, and L. Liuzzo (2022) A multi-fluid MHD investigation of the magnetic quadrupole influence on the inner magnetosphere of Uranus (Poster). AGU Fall Meeting. Chicago, IL. SM45E-2277. December 15th, 2022
Caggiano, J. and C. S. Paty (2022) Analysis of E × B drifts in Earth’s magnetosphere during geomagnetic reversals: potential consequences for plasmasphere behavior and stability. JGR: Space Physics. 127. 2. Doi: 10.1029/2021JA029414
Caggiano, J. A., and C. S. Paty (2021), A Multi-fluid Magnetohydrodynamic Investigation of Earths Magnetosphere During Geomagnetic Pole Reversals (Oral), AGU Fall Meeting, New Orleans, LA. GP44A-06. December 15th, 2020.
Caggiano, J. A., A. M. Sessa, J. J. Wray, C. S. Paty (2020), Identification of Martian surface minerals in CRISM imagery using a deep neural network (Poster), 51st Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Abstract #1637. Online.