iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Xinting Yu @joneskuma.bsky.social · 17/04/2025

So, is K2-18 b alive? Need someone to check the data reduction on DMS... 3 sigma detection??? www.eurekalert.org/news-release...

100

Xinting Yu @joneskuma.bsky.social · 24/01/2025

Instrument integration finally taking shaping after working hard on the feedthrough for the past two years 🥹

030

Xinting Yu @joneskuma.bsky.social · 08/12/2024

First grad student paper accepted with great review 🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂

0171

Xinting Yu @joneskuma.bsky.social · 05/01/2024

I have been fascinated by the magic island phenomena since grad school and saw the whole evolution of people trying to explain it - so it is really exciting for me to contribute to the problem a bit myself! Check out our paper here: doi.org/10.1029/2023...

031

Xinting Yu @joneskuma.bsky.social · 05/01/2024

9/9 The other nice thing is that the small particles that sink quickly, as a result of constant atmospheric infalls, may be efficient wave dampeners to explain why Titan’s lakes are so ghostly smooth - a study that our group is working on with new laboratory data. So stay tuned!

100

Xinting Yu @joneskuma.bsky.social · 05/01/2024

8/9 But what could produce such large, buoyant chunks? Our eyes turn to processes like runoff from nearby lands or the transient cryovolcanic activities similar to Earth's pumice rafts. #Geology #Volcanology

110

Xinting Yu @joneskuma.bsky.social · 05/01/2024

7/9 Our findings? Small particles sink almost instantly, but larger ones with enough internal voids can float longer, trapping gases and extending their floatation time. This aligns with how long we've observed the magic islands to last. #PlanetaryGeology #TitanResearch

100

Xinting Yu @joneskuma.bsky.social · 05/01/2024

6/9 Porosity is like buoyancy's secret weapon; it helps solids to float. The surface tension effects can also help specific materials like hydrogen cyanide to float. However, getting the floating duration right is tricky. #MaterialsScience

100

Xinting Yu @joneskuma.bsky.social · 05/01/2024

5/9 To be a candidate floating raft, materials must: 1) float and 2) the right flotation duration — not too short or long, mirroring the observed lifespan of the magic islands. We found many materials that could float, but their flotation duration was key to fit the observations.

100

Xinting Yu @joneskuma.bsky.social · 05/01/2024

4/9 To evaluate the candidate material for the magic islands, we need extensive data on everything that falls onto Titan's surface. It took us 3 years to compile all the data we needed into a Titan Material Property Database titanmaterials.sites.ucsc.edu 🧪🔬#OpenScience #ResearchData

100

Xinting Yu @joneskuma.bsky.social · 05/01/2024

3/9 Titan is a treasure trove of planetary materials, constantly raining down a cocktail of organics on the hydrocarbon lakes and seas, from simple ones like benzene and hydrogen cyanide to complex organics that make Titan’s thick layers. #Astrochemistry #PlanetaryMaterials

100

Xinting Yu @joneskuma.bsky.social · 05/01/2024

2/9 Many theories suggest these might be "phantom islands" — merely roughened surfaces indicating waves or bubbles. But our study explores the possibility of them being actual floating chunks of... something - floating on liquid methane and ethane? #ScienceThread #Astronomy

100

Xinting Yu @joneskuma.bsky.social · 05/01/2024

1/9 Imagine a serene Titan lake, waveless, with islands nearby. Suddenly, an "island" appears and vanishes. Known as magic islands, these transient bright patches spotted by Cassini Radar have left us wondering... are they real or mere illusions? 🛰️🏝️ #Cassini #PlanetaryScience

110

Xinting Yu @joneskuma.bsky.social · 05/01/2024

🚀 Our new 2024 paper on #Titan's "magic islands" is out with an AGU press release! We've delved into this enigmatic phenomenon and Titan's ghostly smooth lakes. What's behind these mysteries? Check out our findings!! news.agu.org/press-releas... A thread:

150

Xinting Yu @joneskuma.bsky.social · 20/12/2023

First instrument installed and ready to take measurements before the break 🥹

030

Xinting Yu @joneskuma.bsky.social · 18/12/2023

Instruments delivered during AGU week 😉

000

Xinting Yu @joneskuma.bsky.social · 06/12/2023

Fun way we came up with to measure solubility 🤣

000

Xinting Yu @joneskuma.bsky.social · 02/12/2023

Get to see the case that housed the Cassini INMS instrument at SwRI sitting at Ed’s office 🥹

010

Xinting Yu @joneskuma.bsky.social · 01/12/2023

Thread to be released once paper on arxiv 😁

010

Xinting Yu @joneskuma.bsky.social · 01/12/2023

Titan magic island paper accepted 🥳🥳🥳

120

Xinting Yu @joneskuma.bsky.social · 09/11/2023

Joining the squad of 3D printing planetary bodies 😘

030

Xinting Yu @joneskuma.bsky.social · 26/10/2023

And submitted a second one, binge writing in the last 18 hrs 😉 done 7-min before the deadline

020

Xinting Yu @joneskuma.bsky.social · 25/10/2023

First PI observation proposal submitted 😉

050

Reposted by Xinting Yu

Erin M. May, PhD @astronomay.bsky.social · 18/10/2023

New recommended reading just dropped for planning JWST observations of small planets! 🪐🔭 Major thanks to @distantworlds.space for shepherding this across the finish line while I'm on leave! Long story short: G395H may not be the ideal mode and random noise is a problem 😵‍💫 arxiv.org/abs/2310.10711

Screenshot of the title and author list for our new paper: "Double Trouble: Two transits of the super earth GJ 1132 b observed with JWST NIRSpec G395H"

0267