This award will support collaborative research between Dr. David Loper Florida State University and Professor H. K. Moffatt, Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge, England. During a one year research visit at Cambridge, Dr. Loper will study the structure and dynamics of the Earth's interior, including the structure of core motions driven by compositional buoyancy, dynamo action of fluid motions and fundamental studies of partially solidified systems. The past decade has seen significant advances in our understanding of the structure and dynamics of the Earth's deep interior, brought about by the application of physical principles and mathematical analysis. Dr. Loper has carried out previous work on the nature of the dynamo energy supply and the structure of the D" layer at the base of the mantle. During the proposed visit, these topics will be extended in several directions. In particular, he will investigate specific motion fields in the Earth's outer core which may sustain the geodynamo. Dr. Moffat and his colleagues at Cambridge have significant expertise in this area of research. Dr. Loper is an applied mathematician, who has become an expert theoretical geophysicist through his research on dynamical and thermodynamical properties of the core and mantle of the Earth.
