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Imamura-Aoki Lab
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A lab that uses spacecraft observations and theory to uncover how the atmospheres of Venus and Mars work.
AboutAbout the lab
Planetary atmospheres and the environments they create, studied through exploration and theory
The Imamura-Aoki Lab studies the atmospheres of planets such as Venus and Mars, and the environments those atmospheres create.
The lab's two faculty members play central roles in missions in Japan and abroad, including Japan's Venus orbiter Akatsuki, Japan's MMX (Martian Moons eXploration) mission to Mars, and Europe's Mars orbiter TGO (Trace Gas Orbiter).
In addition to analyzing data from spacecraft and telescopes, the lab reproduces changes in planetary atmospheres through numerical simulations based on the theory of physics.
Professor Imamura and Lecturer Aoki carry out research together and also supervise students jointly.
Key terms
- Radio occultation
- An observation method that determines the temperature, density, and other properties of a celestial body's atmosphere from the changes in radio waves from a spacecraft as they pass through it
- Solar occultation observation
- An observation that measures sunlight passing through a planet's atmosphere as the Sun sets behind (or rises from behind) the planet, in order to determine the atmospheric composition at each altitude
- Isotope ratio
- The proportions of atoms of the same element that have different masses (isotopes). It provides clues to matters such as the history of atmospheric escape into space
NewsLab news
A research group including Professor Imamura used numerical simulations to clarify how discontinuity lines form in Venus's clouds
A doctoral student's paper on the transport of dust and clouds by atmospheric waves on Mars has been published
Professor Imamura has received the Meteorological Society of Japan Award for fiscal year 2026
A doctoral student's paper on mountain waves and thermal tides in the Venusian atmosphere has been published
A paper based on a graduate's master's research on planetary-scale waves in Venus's atmosphere has been published
ResearchResearch themes
The lab studies the behavior of planetary atmospheres and the planetary environments they create, using both exploration and theory. Focusing mainly on Venus and Mars, it analyzes observational data from spacecraft and large telescopes and carries out numerical simulations.
*Illustrative imageAtmospheric Flow and Clouds on Venus
Using data from Japan's Venus orbiter Akatsuki, the lab investigates how Venus's atmosphere develops flows as fast as 400 km/h and how its sulfuric acid clouds form. Students analyze the data and keep finding new phenomena one after another.
*Illustrative imageProbing Atmospheres with Radio Occultation
The lab studies atmospheres by examining how radio waves sent from a spacecraft to antennas on the ground pass through the atmosphere of a celestial body along the way. By capturing waves and turbulence in the atmospheres of planets and the Sun, it aims to understand the flow of planetary atmospheres and how the solar wind is generated.
*Illustrative imageMars's Atmospheric Composition by Altitude
The lab analyzes solar occultation data from the infrared spectrometer on Europe's Mars orbiter ExoMars TGO, investigating how Mars's atmospheric constituents are distributed by altitude, as well as isotope ratios and trace constituents. It has also shown that dust storms carry water vapor to high altitudes.
*Illustrative imageObserving Mars and Venus with Large Telescopes
Using large telescopes such as the IRTF in Hawaii, the lab observes the global distribution of atmospheric composition and isotope ratios on Mars. On Venus, it measures the isotope ratio of water vapor near the surface, aiming to understand the effects of volcanic gases and of atmospheric chemistry.
MembersFaculty
- ProfessorTakeshi ImamuraPublications ↗
- LecturerShohei AokiPublications ↗
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Venus - December 23 2016” Kevin M. Gill / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Atmospheric Flow and Clouds on Venus: “Venus - August 24 2016” Kevin M. Gill / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Probing Atmospheres with Radio Occultation: “Usuda Deep Space Center ( )” Kohei Fujii / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Mars's Atmospheric Composition by Altitude: “THEMIS Views Mars’ Arsia Mons Volcano (PIA26557)” NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU / Public domain (cropped)
- Observing Mars and Venus with Large Telescopes: “NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (MaunaKea Summit Dome)” NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/ P. Horálek / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
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