Dietrich, Wieland
Research Coordinator
Main Focus
I am a theoretical physicist with 15+ years of experience in
planetary science and exoplanet research, focusing on the dynamics of
terrestrial and giant planets. My work covers the generation of
planetary magnetic fields through dynamo processes, as well as the
small- and large-scale flows that arise in the liquid cores of
terrestrial planets and in the atmospheres of ice and gas giants.
A
particular focus of my research is the relationship between satellite
observations and the underlying interior processes that produce
observable phenomena such as zonal flows and magnetic fields. More
recently, my research has expanded to exoplanets, especially the
atmospheric dynamics of hot Jupiters—a fascinating class of strongly
irradiated giant planets orbiting close to their host stars.
Curriculum Vitae
Education and Employment:
Since 2022: research coordinator at the MPS
2020-2023: scientist at the MPS
2016-2019: postdoctoral researcher at the MPS
2013-2016: postdoctoral research fellow at the School of Applied Mathematics, University of Leeds, UK
2012-2013: wrap up Postdoc at the MPS
2009-2012: PhD in physics, Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS)
Selected Publications:
Dietrich W.,
Wicht J. (2025) Flow Regimes in Hot Jupiter Atmospheres: Insights from
Anelastic Models. The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 995, Issue 1, id.84,
18 pp.
doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ae168c
Dietrich W.,
Kumar S., Poser A. J., French M., Nettelmann N., Redmer R., Wicht J.
(2022) Magnetic induction processes in hot Jupiters, application to
KELT-9b. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 517,
Issue 3, pp.3113-3125.
doi:10.1093/mnras/stac2849
Dietrich W., Jones C.A. (2018) Anelastic spherical dynamos with radially variable electrical conductivity. Icarus, Volume 305, p. 15-32.
doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2018.01.003
Dietrich W., Wicht J. (2018) Penetrative Convection in Partly Stratified Rapidly Rotating Spherical Shells. Frontiers in Earth Science.
doi:10.3389/feart.2018.00189
Dietrich W.,
Wicht J. (2013) A hemispherical dynamo model: Implications for the
Martian Crustal Magnetization. Physics of the Earth and Planetary
Interiors, Volume 217, p. 10-21.
doi10.1016/j.pepi.2013.01.001