My research focuses on the analysis of laser ranging data and radio tracking data to decipher the interior structure of planetary bodies.
During my PhD, I improved the dynamical modeling of the Moon within the French planetary and lunar ephemeris - INPOP and performed fits of this model to nearly 5 decades of lunar laser ranging (LLR) data using constraints from the NASA GRAIL gravity field data. This model (ephemeris) is now among the few most accurate models describing the lunar positional and rotational states, giving access to the knowledge of the dynamic interior structure of the Moon. My contributions include new constraints for the geometry of the lunar core-mantle boundary and the use of LLR data for performing fundamental tests of the principle of equivalence at the scale of the Earth-Moon system.
Ph.D. 2017, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Observatoire de Paris - France, "Improving the dynamical model of the Moon using lunar laser ranging (LLR) and spacecraft data", Supervisors: Prof. Agnès Fienga and Prof. Jacques Laskar
M.S. 2013, Space Systems Engineering, Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace, Toulouse - France, "Emulation of a geostationary channel using software-defined radio platform", Supervisor: Prof. Laurent Franck
B.Tech. 2011, Electronics and Communication Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Trichy - India
Reviewer for ApJL, A&A, ASR, ESS, JGeod, Universe
Panelist for NASA ROSES
Independent Measurement of Saturn's Dissipation using Cassini Astrometric Data
; PIStudy of the interior structure of the Moon using lunar laser ranging data
; 1.0 FTEImproving the dynamical model of the Moon using lunar laser ranging (LLR) and spacecraft data
; 3.0 FTEMazarico, E., X. Sun, J.-M. Torre, et al. C. Courde, J. Chabé, M. Aimar, H. Mariey, N. Maurice, M. K. Barker, D. Mao, D. R. Cremons, S. Bouquillon, T. Carlucci, V. Viswanathan, F. G. Lemoine, A. Bourgoin, P. Exertier, G. A. Neumann, M. T. Zuber, and D. E. Smith. 2020. "First Two-way Laser Ranging to a Lunar Orbiter: infrared observations from the Grasse station to LRO’s retro-reflector array ." Earth, Planets and Space, [Full Text (Link)] [10.1186/s40623-020-01243-w]
Viswanathan, V., N. Rambaux, A. Fienga, J. Laskar, and M. Gastineau. 2019. "Observational constraint on the radius and oblateness of the lunar core-mantle boundary." Geophysical Research Letters, 46: [10.1029/2019GL082677]
Viswanathan, V., A. Fienga, O. Minazzoli, et al. L. Bernus, J. Laskar, and M. Gastineau. 2018. "The new lunar ephemeris INPOP17a and its application to fundamental physics." Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 476: 1877-1888 [10.1093/mnras/sty096]
Courde, C., J. M. Torre, E. Samain, et al. G. Martinot-Lagarde, M. Aimar, D. Albanese, P. Exertier, A. Fienga, H. Mariey, G. Metris, H. Viot, and V. Viswanathan. 2017. "Lunar laser ranging in infrared at the Grasse laser station." Astronomy & Astrophysics, 602: A90 [10.1051/0004-6361/201628590]
Viswanathan, V., A. Fienga, M. Gastineau, and J. Laskar. 2017. "INPOP17a planetary ephemerides." Notes Scientifiques et Techniques de l'Institut de mécanique céleste S108: ISBN: 2-910015-79-3. [Full Text (Link)] [10.13140/RG.2.2.24384.43521]
Courde, C., J.-M. Torre, E. Samain, et al. G. Martinot-Lagarde, M. Aimar, D. Albanese, N. Maurice, H. Mariey, H. Viot, P. Exertier, A. Fienga, and V. Viswanathan. 2017. "Satellite and lunar laser ranging in infrared." Proceedings of the SPIE Conference on Photon Counting Applications, 2017 10229: UNSP 102290K [10.1117/12.2270573]
Talk at Lunar Surface Science Workshop 2020
Poster presentation at the 51st Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (2020), Texas, USA
Poster presented at AGU Fall Meeting 2019, San Francisco, USA
Talk at 42nd COSPAR Scientific Assembly (H0.5-0006-18)
Talk at Journées Scientifiques du Programme National GRAM (215219)
Poster presented at EGU General Assembly Conference (Vol. 19, p. 7450)
Poster presented at Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (Vol. 48, p. 2329)
LLR data analysis and impact on lunar dynamics from recent developments at OCA LLR Station.
4 / 2016Talk at EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts (Vol. 18, p. 13995)
"Principles of Thermodynamics", Undergraduate level, ESAIP Graduate School of Engineering, Grasse - France
"Satellite systems", Graduate level, University of Nice, Sophia Antipolis
Volunteering work at the Moon Tours (Moon trek + LRO) tent using lunar topographic data, 3D prints of the lunar surface and lunar simulant samples.
My research focuses on the analysis of laser ranging data and radio tracking data to decipher the interior structure of planetary bodies.
During my PhD, I improved the dynamical modeling of the Moon within the French planetary and lunar ephemeris - INPOP and performed fits of this model to nearly 5 decades of lunar laser ranging (LLR) data using constraints from the NASA GRAIL gravity field data. This model (ephemeris) is now among the few most accurate models describing the lunar positional and rotational states, giving access to the knowledge of the dynamic interior structure of the Moon. My contributions include new constraints for the geometry of the lunar core-mantle boundary and the use of LLR data for performing fundamental tests of the principle of equivalence at the scale of the Earth-Moon system.
Mazarico, E., X. Sun, J.-M. Torre, et al. C. Courde, J. Chabé, M. Aimar, H. Mariey, N. Maurice, M. K. Barker, D. Mao, D. R. Cremons, S. Bouquillon, T. Carlucci, V. Viswanathan, F. G. Lemoine, A. Bourgoin, P. Exertier, G. A. Neumann, M. T. Zuber, and D. E. Smith. 2020. "First Two-way Laser Ranging to a Lunar Orbiter: infrared observations from the Grasse station to LRO’s retro-reflector array ." Earth, Planets and Space [Full Text (Link)] [10.1186/s40623-020-01243-w]
Viswanathan, V., N. Rambaux, A. Fienga, J. Laskar, and M. Gastineau. 2019. "Observational constraint on the radius and oblateness of the lunar core-mantle boundary." Geophysical Research Letters 46 [10.1029/2019GL082677]
Viswanathan, V., A. Fienga, O. Minazzoli, et al. L. Bernus, J. Laskar, and M. Gastineau. 2018. "The new lunar ephemeris INPOP17a and its application to fundamental physics." Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 476 1877-1888 [10.1093/mnras/sty096]
Courde, C., J. M. Torre, E. Samain, et al. G. Martinot-Lagarde, M. Aimar, D. Albanese, P. Exertier, A. Fienga, H. Mariey, G. Metris, H. Viot, and V. Viswanathan. 2017. "Lunar laser ranging in infrared at the Grasse laser station." Astronomy & Astrophysics 602 A90 [10.1051/0004-6361/201628590]
Viswanathan, V., A. Fienga, M. Gastineau, and J. Laskar. 2017. "INPOP17a planetary ephemerides." Notes Scientifiques et Techniques de l'Institut de mécanique céleste S108 [Full Text (Link)] [10.13140/RG.2.2.24384.43521]
Courde, C., J.-M. Torre, E. Samain, et al. G. Martinot-Lagarde, M. Aimar, D. Albanese, N. Maurice, H. Mariey, H. Viot, P. Exertier, A. Fienga, and V. Viswanathan. 2017. "Satellite and lunar laser ranging in infrared." Proceedings of the SPIE Conference on Photon Counting Applications, 2017 10229 UNSP 102290K [10.1117/12.2270573]