My research revolves around radar wave propagation and novel applications of diffraction theory to radar systems. This has included the development of a multilayer coherent backscattering simulator, which can efficiently simulate radar echoes from rough terrains with an arbitrary number of geological layers. This algorithm has been used to support studies pertaining to several air- or spaceborne radar sounders, including the RIME instrument of ESA's JUICE probe. I have also conducted research about the optimal engineering choices for novel radar systems with a specific application, such as a radar sounder for lunar lava tube exploration, and or on the use of orbital arrays for radar sounding using, e.g., smallsats in formation flying. I have also focused on developping the theory and applications of passive sounding, a mode of operation where the radar uses signals of opportunity of astrophysical origin to perform scientific measurements in environments where these signals would interfere with classical active sounding. This lead to the finding that Martian radar sounders can observe solar radio bursts at unprecedented levels of detail.

Journal papers

• Observation of solar radio burst events from Mars orbit with the Shallow Radar instrument
  10.1051/0004-6361/202347900pdf (6.0 Mo)C. Gerekos, G. Steinbrügge, I. C. Jebaraj, A. Casillas, E. Donini, B. Sánchez-Cano, M. Lester, J. Magdalenić, S. T. Peters , A. F. Romero-Wolf, D. D. BlankenshipAstronomy & Astrophysics 683, A56, 2024.
• Planned geological investigations of the Europa Clipper Mission
  10.1007/s11214-023-01036-zI. J. Daubar, A. G. Hayes, G. C. Collins, K. L. Craft, J. A. Rathbun, J. R. Spencer, D. Y. Wyrick, M. T. Bland, A. G. Davies, C. M. Ernst, S. M. Howell, E. J. Leonard, A. S. McEwen, J. M. Moore, C. B. Phillips, L. M. Prockter, L. C. Quick, J. E. C. Scully, J. M. Soderblom, S. M. Brooks, M. Cable, M. E. Cameron, K. Chan, C. J. Chivers, M. Choukroun, C. J. Cochrane, S. Diniega, A. J. Dombard, C. M. Elder, C. Gerekos, C. Glein, T. K. Greathouse, C. Grima, M. S. Gudipati, K. P. Hand, C. Hansen, P. Hayne, M. Hedman, K. Hughson, X. Jia, J. Lawrence, H. M. Meyer, K. Miller, R. Parekh, G. W. Patterson, S. Piqueux, K. D. Retherford, K. M. Scanlan, P. Schenk, B. Schmidt, D. Schroeder, G. Steinbrügge, A. Stern, G. Tobie, P. Withers, D. A. Young, B. Buratti, H. Korth, D. Senske, R. PappalardoSpace Science Reviews 220, 18, 2024.
• A Simulation Approach to Characterizing Sub-Glacial Hydrology
  10.5194/egusphere-2023-1685C. Pierce, C. Gerekos, M. Skidmore, L. Beem, D. Blankenship, W. S. Lee, E. Adams, C.-K. Lee, J. StutzThe Cryosphere (accepted, 2023).
• Exploring the Interior of Europa with Europa Clipper
  10.1007/s11214-023-00990-yJ. H. Roberts, W. B. McKinnon, C. M. Elder, G. Tobie, J. B. Biersteker, D. Young, R. S. Park, G. Steinbrügge, F. Nimmo, S. M. Howell, J. C. Castillo-Rogez, M. L. Cable, J. N. Abrahams, M. T. Bland, C. Chivers, C. J. Cochrane, A. J. Dombard, C. Ernst, A. Genova, C. Gerekos, C. Glein, C. D. Harris, H. Hay, P. O. Hayne, M. Hedman, H. Hussmann, X. Jia, K. Khurana, W. S. Kiefer, R. Kirk, M. Kivelson, J. Lawrence, E. J. Leonard, J. I. Lunine, E. Mazarico, T. B. McCord, A. McEwen, C. Paty, L. C. Quick, C. A. Raymond, K. D. Retherford, L. Roth, A. Rymer, J. Saur, K. Scanlan, D. M. Schroeder, D. A. Senske, W. Shao, K. Soderlund, E. Spiers, M. J. Styczinski, P. Tortora, S. D. Vance, M. N. Villarreal, B. P. Weiss, J. H. Westlake, P. Withers, N. Wolfenbarger, B. Buratti, H. Korth, R. T. Pappalardo & The Interior Thematic Working GroupSpace Science Reviews 219 (6), 46, 2023.
• The phase response of a rough rectangular facet for radar sounder simulations of both coherent and incoherent scattering
  10.1029/2022RS007594pdf (2.7 Mo)C. Gerekos, M. Haynes, D. Schroeder, D. BlankenshipRadio Science, Vol. 58 (6), 2023.
• An Unsupervised Fuzzy System for the Automatic Detection of Lava Tubes in Radar Sounder Data
  10.1109/TGRS.2021.3062753E. Donini, L. Carrer, C. Gerekos, F. Bovolo, L. Bruzzone.IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, vol. 60, pp. 1-19, 2022.
• Martian roughness analogues of Europan terrains and implications on radar backscatter
  10.1016/j.icarus.2020.114197pdf (7.8 Mo) C. Gerekos, C. Grima, G. Steinbrügge, S. Thakur, K. Scanlan, D. Young, L. Bruzzone, D. Blankenship.Icarus 358, 114197, 2021.
• A coherent method for simulating active and passive radar sounding of the Jovian icy moons
  10.1109/TGRS.2019.2945079pdf (2.5 Mo)C. Gerekos, L. Bruzzone, M. Imai.IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, vol. 58, no. 4, pp. 2250-2265, 2020.
• The ASI P-band helicopter-borne integrated sounder-SAR system: preliminary results of the 2018 Morocco desert campaign
  10.3390/rs11161845S. Perna, G. Alberti, P. Berardino, L. Bruzzone, D. Califano, I. Catapano, L. Ciofaniello, E. Donini, C. Esposito, C. Facchinetti, R. Formaro, G. Gennarelli, C. Gerekos, R. Lanari, F. Longo, G. Ludeno, M. M. d'Alessandro, A. Natale, C. Noviello, G. Palmese, C. Papa, G. Pica, F. Rocca, G. Salzillo, F. Soldovieri, S. Tebaldini, S. ThakurMDPI Remote Sensing, 11(16), 1845, 2019.
• Distributed radar sounder: a novel concept for subsurface investigations using sensors in formation flight
  10.1109/TGRS.2019.2929422pdf (3.8 Mo)L. Carrer, C. Gerekos, F. Bovolo, L. Bruzzone.IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, vol. 57, no. 12, pp. 9791-9809, 2019.
• A coherent multilayer simulator of radargrams acquired by radar sounder instruments
  10.1109/TGRS.2018.2851020pdf (2.0 Mo)C. Gerekos, A. Tamponi, L. Carrer, D. Castelletti, M. Santoni, L. Bruzzone.IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, vol. 56, no. 12, pp. 7388-7404, Dec. 2018.
• A multi-frequency radar sounder for lava tubes detection on the moon: design, performance assessment and simulations
  10.1016/j.pss.2018.01.011pdf (2.3 Mo)L. Carrer, C. Gerekos, L. Bruzzone.Planetary and Space Science 152C (2018) pp. 1-17.

Conference papers

• From the Sun to Mars’ surface: How solar energetic particles affect Mars' atmosphere and ionosphere
  B. Sanchez-Cano, C. O. Lee, L. Y. Khoo, M. Mayyasi, L. Rodriguez-Garcia, E. Palmerio, B. Ehresmann, R. F. Wimmer-Schweingruber, M. Pinto, M. Lester, S. Joyce, B. A. Campbell, C. Gerekos, D. J. McComas, E. R. Christian, N. Schwadron, M. E. Wiedenbeck, R. L. McNutt, C. CohenAmerican Geoscience Union 2023 Fall Meeting abstracts, San Francisco, USA.
• Near-surface Layer Characterization of Icy Moons: a Multi-bandwidth Radar Reflectometry Approach
  K. Chan, C. Grima, C. Gerekos, J. M. Moore, D. D. BlankenshipAmerican Geoscience Union 2023 Fall Meeting abstracts, San Francisco, USA.
• Radar for Europa Assessment and Sounding: Ocean to Near-surface (REASON)
  D. D. Blankenship, A. Moussessian, E. Chapin, D. A. Young, G. W. Patterson, J. Plaut, A. P. Freedman, D. M. Schroeder, C. Grima, G. Steinbruegge, K. M. Soderlund, T. L. Ray, T. G. Richter, L. Jones-Wilson, N. S. Wolfenbarger, K. Scanlan, C. Gerekos, K. Chan, I. Seker, M. Haynes, A. Barr, L. Bruzzone, B. A. Campbell, L. M. Carter, C. Elachi, Y. Gim, A. Herique, H. Hussmann, W. Kofman, W. S. Kurth, M. Mastrogiuseppe, W. B. McKinnon, J. M. Moore, F. Nimmo, C. S. Paty, D. Plettemeier, B. Schmidt, M. Zolotov, P. Schenk, T. UrbanAmerican Geoscience Union 2023 Fall Meeting abstracts, San Francisco, USA.
• Integrated Measurements and Analysis of Geophysics of Schrödinger (IMAGES)
  2023DPS....5511905GS. Gulick, C. Grima, C. Gerekos, G. Kramer, M. JordanAAS/Division for Planetary Sciences Meeting Abstracts 55 (8), 119.05, 2023, San Antonio, USA.
• Calibrating radar sounder instruments through correlated observations of solar radio burst events: preliminary results with SHARAD and STEREO
  2023DPS....5511806GC. Gerekos, G. Steinbrügge, I. C. Jebaraj, A. Casillas, E. Donini, B. Sánchez-Cano, M. Lester, J. Magdalenić, S. T. Peters , A. F. Romero-Wolf, D. D. BlankenshipAAS/Division for Planetary Sciences Meeting Abstracts 55 (8), 118.06, 2023, San Antonio, USA.
• A Preliminary Statistical Analysis of Type-III Solar Burst Detections in Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) Shallow Radar (SHARAD) Data
  10.1109/IGARSS52108.2023.10281483A. Casillas, S. Peters, G. Steinbrügge, E. Donini, I. Jebaraj, J. Magdalenić, A. Romero-Wolf, D. Blankenship, C. Gerekos2023 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (pp. 4166-4168), 2023, Pasadena, USA.
• RIME-REASON synergistic opportunities for surface and near-surface investigations of icy moons
  pdfK. Chan, C. Grima, C. Gerekos, D. D. BlankenshipEuropean Geophysical Union General Assembly 2023 (EGU23-10554), 2023, Vienna, Austria.
• Exploring Europa, Jupiter’s Ocean World: A View from Earth
  pdfD. D Blankenship, D. A Young, K. Chan, N. S. Wolfenbarger, C. Gerekos, G. B. SteinbrüggeEuropean Geophysical Union General Assembly 2023 (EGU23-17429), 2023, Vienna, Austria.
• Airborne radar radiometry and coastline mapping of the highly-specular subglacial terrain on Devon island
  pdfC. Gerekos, A. Rutishauser, K. Scanlan, N. Wolfenbarger, L. Beem, J. Bott, D. BlankenshipEuropean Geophysical Union General Assembly 2023 (EGU23-9149), 2023, Vienna, Austria.
• Using Planetary Radar Sounders as Solar Observatories: Characterisation of type-III bursts with SHARAD and MARSIS
  2022AGUFMSH22E2042GpdfC. Gerekos, E. Donini, I. C. Jebaraj, G. Steinbruegge, J. Magdalenic, A. Romero-Wolf, D. D. BlankenshipAGU Fall Meeting Abstracts (SH22E-2042), 2022, Chicago, USA.
• Assessing the detectability of subsurface events beneath Europan multi-ring basins with an interferometric radar sounder: Test-simulations on a Martian crater
  10.5194/epsc2022-661pdfC. Gerekos, G. Steinbrügge, M. Haynes, D. Young, D. BlankenshipEuropean Planetary Science Congress 2022 (EPSC2022-661), 2022, Granada, Spain.
• The Stratton-Chu integral with a rough facet formulation for all-scale radar sounder simulations: assessment with reflectometry
  10.1109/IGARSS46834.2022.9884720C. Gerekos, M. Haynes, C. Grima, D. BlankenshipInternational Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium 2022, (pp. 551-554), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 2022.
• Exploitation of SHARAD data from a passive sounding perspective: a preliminary analysis
  pdfC. Gerekos, G. Steinbrügge, E. Donini, A. Romero-WolfEuropean Geophysical Union General Assembly 2022 (EGU22-3191), 2022, Vienna, Austria.
• REASON cluttergrams of Cilix Ridged Plains using a novel simulator based on a rough facet integral formulation
  pdfC. Gerekos, M. Haynes, D. Young, D. Blankenship53rd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (vol. 2678, p. 1632), 2022, The Woodlands, USA.
• Geophysical characterization opportunities in Schrödinger impact basin using Kaguya Lunar Radar Sounder and Lunar Reconaissance Orbiter
  pdfS. Gulick, C. Grima, C. Gerekos, G. Kramer53rd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (vol. 2678, p. 1739), 2022, The Woodlands, USA.
• EnVision mission to Venus: Subsurface radar sounding
  10.1109/IGARSS39084.2020.9324279L. Bruzzone, F. Bovolo, S. Thakur, L. Carrer, E. Donini, C. Gerekos, S. Paterna, M. Santoni, E. SbalchieroInternational Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium 2020 (pp. 5960-5963), 2020, Waikoloa, USA.
• Mars as an analog to anticipate radar surface reflectivity at Europa
  pdf C. Grima, C. Gerekos, K. Scanlan, G. Steinbrügge, D. Young, S. Kempf, D. Blankenship51st Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (No. 2326, p. 1471), 2020, The Woodlands, USA.
• Comparing the multifractal properties of Europan and Martian surfaces
  pdf C. Gerekos, C. Grima, G. Steinbrügge, K. Scanlan, D. Young, L. Bruzzone, D. BlankenshipEPSC-DPS Joint Meeting 2019, 2019, Geneva, Switzerland.
• The ASI P-band helicopter-borne integrated sounder-SAR system: preliminary results of the 2018 Morocco desert campaign
  10.1109/IGARSS.2019.8898502S. Perna, G. Alberti, P. Berardino, L. Bruzzone, D. Califano, I. Catapano, L. Ciofaniello, E. Donini, C. Esposito, C. Facchinetti, R. Formaro, G. Gennarelli, C. Gerekos, R. Lanari, F. Longo, G. Ludeno, M. M. d'Alessandro, A. Natale, C. Noviello, G. Palmese, C. Papa, G. Pica, F. Rocca, G. Salzillo, F. Soldovieri, S. Tebaldini, S. ThakurInternational Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium 2019 (pp. 8550-8553), 2019, Yokohama, Japan.
• Radar sounding of Jovian icy moons: a simulation approach to active and passive sounding scenarios
  pdfC. Gerekos, L. Bruzzone.European Planetary Science Congress (Vol. 12), 2018, Berlin, Germany.
• A new technique for simulating radar echoes from layered subsurface targets
  10.1109/IGARSS.2018.8519257C. Gerekos, A. Tamponi, L. Carrer, D. Castelletti, M. Santoni, L. Bruzzone.International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium 2018 (pp. 459-462), 2018, Valencia, Spain.
• Distributed radar sounder system: a novel approach to across-track resolution enhancement and clutter reduction
  10.1109/IGARSS.2018.8519462L. Carrer, C. Gerekos, L. Bruzzone.International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium 2018 (pp. 6765-6768), 2018, Valencia, Spain.
• An approach to lava tube detection in radar sounder data from the Moon
  10.1109/IGARSS.2018.8519146E. Donini, F. Bovolo, C. Gerekos, L. Carrer, L. Bruzzone.International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium 2018 (pp. 8424-8427), 2018, Valencia, Spain.
• Detection of lunar lava tubes with orbiting radar sounder systems
  pdf L. Carrer, C. Gerekos, L. Bruzzone.European Planetary Science Congress (Vol. 11), 2017, Riga, Latvia.
• The time transfer and Synge world functions in relativistic global navigation satellite systems
  C. Gerekos, A. Heffernan.Relativistic Geodesy 2016 conference, 2016, Bad Honnef, Germany.
• The time transfer function in RPS
  C. Gerekos, A. Heffernan.593rd WE-Heraeus Seminar on Autonomous Spacecraft Navigation, 2015, Bad Honnef, Germany.

Theses

• Advanced backscattering simulation methods for the design of spaceborne radar sounders
  pdf (16.0 Mo) C. GerekosDoctoral thesis (2020)
• Investigating the impact of β-stabilisation in JET hybrid plasmas through non-linear gyrokinetic simulations
  pdf (4.3 Mo) C. GerekosMaster's thesis (2016)

Reports

• The European space support landscape: Insights from Central Eastern and Southeastern Europe
  pdf (3.6 Mo)C. Gerekos, T. Tanghe, E. Crespo, G. Malliopoulos, K. Toth, I. Cioroianu, C. Pascaru, M. Garthley, C. Stancu, C. Samaras Report to the European Research Executive Agency by the InnORBIT consortium (2021)
• Analytical solutions to the problem of position determination in the RPS framework using post-Minkowskian formalism
  pdf (0.9 Mo)C. GerekosReport for Master's degree intership at ESA's Advanced Concepts Team (2015)