First High Solar Phase Angle Observations of Rhea Using Cassini VIMS: Upper Limits on Water Vapor and Geologic Activity

2008 ◽  
Vol 680 (1) ◽  
pp. L65-L68 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. M. Pitman ◽  
B. J. Buratti ◽  
J. A. Mosher ◽  
J. M. Bauer ◽  
T. W. Momary ◽  
...  
Author(s):  
Eoin M. Wilson ◽  
John C. Wenger ◽  
Dean S. Venables
Keyword(s):  

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (18) ◽  
pp. 11671-11686 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Reichert ◽  
Ralf Sussmann

Abstract. We present a first quantification of the near-infrared (NIR) water vapor continuum absorption from an atmospheric radiative closure experiment carried out at the Zugspitze (47.42° N, 10.98° E; 2964 m a.s.l.). Continuum quantification is achieved via radiative closure using radiometrically calibrated solar Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) absorption spectra covering the 2500 to 7800 cm−1 spectral range. The dry atmospheric conditions at the Zugspitze site (IWV 1.4 to 3.3 mm) enable continuum quantification even within water vapor absorption bands, while upper limits for continuum absorption can be provided in the centers of window regions. Throughout 75 % of the 2500 to 7800 cm−1 spectral range, the Zugspitze results agree within our estimated uncertainty with the widely used MT_CKD 2.5.2 model (Mlawer et al., 2012). In the wings of water vapor absorption bands, our measurements indicate about 2–5 times stronger continuum absorption than MT_CKD, namely in the 2800 to 3000 cm−1 and 4100 to 4200 cm−1 spectral ranges. The measurements are consistent with the laboratory measurements of Mondelain et al. (2015), which rely on cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CDRS), and the calorimetric–interferometric measurements of Bicknell et al. (2006). Compared to the recent FTIR laboratory studies of Ptashnik et al. (2012, 2013), our measurements are consistent within the estimated errors throughout most of the spectral range. However, in the wings of water vapor absorption bands our measurements indicate typically 2–3 times weaker continuum absorption under atmospheric conditions, namely in the 3200 to 3400, 4050 to 4200, and 6950 to 7050 cm−1 spectral regions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 636 ◽  
pp. A26 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Harsono ◽  
M. V. Persson ◽  
A. Ramos ◽  
N. M. Murillo ◽  
L. T. Maud ◽  
...  

Context. Water is a key volatile that provides insight into the initial stages of planet formation. The low water abundances inferred from water observations toward low-mass protostellar objects may point to a rapid locking of water as ice by large dust grains during star and planet formation. However, little is known about the water vapor abundance in newly formed planet-forming disks. Aims. We aim to determine the water abundance in embedded Keplerian disks through spatially-resolved observations of H218O lines to understand the evolution of water during star and planet formation. Methods. We present H218O line observations with ALMA and NOEMA millimeter interferometers toward five young stellar objects. NOEMA observed the 31,3–22,0 line (Eup∕kB = 203.7 K) while ALMA targeted the 41,4–32,1 line (Eup∕kB = 322.0 K). Water column densities were derived considering optically thin and thermalized emission. Our observations were sensitive to the emission from the known Keplerian disks around three out of the five Class I objects in the sample. Results. No H218O emission is detected toward any of our five Class I disks. We report upper limits to the integrated line intensities. The inferred water column densities in Class I disks are NH218O < 1015 cm−2 on 100 au scales, which include both the disk and envelope. The upper limits imply a disk-averaged water abundance of ≲10−6 with respect to H2 for Class I objects. After taking the physical structure of the disk into account, the upper limit to the water abundance averaged over the inner warm disk with T > 100 K is between ~10−7 and 10−5. Conclusions. Water vapor is not abundant in warm protostellar envelopes around Class I protostars. Upper limits to the water vapor column densities in Class I disks are at least two orders of magnitude lower than values found in Class 0 disk-like structures.


2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Reichert ◽  
Ralf Sussmann

Abstract. We present a first quantification of the near-infrared (NIR) water vapor continuum absorption from an atmospheric radiative closure experiment carried out at Mt. Zugspitze (47.42° N, 10.98° E, 2964 m a.s.l.). Continuum quantification is achieved via radiative closure using radiometrically calibrated solar FTIR absorption spectra covering the 2500 to 7800 cm−1 spectral range. The dry atmospheric conditions at the Zugspitze site (IWV 1.4 to 3.3 mm) enable continuum quantification even within water vapor absorption bands, while upper limits for continuum absorption can be provided in the centers of window regions. Throughout 75 % of the 2500 to 7800 cm−1 spectral range, the Zugspitze results are agree within our estimated uncertainty with the widely used MT_CKD 2.5.2-model (Mlawer et al., 2012). Notable exceptions are the 2800 to 3000 cm−1 and 4100 to 4200 cm−1 spectral ranges, where our measurements indicate about 5 times stronger continuum absorption than MT_CKD. The measurements are consistent with the laboratory measurements of Mondelain et al. (2015), which rely on cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CDRS), and the calorimetric-interferometric measurements of Bicknell et al. (2006). Compared to the recent FTIR laboratory studies of Ptashnik et al. (2012) and (2013), our measurements indicate 2–5 times weaker continuum absorption under atmospheric conditions in the wings of water vapor absorption bands, namely in the 3200 to 3400 cm−1, 4050 to 4200 cm−1, and 6950 to 7050 cm−1 spectral regions.


2018 ◽  
Vol 620 ◽  
pp. A161
Author(s):  
Y. G. Kwon ◽  
M. Ishiguro ◽  
Y. Shinnaka ◽  
T. Nakaoka ◽  
D. Kuroda ◽  
...  

Context. Spectropolarimetry is a powerful technique for investigating the physical properties of gas and solid materials in cometary comae without mutual contamination, but only a few spectropolarimetric studies have been conducted to extract each component. Aims. We attempt to derive the continuum (i.e., scattered light from dust coma) polarization degree of comet 2P/Encke, free of the influence of molecular emissions. The target is unique in that its orbit is dynamically decoupled from Jupiter, like the main-belt asteroids, but it ejects gas and dust like ordinary comets. Methods. We observed the comet using the Hiroshima Optical and Near-Infrared Camera attached to the Cassegrain focus of the 150 cm Kanata telescope on UT 2017 February 21 when the comet was at the solar phase angle of α = 75°.7. Results. We find that the continuum polarization degree with respect to the scattering plane is Pcont, r = 33.8 ± 2.7% at the effective wavelength of 0.82 μm, which is significantly higher than those of cometary dust in a high-Pmax group at similar phase angles. Assuming that an ensemble polarimetric response of the dust of 2P/Encke as a function of phase angle is morphologically similar with those of other comets, its maximum polarization degree is estimated to Pmax ≳ 40% at αmax ≈ 100°. In addition, we obtain the polarization degrees of the C2 swan bands (0.51–0.56 μm), the NH2 α bands (0.62–0.69 μm), and the CN-red system (0.78–0.94 μm) in a range of 3–19%, which depend on the molecular species and rotational quantum numbers of each branch. The polarization vector is aligned nearly perpendicularly to the scattering plane with an average of 0°.4 over a wavelength range of 0.50–0.97 μm. Conclusions. From the observational evidence, we conjecture that the high polarization degree of 2P/Encke might be attributable to a dominance of large dust particles around the nucleus, which have remained after frequent perihelion passages near the Sun.


Icarus ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 132 (2) ◽  
pp. 397-417 ◽  
Author(s):  
David G. Schleicher ◽  
Robert L. Millis ◽  
Peter V. Birch

2019 ◽  
Vol 630 ◽  
pp. A22 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Bockelée-Morvan ◽  
C. Leyrat ◽  
S. Erard ◽  
F. Andrieu ◽  
F. Capaccioni ◽  
...  

We analyze 2–5 μm spectroscopic observations of the dust coma of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko obtained with the Visible InfraRed Thermal Imaging Spectrometer (VIRTIS-H) instrument on board Rosetta from 3 June to 29 October 2015 at heliocentric distances rh = 1.24–1.55 AU. The 2–2.5 μm color, bolometric albedo, and color temperature were measured using spectral fitting. Data obtained at α = 90° solar phase angle show an increase in bolometric albedo (0.05–0.14) with increasing altitude (0.5–8 km), accompanied by a possible marginal decrease in color and color temperature. Possible explanations include dark particles on ballistic trajectories in the inner coma and radial changes in particle composition. In the phase angle range 50°–120°, phase reddening is significant (0.031%/100 nm deg−1) for a mean color of 2%/100 nm at α = 90°, which might be related to the roughness of the dust particles. Moreover, a decrease in color temperature with decreasing phase angle is also observed at a rate of ~0.3 K deg−1, consistent with the presence of large porous particles, with low thermal inertia, and showing a significant day-to-night temperature contrast. Comparing data acquired at fixed phase angle (α = 90°), a 20% increase in bolometric albedo is observed near perihelion. Heliocentric variations in dust color are not significant in the time period we analyzed. The measured color temperatures vary from 260 to 320 K, and follow a rh−0.6 variation in the rh = 1.24–1.5 AU range, which is close to the expected rh−0.5 value.


2020 ◽  
Vol 644 ◽  
pp. A30
Author(s):  
Yazhou Yang ◽  
Pei Ma ◽  
Le Qiao ◽  
Hao Zhang ◽  
Weidong Jin ◽  
...  

Context. The colour-ratio technique has been widely used in mapping planetary surfaces, but its solar phase-angle dependence is not well understood. Understanding the phase-angle dependence of the colour ratio would enhance our abilities in interpreting planetary remote sensing data. Aims. We aim to investigate the dependence of the colour ratio indices on mineralogy, phase angle, particle size, and the degree of simulated space weathering. Methods. We measured the multi-band (i.e. 458, 633, 750, and 905 nm) and multi-angle reflectance spectra of four typical lunar-type minerals with different particle sizes using a custom multi-angular imaging device. Results. The colour ratio does have a phase-angle dependence that is more sensitive to the mineralogy and wavelength and less sensitive to particle size distribution. Conclusions. The combined analysis of the colour ratio and its phase dependence can improve efficiency in mapping the lunar surface. With a prior knowledge of the phase behaviours of colour ratios of specific lunar-type minerals, an optimised colour ratio at certain phase angles can be found to efficiently distinguish the composition of a target surface.


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