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1.
T.A. Cassidy  R.E. Johnson 《Icarus》2010,209(2):696-703
We describe a direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) model of Enceladus’ neutral cloud and compare its results to observations of OH and O orbiting Saturn. The OH and O are observed far from Enceladus (at 3.95 RS), as far out as 25 RS for O. Previous DSMC models attributed this breadth primarily to ion/neutral scattering (including charge exchange) and molecular dissociation. However, the newly reported O observations and a reinterpretation of the OH observations (Melin, H., Shemansky, D.E., Liu, X. [2009] Planet. Space Sci., 57, 1743-1753, PS&S) showed that the cloud is broader than previously thought. We conclude that the addition of neutral/neutral scattering (Farmer, A.J. [2009] Icarus, 202, 280-286), which was underestimated by previous models, brings the model results in line with the new observations. Neutral/neutral collisions primarily happen in the densest part of the cloud, near Enceladus’ orbit, but contribute to the spreading by pumping up orbital eccentricity. Based on the cloud model presented here Enceladus maybe the ultimate source of oxygen for the upper atmospheres of Titan and Saturn. We also predict that large quantities of OH, O and H2O bombard Saturn’s icy satellites.  相似文献   

2.
Sascha Kempf  Uwe Beckmann 《Icarus》2010,206(2):446-457
Pre-Cassini models of Saturn’s E ring [Horányi, M., Burns, J., Hamilton, D., 1992. Icarus 97, 248-259; Juhász, A., Horányi, M., 2002. J. Geophys. Res. 107, 1-10] failed to reproduce its peculiar vertical structure inferred from Earth-bound observations [de Pater, I., Martin, S.C., Showalter, M.R., 2004. Icarus 172, 446-454]. After the discovery of an active ice-volcanism of Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus the relevance of the directed injection of particles for the vertical ring structure of the E ring was swiftly recognised [Juhász, A., Horányi, M., Morfill, G.E., 2007. Geophys. Res. Lett. 34, L09104; Kempf, S., Beckmann, U., Moragas-Klostermeyer, G., Postberg, F., Srama, R., Economou, T., Schmidt, J., Spahn, F., Grün, E., 2008. Icarus 193, 420-437]. However, simple models for the delivery of particles from the plume to the ring predict a too small vertical ring thickness and overestimate the amount of the injected dust.Here we report on numerical simulations of grains leaving the plume and populating the dust torus of Enceladus. We run a large number of dynamical simulations including gravity and Lorentz force to investigate the earliest phase of the ring particle life span. The evolution of the electrostatic charge carried by the initially uncharged grains is treated selfconsistently. Freshly ejected plume particles are moving in almost circular orbits because the Enceladus orbital speed exceeds the particles’ ejection speeds by far. Only a small fraction of grains that leave the Hill sphere of Enceladus survive the next encounter with the moon. Thus, the flux and size distribution of the surviving grains, replenishing the ring particle reservoir, differs significantly from the flux and size distribution of the particles freshly ejected from the plume. Our numerical simulations reproduce the vertical ring profile measured by the Cassini Cosmic Dust Analyzer (CDA) [Kempf, S., Beckmann, U., Moragas-Klostermeyer, G., Postberg, F., Srama, R., EconoDmou, T., Smchmidt, J., Spahn, F., Grün, E., 2008. Icarus 193, 420-437]. From our simulations we calculate the deposition rates of plume particles hitting Enceladus’ surface. We find that at a distance of 100 m from a jet a 10 m sized ice boulder should be covered by plume particles in 105-106 years.  相似文献   

3.
Ke Zhang  Francis Nimmo 《Icarus》2009,204(2):597-609
We study the orbital behavior of Saturn’s satellites Enceladus and Dione during their passage through the 2:1 mean-motion resonances to constrain their interior structures, parameterized by the quantity k2/Q (assumed constant). Enceladus’ evolution after escape from the second-order e-Enceladus e-Dione resonance requires that (k2/Q)Enceladus<8×10-4, for that QSaturn>18,000. This result is in agreement with [Meyer, J., Wisdom, J., 2008b. Icarus 193, 213-223]. The present-day libration amplitude of Enceladus requires that (k2/Q)Enceladus>1.2×10-4, assuming that QSaturn<105. Dione’s present-day eccentricity indicates that (k2/Q)Dione?3×10-4 for QSaturn>18,000. Assuming Maxwellian viscoelastic behavior, we find that for Enceladus a convective ice shell overlying an ocean is too dissipative to match the orbital constraints. We conclude that a conductive shell overlying an ocean is more likely, and discuss the implications of this result. Dione’s ice shell is also likely to be conductive, but our results are less constraining.  相似文献   

4.
E.M.A. Chen  F. Nimmo 《Icarus》2011,214(2):779-781
Recently, Tyler [Tyler, R.H., 2009. Geophys. Res. Lett. 36, L15205; Tyler, R., 2011. Icarus, 211, 770-779] proposed that the tide due to an obliquity of greater than 0.1° might drive resonant flow in a liquid ocean at Enceladus, and that dissipation of the ocean’s kinetic energy may be an alternate source for the observed global heat flux. While there is currently no measurement of Enceladus’ obliquity, dissipation is expected to drive the spin pole to a Cassini state. Under this assumption, we find that Enceladus should occupy Cassini state 1 and that the obliquity of Enceladus should be less than 0.0015° for values of the degree-2 gravity coefficient C2,2 between 1.0 × 10−3 and 2.5 × 10−3. Unless there is a significant free obliquity or the gravity coefficient C2,2 has been significantly overestimated, it is unlikely that obliquity-driven flow in a subsurface ocean is the source of the extreme heat on Enceladus.  相似文献   

5.
We vapor deposit at 20 K a mixture of gases with the specific Enceladus plume composition measured in situ by the Cassini INMS [Waite, J.H., Combi, M.R., Ip, W.H., Cravens, T.E., McNutt, R.L., Kasprzak, W., Yelle, R., Luhmann, J., Niemann, H., Gell, D., Magee, B., Fletcher, G., Lunine, J., Tseng, W.L., 2006. Science 311, 1419-1422] to form a mixed molecular ice. As the sample is slowly warmed, we monitor the escaping gas quantity and composition with a mass spectrometer. Pioneering studies [Schmitt, B., Klinger, J., 1987. Different trapping mechanisms of gases by water ice and their relevance for comet nuclei. In: Rolfe, E.J., Battrick, B. (Eds.), Diversity and Similarity of Comets. SP-278. ESA, Noordwijk, The Netherlands, pp. 613-619; Bar-Nun, A., Kleinfeld, I., Kochavi, E., 1988. Phys. Rev. B 38, 7749-7754; Bar-Nun, A., Kleinfeld, I., 1989. Icarus 80, 243-253] have shown that significant quantities of volatile gases can be trapped in a water ice matrix well above the temperature at which the pure volatile ice would sublime. For our Enceladus ice mixture, a composition of escaping gases similar to that detected by Cassini in the Enceladus plume can be generated by the sublimation of the H2O:CO2:CH4:N2 mixture at temperatures between 135 and 155 K, comparable to the high temperatures inferred from the CIRS measurements [Spencer, J.R., Pearl, J.C., Segura, M., Flasar, F.M., Mamoutkine, A., Romani, P., Buratti, B.J., Hendrix, A.R., Spilker, L.J., Lopes, R.M.C., 2006. Science 311, 1401-1405] of the Enceladus “tiger stripes.” This suggests that the gas escape phenomena that we measure in our experiments are an important process contributing to the gases emitted from Enceladus. A similar experiment for ice deposited at 70 K shows that both the processes of volatile trapping and release are temperature dependent over the temperature range relevant to Enceladus.  相似文献   

6.
We performed photometry of Cassini Visual Infrared Mapping Spectrometer observations of Iapetus to produce the first phase integrals calculated directly from solar phase curves of Iapetus for the leading hemisphere and to estimate the phase integrals for the trailing hemisphere. We also explored the phase integral dependence on wavelength and geometric albedo. The extreme dichotomy of the brightness of the leading and trailing sides of Iapetus is reflected in their phase integrals. Our phase integrals, which are lower than the results of Morrison et al. (Morrison, D., Jones, T.J., Cruikshank, D.P., Murphy, R.E. [1975]. Icarus 24, 157-171) and Squyres et al. (Squyres, S.W., Buratti, B.J., Veverka, J., Sagan, C. [1984]. Icarus 59, 426-435), have profound implications on the energy balance and volatile transport on this icy satellite.  相似文献   

7.
We present spectra of Saturn's icy satellites Mimas, Enceladus, Tethys, Dione, Rhea, and Hyperion, 1.0-2.5 μm, with data extending to shorter (Mimas and Enceladus) and longer (Rhea and Dione) wavelengths for certain objects. The spectral resolution (R=λλ) of the data shown here is in the range 800-1000, depending on the specific instrument and configuration used; this is higher than the resolution (R=225 at 3 μm) afforded by the Visual-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer on the Cassini spacecraft. All of the spectra are dominated by water ice absorption bands and no other features are clearly identified. Spectra of all of these satellites show the characteristic signature of hexagonal H2O ice at 1.65 μm. We model the leading hemisphere of Rhea in the wavelength range 0.3-3.6 μm with the Hapke and the Shkuratov radiative transfer codes and discuss the relative merits of the two approaches to fitting the spectrum. In calculations with both codes, the only components used are H2O ice, which is the dominant constituent, and a small amount of tholin (Ice Tholin II). Tholin in small quantities (few percent, depending on the mixing mechanism) appears to be an essential component to give the basic red color of the satellite in the region 0.3-1.0 μm. The quantity and mode of mixing of tholin that can produce the intense coloration of Rhea and other icy satellites has bearing on its likely presence in many other icy bodies of the outer Solar System, both of high and low geometric albedos. Using the modeling codes, we also establish detection limits for the ices of CO2 (a few weight percent, depending on particle size and mixing), CH4 (same), and NH4OH (0.5 weight percent) in our globally averaged spectra of Rhea's leading hemisphere. New laboratory spectral data for NH4OH are presented for the purpose of detection on icy bodies. These limits for CO2, CH4, and NH4OH on Rhea are also applicable to the other icy satellites for which spectra are presented here. The reflectance spectrum of Hyperion shows evidence for a broad, unidentified absorption band centered at 1.75 μm.  相似文献   

8.
We present here a search for solid ethane, C2H6, on the surfaces of Pluto and Triton, based on near-infrared spectral observations in the H and K bands (1.4-2.45 μm) using the Very Large Telescope (VLT) and the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT). We model each surface using a radiative transfer model based on Hapke theory (Hapke, B. [1993]. Theory of Reflectance and Emittance Spectroscopy. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK) with three basic models: without ethane, with pure ethane, and with ethane diluted in nitrogen. On Pluto we detect weak features near 2.27, 2.405, 2.457, and 2.461 μm that match the strongest features of pure ethane. An additional feature seen at 2.317 μm is shifted to longer wavelengths than ethane by at least 0.002 μm. The strength of the features seen in the models suggests that pure ethane is limited to no more than a few percent of the surface of Pluto. On Triton, features in the H band could potentially be explained by ethane diluted in N2, however, the lack of corresponding features in the K band makes this unlikely (also noted by Quirico et al. (Quirico, E., Doute, S., Schmitt, B., de Bergh, C., Cruikshank, D.P., Owen, T.C., Geballe, T.R., Roush, T.L. [1999]. Icarus 139, 159-178)). While Cruikshank et al. (Cruikshank, D.P., Mason, R.E., Dalle Ore, C.M., Bernstein, M.P., Quirico, E., Mastrapa, R.M., Emery, J.P., Owen, T.C. [2006]. Bull. Am. Astron. Soc. 38, 518) find that the 2.406-μm feature on Triton could not be completely due to 13CO, our models show that it could not be accounted for entirely by ethane either. The multiple origin of this feature complicates constraints on the contribution of ethane for both bodies.  相似文献   

9.
Io’s sublimation-driven atmosphere is modeled using the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method. These rarefied gas dynamics simulations improve upon earlier models by using a three-dimensional domain encompassing the entire planet computed in parallel. The effects of plasma heating, planetary rotation, inhomogeneous surface frost, molecular residence time of SO2 on the exposed (non-volatile) rocky surface, and surface temperature distribution are investigated. Circumplanetary flow is predicted to develop from the warm dayside toward the cooler nightside. Io’s rotation leads to a highly asymmetric frost surface temperature distribution (due to the frost’s high thermal inertia) which results in circumplanetary flow that is not axi-symmetric about the subsolar point. The non-equilibrium thermal structure of the atmosphere, specifically vibrational and rotational temperatures, is also examined. Plasma heating is found to significantly inflate the atmosphere on both the dayside and nightside. The plasma energy flux causes high temperatures at high altitudes but plasma energy depletion through the dense gas column above the warmest frost permits gas temperatures cooler than the surface at low altitudes. A frost map (Douté, S., Schmitt, B., Lopes-Gautier, R., Carlson, R., Soderblom, L., Shirley, J., and the Galileo NIMS Team [2001]. Icarus 149, 107-132) is used to control the sublimated flux of SO2 which can result in inhomogeneous column densities that vary by nearly a factor of four for the same surface temperature. A short residence time for SO2 molecules on the “rock” component is found to smooth lateral atmospheric inhomogeneities caused by variations in the surface frost distribution, creating an atmosphere that looks nearly identical to one with uniform frost coverage. A longer residence time is found to agree better with mid-infrared observations (Spencer, J.R., Lellouch, E., Richter, M.J., López-Valverde, M.A., Jessup, K.L, Greathouse, T.K., Flaud, J. [2005]. Icarus 176, 283-304) and reproduce the observed anti-jovian/sub-jovian column density asymmetry. The computed peak dayside column density for Io assuming a surface frost temperature of 115 K agrees with those suggested by Lyman-α observations (Feaga, L.M., McGrath, M., Feldman, P.D. [2009]. Icarus 201, 570-584). On the other hand, the peak dayside column density at 120 K is a factor of five larger and is higher than the upper range of observations (Jessup, K.L., Spencer, J.R., Ballester, G.E., Howell, R.R., Roesler, F., Vigel, M., Yelle, R. [2004]. Icarus 169, 197-215; Spencer et al., 2005).  相似文献   

10.
We present a far ultraviolet (FUV) spectrum of Saturn’s moon Enceladus from the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). We have put upper limits on emission from C, N, and O lines in Enceladus’ atmosphere and column densities for the C lines assuming solar resonance scattering. We find these upper limits to be relatively low—on the order of tens to thousands of Rayleighs and with C column densities on the order of 108–1015 cm?2, depending on the assumed source size. We also present a segment of a reflectance spectrum in the FUV from ~1900–2130 Å. This region was sensitive to the different ice mixtures in the model spectra reported by Hendrix et al. (Hendrix, A.R., Hansen, C.J., Holsclaw, G.M. [2010]. Icarus, 206, 608). We find the spectrum brightens quickly longward of ~1900 Å, constraining the absorption band observed by Hendrix et al. from ~170 to 190 nm. We find our data is consistent with the suggestion of Hendrix et al. of the presence of ammonia ice (or ammonia hydrate) to darken that region, and also possibly tholins to darken the mid-UV, as reported by Verbiscer et al. (Verbiscer, A.J., French, R.G., McGhee, C.A. [2005]. Icarus, 173, 66).  相似文献   

11.
Observations of Saturn's distant moon Phoebe were made at far-ultraviolet (FUV) (1100-1900 Å) and extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) (600-1100 Å) wavelengths by the Cassini Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) during the Cassini spacecraft flyby on June 11, 2004. These are the first UV spectra of Phoebe and the first detection of water ice on a Solar System surface using FUV wavelengths. The characteristics of water ice in the FUV are presented, and Hapke models are used to interpret the spectra in terms of composition and grain size; the use of both areal and intimate mixing models is explored. Non-ice species used in these models include carbon, ice tholin, Triton tholin, poly-HCN and kerogen. Satisfactory disk-integrated fits are obtained for intimate mixtures of ∼10% H2O plus a non-ice species. Spatially resolved regions of higher (∼20%) and lower (∼5%) H2O ice concentrations are also detected. Phoebe does not display any evidence of volatile activity. Upper limits on atomic oxygen and carbon are 5×1011 and 2×1012 atoms/cm2, respectively, for solar photon scattering. The UVIS detection of water ice on Phoebe, and the ice amounts detected, are consistent with IR measurements and contribute to the evidence for a Phoebe origin in the outer Solar System rather than in the main asteroid belt.  相似文献   

12.
The near-infrared spectrum of Titan, Saturn's largest moon and one of the Cassini/Huygens' space mission primary targets, covers the 0.8 to 5 micron region in which it shows several weak CH4 absorption regions, and in particular one centered near 2.75 micron. Due to the interference of telluric absorption, only part of this window region (2.9-3.1 μm) has previously been observed from the ground [Noll, K.S., Geballe, T.R., Knacke, R., Pendleton, F., Yvonne, J., 1996. Icarus 124, 625-631; Griffith, C.A., Owen, T., Miller, G.A., Geballe, T., 1998. Nature 395, 575-578; Griffith, C.A., Owen, T., Geballe, T.R., Rayner, J., Rannou, P., 2003. Science 300, 628-630; Geballe, T.R., Kim, S.J., Noll, K.S., Griffith, C.A., 2003. Astrophys. J. 583, L39-L42]. We report here on the first spectroscopic observations of Titan covering the whole 2.4-4.9 μm region by two instruments on board the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) in 1997. These observations show the 2.75-μm window in its complete extent for the first time. In this study we have also used a high-resolution Titan spectrum in the 2.9-3.6 μm region taken with the Keck [Geballe, T.R., Kim, S.J., Noll, K.S., Griffith, C.A., 2003. Astrophys. J. 583, L39-L42; Kim, S.J., Geballe, T.R., Noll, K.S., Courtin, R., 2005. Icarus 173, 522-532] to infer information on the atmospheric parameters (haze extinction, single scattering albedo, methane abundance, etc.) by fitting the methane bands with a detailed microphysical model of Titan's atmosphere (updated from Rannou, P., McKay, C.P., Lorenz, R.D., 2003. Planet. Space Sci. 51, 963-976). We have included in this study an updated version of a database for the CH4 absorption coefficients [STDS, Wenger, Ch., Champion, J.-P., 1998. J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transfer 59, 471-480. See also http://www.u-bourgogne.fr/LPUB/TSM/sTDS.html for latest updates; Boudon, V., Champion, J.-P., Gabard, T., Loëte, M., Michelot, F., Pierre, G., Rotger, M., Wenger, Ch., Rey, M., 2004. J. Mol. Spectrosc. 228, 620-634]. For the atmosphere we find that (a) the haze extinction profile that best matches the data is one with higher (by 40%) extinction in the atmosphere with respect to Rannou et al. (2003) down to about 30 km where a complete cut-off occurs; (b) the methane mixing ratio at Titan's surface cannot exceed 3% on a disk-average basis, yielding a maximum CH4 column abundance of 2.27 km-am in Titan's atmosphere. From the derived surface albedo spectrum in the 2.7-3.08 micron region, we bring some constraints on Titan's surface composition. The albedo in the center of the methane window varies from 0.01 to 0.08. These values, compared to others reported in the other methane windows, show a strong compatibility with the water ice spectrum in the near-infrared. Without confirming its existence from this work alone, our data then appear to be compatible with water ice. A variety of other ices, such as CO2, NH3, tholin material or hydrocarbon liquid cannot be excluded from our data, but an additional unidentified component with a signature around 2.74 micron is required to satisfy the data.  相似文献   

13.
Wei-Ling Tseng  Wing-Huen Ip 《Icarus》2011,212(1):294-299
The existence of an oxygen exosphere and ionosphere in Saturn’s main ring region has been confirmed by the Saturn Orbital Insertion (SOI) observations of the Cassini spacecraft. Through the ion-molecule collisions, the ring atmosphere could serve as a source of ions throughout Saturn’s magnetosphere. If photolysis of ice in the main rings is the dominant source of O2, then the complex structure of the ring atmosphere/ionosphere and the injection rate of neutral O2 will be subject to modulation by the seasonal variation of Saturn along its orbit (Tseng, Wei-Ling, Ip, W.-H., Johnson, R.E., Cassidy, T.A., Erlod, M.K. [2010]. Icarus 206, 382-389). In addition, the radio and plasma wave science (RPWS) instrument onboard Cassini found that a large amount of the Enceladus-originated water-group plasma would be deposited on the outer edge of the A ring (Farrell, W.M., Kaiser, M.L., Gurnett, D.A., Kurth, W.S., Persoon, A.M., Wahlund, J.E., Canu, P. [2008]. Geophys. Res. Lett. 35, L02203). A large amount of Enceladus’ plume neutrals (water-group neutrals) would collide with the main rings through collisional interaction with the ambient neutrals and plasma ions (Jurac, S., Richardson, J.D. [2007]. Geophys. Res. Lett. 34, L08102; Cassidy, T.A., Johnson, R.E. [2010]. Icarus, in press). These absorbed ions and neutrals could be recycled to neutral oxygen molecules via grain-surface chemistry to contribute the ring oxygen atmosphere. In this work, we have examined the mass budget of the ring oxygen atmosphere of Saturn taking into account such an “exogenic” source. The maximum O2 source rate from recycling of Enceladus-originated plasma and neutrals is probably comparable or higher to the one from photolytic decomposition of ices. In the above case, the neutral O2 source rate would be independent of the solar insolation angle. Therefore, even at Saturn’s Equinox, the extended oxygen atmosphere still could be an important supplier of oxygen ions in the saturnian magnetosphere. We have performed several studies for different recycling source rates from Enceladus. These predictions need further the Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (CAPS) and the Magnetospheric Imaging Instrument (MIMI) observations to be verified in future.  相似文献   

14.
L.A. Sromovsky  P.M. Fry 《Icarus》2010,210(1):230-257
The Cassini flyby of Jupiter in 2000 provided spatially resolved spectra of Jupiter’s atmosphere using the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS). A prominent characteristic of these spectra is the presence of a strong absorption at wavelengths from about 2.9 μm to 3.1 μm, previously noticed in a 3-μm spectrum obtained by the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) in 1996. While Brooke et al. (Brooke, T.Y., Knacke, R.F., Encrenaz, T., Drossart, P., Crisp, D., Feuchtgruber, H. [1998]. Icarus 136, 1-13) were able to fit the ISO spectrum very well using ammonia ice as the sole source of particulate absorption, Sromovsky and Fry (Sromovsky, L.A., Fry, P.M. [2010]. Icarus 210, 211-229), using significantly revised NH3 gas absorption models, showed that ammonium hydrosulfide (NH4SH) provided a better fit to the ISO spectrum than NH3, but that the best fit was obtained when both NH3 and NH4SH were present in the clouds. Although the large FOV of the ISO instrument precluded identification of the spatial distribution of these two components, the VIMS spectra at low and intermediate phase angles show that 3-μm absorption is present in zones and belts, in every region investigated, and both low- and high-opacity samples are best fit with a combination of NH4SH and NH3 particles at all locations. The best fits are obtained with a layer of small ammonia-coated particles (r ∼ 0.3 μm) overlying but often close to an optically thicker but still modest layer of much larger NH4SH particles (r ∼ 10 μm), with a deeper optically thicker layer, which might also be composed of NH4SH. Although these fits put NH3 ice at pressures less than 500 mb, this is not inconsistent with the lack of prominent NH3 features in Jupiter’s longwave spectrum because the reflectivity of the core particles strongly suppresses the NH3 absorption features, at both near-IR and thermal wavelengths. Unlike Jupiter, Saturn lacks the broad 3-μm absorption feature, but does exhibit a small absorption near 2.965 μm, which resembles a similar jovian feature and suggests that both planets contain upper tropospheric clouds of sub-micron particles containing ammonia as a minor fraction.  相似文献   

15.
We apply a multivariate statistical method to the Phoebe spectra collected by the VIMS experiment onboard the Cassini spacecraft during the flyby of June 2004. The G-mode clustering method, which permits identification of the most important features in a spectrum, is used on a small subset of data, characterized by medium and high spatial resolution, to perform a raw spectral classification of the surface of Phoebe. The combination of statistics and comparative analysis of the different areas using both the VIMS and ISS data is explored in order to highlight possible correlations with the surface geology. In general, the results by Clark et al. [Clark, R.N., Brown, R.H., Jaumann, R., Cruikshank, D.P., Nelson, R.M., Buratti, B.J., McCord, T.B., Lunine, J., Hoefen, T., Curchin, J.M., Hansen, G., Hibbitts, K., Matz, K.-D., Baines, K.H., Bellucci, G., Bibring, J.-P., Capaccioni, F., Cerroni, P., Coradini, A., Formisano, V., Langevin, Y., Matson, D.L., Mennella, V., Nicholson, P.D., Sicardy, B., Sotin, C., 2005. Nature 435, 66-69] are confirmed; but we also identify new signatures not reported before, such as the aliphatic CH stretch at 3.53 μm and the ∼4.4 μm feature possibly related to cyanide compounds. On the basis of the band strengths computed for several absorption features and for the homogeneous spectral types isolated by the G-mode, a strong correlation of CO2 and aromatic hydrocarbons with exposed water ice, where the uniform layer covering Phoebe has been removed, is established. On the other hand, an anti-correlation of cyanide compounds with CO2 is suggested at a medium resolution scale.  相似文献   

16.
The nominal tour of the Cassini mission enabled the first spectra and solar phase curves of the small inner satellites of Saturn. We present spectra from the Visual Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) and the Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) that span the 0.25-5.1 μm spectral range. The composition of Atlas, Pandora, Janus, Epimetheus, Calypso, and Telesto is primarily water ice, with a small amount (∼5%) of contaminant, which most likely consists of hydrocarbons. The optical properties of the “shepherd” satellites and the coorbitals are tied to the A-ring, while those of the Tethys Lagrangians are tied to the E-ring of Saturn. The color of the satellites becomes progressively bluer with distance from Saturn, presumably from the increased influence of the E-ring; Telesto is as blue as Enceladus. Janus and Epimetheus have very similar spectra, although the latter appears to have a thicker coating of ring material. For at least four of the satellites, we find evidence for the spectral line at 0.68 μm that Vilas et al. [Vilas, F., Larsen, S.M., Stockstill, K.R., Gaffley, M.J., 1996. Icarus 124, 262-267] attributed to hydrated iron minerals on Iapetus and Hyperion. However, it is difficult to produce a spectral mixing model that includes this component. We find no evidence for CO2 on any of the small satellites. There was a sufficient excursion in solar phase angle to create solar phase curves for Janus and Telesto. They bear a close similarity to the solar phase curves of the medium-sized inner icy satellites. Preliminary spectral modeling suggests that the contaminant on these bodies is not the same as the exogenously placed low-albedo material on Iapetus, but is rather a native material. The lack of CO2 on the small inner satellites also suggests that their low-albedo material is distinct from that on Iapetus, Phoebe, and Hyperion.  相似文献   

17.
We calculate the D/H ratio of CH4 from serpentinization on Titan to determine whether Titan’s atmospheric CH4 was originally produced inside the giant satellite. This is done by performing equilibrium isotopic fractionation calculations in the CH4-H2O-H2 system, with the assumption that the bulk D/H ratio of the system is equivalent to that of the H2O in the plume of Enceladus. These calculations show that the D/H ratio of hydrothermally produced CH4 would be markedly higher than that of atmospheric CH4 on Titan. The implication is that Titan’s CH4 is a primordial chemical species that was accreted by the moon during its formation. There are two evolutionary scenarios that are consistent with the apparent absence of endogenic CH4 in Titan’s atmosphere. The first is that hydrothermal systems capable of making CH4 never existed on Titan because Titan’s interior has always been too cold. The second is that hydrothermal systems on Titan were sufficiently oxidized so that C existed in them predominately in the form of CO2. The latter scenario naturally predicts the formation of endogenic N2, providing a new hypothesis for the origin of Titan’s atmospheric N2: the hydrothermal oxidation of 15N-enriched NH3. A primordial origin for CH4 and an endogenic origin for N2 are self-consistent, but both hypotheses need to be tested further by acquiring isotopic data, especially the D/H ratio of CH4 in comets, and the 15N/14N ratio of NH3 in comets and that of N2 in one of Enceladus’ plumes.  相似文献   

18.
Aspects of two qualitative models of Enceladus’ dust plume—the so-called “Cold Faithful” [Porco, C.C., et al., 2006. Cassini observes the active south pole of Enceladus. Science 311, 1393-1401; Ingersoll, A.P., et al., 2006. Models of the Enceladus plumes. In: Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, vol. 38, p. 508] and “Frigid Faithful” [Kieffer, S.W., et al., 2006. A clathrate reservoir hypothesis for Enceladus’ south polar plume. Science 314, 1764; Gioia, G., et al., 2007. Unified model of tectonics and heat transport in a Frigid Enceladus. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 104, 13578-13591] models—are analyzed quantitatively. The former model assumes an explosive boiling of subsurface liquid water, when pressure exerted by the ice crust is suddenly released due to an opening crack. In the latter model the existence of a deep shell of clathrates below Enceladus’ south pole is conjectured; clathrates can decompose explosively when exposed to vacuum through a fracture in the outer icy shell. For the Cold Faithful model we estimate the maximal velocity of ice grains, originating from water splashing in explosive boiling. We find that for water near the triple point this velocity is far too small to explain the observed plume properties. For the Frigid Faithful model we consider the problem of momentum transfer from gas to ice particles. It arises since any change in the direction of the gas flow in the cracks of the shell requires re-acceleration of the entrained grains. While this effect may explain the observed speed difference of gas and grains if the gas evaporates from triple point temperature (273.15 K) [Schmidt, J., et al., 2008. Formation of Enceladus dust plume. Nature 451, 685], the low temperatures of the Frigid Faithful model imply a too dilute vapor to support the observed high particle fluxes in Enceladus’ plume.  相似文献   

19.
The origin of Saturn’s inner mid-sized moons (Mimas, Enceladus, Tethys, Dione and Rhea) and Saturn’s rings is debated. Charnoz et al. [Charnoz, S., Salmon J., Crida A., 2010. Nature 465, 752–754] introduced the idea that the smallest inner moons could form from the spreading of the rings’ edge while Salmon et al. [Salmon, J., Charnoz, S., Crida, A., Brahic, A., 2010. Icarus 209, 771–785] showed that the rings could have been initially massive, and so was the ring’s progenitor itself. One may wonder if the mid-sized moons may have formed also from the debris of a massive ring progenitor, as also suggested by Canup [Canup, R., 2010. Nature 468, 943–946]. However, the process driving mid-sized moon accretion from the icy debris disks has not been investigated in details. In particular, Canup’s (2010) model does not seem able to explain the varying silicate contents of the mid-sized moons (from 6% to 57% in mass). Here, we explore the formation of large objects from a massive ice-rich ring (a few times Rhea’s mass) and describe the fundamental properties and implications of this new process. Using a hybrid computer model, we show that accretion within massive icy rings can form all mid-sized moons from Mimas to Rhea. However in order to explain their current locations, intense dissipation within Saturn (with Qp < 2000) is required. Our results are consistent with a satellite origin tied to the rings formation at least 2.5 Gy ago, both compatible with either a formation concurrent to Saturn or during the Late Heavy Bombardment. Tidal heating related to high-eccentricity post-accretional episodes may induce early geological activity. If some massive irregular chunks of silicates were initially present within the rings, they would be present today inside the satellites’ cores which would have accreted icy shells while being tidally expelled from the rings (via a heterogeneous accretion process). These moons may be either mostly icy, or, if they contain a significant amount of rock, already differentiated from the ice without the need for radiogenic heating. The resulting inner mid-sized moons may be significantly younger than the Solar System and a ∼1 Gyr formation delay is possible between Mimas and Rhea. The rings resulting from this process would evolve to a state compatible with current mass estimates of Saturn’s rings, and nearly devoid of silicates, apart from isolated silicate chunks coated with ice, interpreted as today Saturn’s rings’ propellers and ring-moons (like Pan or Daphnis).  相似文献   

20.
Cassini Visual Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) observations of Mimas, Tethys, and Dione obtained during the nominal and extended missions at large solar phase angles were analyzed to search for plume activity. No forward scattered peaks in the solar phase curves of these satellites were detected. The upper limit on water vapor production for Mimas and Tethys is one order of magnitude less than the production for Enceladus. For Dione, the upper limit is two orders of magnitude less, suggesting this world is as inert as Rhea (Pitman, K.M., Buratti, B.J., Mosher, J.A., Bauer, J.M., Momary, T., Brown, R.H., Nicholson, P.D., Hedman, M.M. [2008]. Astrophys. J. Lett. 680, L65-L68). Although the plumes are best seen at ∼2.0 μm, Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) Narrow Angle Camera images obtained at the same time as the VIMS data were also inspected for these features. None of the Cassini ISS images shows evidence for plumes. The absence of evidence for any Enceladus-like plumes on the medium-sized saturnian satellites cannot absolutely rule out current geologic activity. The activity may below our threshold of detection, or it may be occurring but not captured on the handful of observations at large solar phase angles obtained for each moon. Many VIMS and ISS images of Enceladus at large solar phase angles, for example, do not contain plumes, as the active “tiger stripes” in the south pole region are pointed away from the spacecraft at these times. The 7-year Cassini Solstice Mission is scheduled to gather additional measurements at large solar phase angles that are capable of revealing activity on the saturnian moons.  相似文献   

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