On the dynamical stability of the very low-mass object Gliese 22 Bb

Gliese 22 is a hierarchical triple red dwarf system formed by two close components, Aa and Ab, and a distant component, B, which is moving around the center of mass of the first two.The possible existence of a fourth very low-mass object (15 Jupiter mass) orbiting around component B was reported by Docobo et al. (Docobo, J.A. et al. [2007]. IAU Commun. 26, 3-4). In this probable scenario with four bodies, component B would be in reality two: star Ba and the new object, Bb.Two full three-dimensional accurate (circular and elliptical) solutions for the orbit of Bb have been obtained, along with an improved arrangement of the system masses. In addition, such a multiple system is analyzed by means of a (2 + 2)-body model considering its evolution during 10 Myr. In particular, we have studied its apsidal motion in order to eventually find any evidence of chaotic behavior. The nature of the new object as a giant planet or a brown star is also discussed.     

The reflectance spectrum of Titan's surface at the Huygens landing site determined by the descent imager/spectral radiometer

The descent imager/spectral radiometer aboard the Huygens probe successfully acquired images and spectra of the surface of Titan. To counter the effects of haze and atmospheric methane absorption it carried a surface science lamp to illuminate the surface just before landing. We reconstruct the reflectance spectrum of the landing site in the 500-1500 nm range from downward looking visual and infrared spectrometers data that show evidence of lamp light. Our reconstruction is a followup to the analysis by Tomasko et al. [2005. Rain, winds and haze during the Huygens probe's descent to Titan's surface. Nature 438, 765-778], who scaled their result to the ratio of the up- and down flux measured just before landing. Instead, we use the lamp flux from the calibration experiment, and find a significantly higher overall reflectance. We attribute this to a phase angle dependance, possibly representing the opposition surge commonly encountered on solar system bodies. The reconstruction in the visible wavelength range is greatly improved. Here, the reflectance spectrum features a red slope, consistent with the presence of organic material. We confirm the blue slope in the near-IR, featureless apart from a single shallow absorption feature at 1500 nm. We agree with Tomasko et al. that the evidence for water ice is inconclusive. By modeling of absorption bands we find a methane mixing ratio of 4.5±0.5% just above the surface. There is no evidence for the presence of liquid methane, but the data do not rule out a wet soil at a depth of several centimeters.     

Measurements of methane absorption by the descent imager/spectral radiometer (DISR) during its descent through Titan's atmosphere

New low-temperature methane absorption coefficients pertinent to the Titan environment are presented as derived from the Huygens DISR spectral measurements combined with the in-situ measurements of the methane gas abundance profile measured by the Huygens Gas Chromatograph/Mass Spectrometer (GCMS). The visible and near-infrared spectrometers of the descent imager/spectral radiometer (DISR) instrument on the Huygens probe looked upward and downward covering wavelengths from 480 to 1620 nm at altitudes from 150 km to the surface during the descent to Titan's surface. The measurements at continuum wavelengths were used to determine the vertical distribution, single-scattering albedos, and phase functions of the aerosols. The gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer (GCMS) instrument on the probe measured the methane mixing ratio throughout the descent. The DISR measurements are the first direct measurements of the absorbing properties of methane gas made in the atmosphere of Titan at the pathlengths, pressures, and temperatures that occur there. Here we use the DISR spectral measurements to determine the relative methane absorptions at different wavelengths along the path from the probe to the sun throughout the descent. These transmissions as functions of methane path length are fit by exponential sums and used in a haze radiative transfer model to compare the results to the spectra measured by DISR. We also compare the recent laboratory measurements of methane absorption at low temperatures [Irwin et al., 2006. Improved near-infrared methane band models and k-distribution parameters from 2000 to 9500 cm⁻¹ and implications for interpretation of outer planet spectra. Icarus 181, 309-319] with the DISR measurements. We find that the strong bands formed at low pressures on Titan act as if they have roughly half the absorption predicted by the laboratory measurements, while the weak absorption regions absorb considerably more than suggested by some extrapolations of warm measurements to the cold Titan temperatures. We give factors as a function of wavelength that can be used with the published methane coefficients between 830 and 1620 nm to give agreement with the DISR measurements. We also give exponential sum coefficients for methane absorptions that fit the DISR observations. We find the DISR observations of the weaker methane bands shortward of 830 nm agree with the methane coefficients given by Karkoschka [1994. Spectrophotometry of the jovian planets and Titan at 300- to 1000-nm wavelength: the methane spectrum. Icarus 111, 174-192]. Finally, we discuss the implications of our results for computations of methane absorption in the atmospheres of the outer planets.     

Follow‐up spectroscopic observations of HD 107148 B: A new white dwarf companion of an exoplanet host star

We report on our follow‐up spectroscopy of HD 1071478 B, a recently detected faint co‐moving companion of the exoplanet host star HD 107148 A. The companion is separated from its primary star by about 35″ (or 1790 AU of projected separation) and its optical and near infrared photometry is consistent with a white dwarf, located at the distance of HD 107148 A. In order to confirm the white dwarf nature of the co‐moving companion, we obtained follow‐up spectroscopic observations of HD 107148 B with CAFOS at the CAHA 2.2 m telescope. According to our CAFOS spectroscopy HD 107148 B is a DA white dwarf with an effective temperature in the range between 5900 and 6400K. The properties of HD 107148 B can further be constrained with the derived effective temperature and the known visual and infrared photometry of the companion, using evolutionary models of DA white dwarfs. We obtain for HD 107148 B a mass of 0.56 ± 0.05 M_⊙, a luminosity of (2.0 ± 0.2) × 10^–4 L_⊙, log g [cm s^–2]) = 7.95 ± 0.09, and a cooling age of 2100 ± 270 Myr. With its white dwarf companion the exoplanet host star HD 107148 A forms an evolved stellar system, which hosts at least one exoplanet. So far, only few of these evolved systems are known, which represent only about 5 % of all known exoplanet host multiple stellar systems. HD 107148 B is the second confirmed white dwarf companion of an exoplanet host star with a projected separation to its primary star of more than 1000 AU. (© 2016 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

The Discovery of a Second Field Methane Brown Dwarf from Sloan Digital Sky Survey Commissioning Data

We report the discovery of a second field methane brown dwarf from the commissioning data of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). The object, SDSS J134646.45-003150.4 (hereafter SDSS 1346-00), was selected because of its very red color and stellar appearance. Its spectrum between 0.8 and 2.5 μm is dominated by strong absorption bands of H2O and CH4 and closely mimics those of Gliese 229B and SDSS 162414.37+002915.6 (hereafter SDSS 1624+00), two other known methane brown dwarfs. SDSS 1346-00 is approximately 1.5 mag fainter than Gliese 229B, suggesting that it lies about 11 pc from the Sun. The ratio of flux at 2.1 μm to that at 1.27 μm is larger for SDSS 1346-00 than for Gliese 229B and SDSS 1624+00, which suggests that SDSS 1346-00 has a slightly higher effective temperature than the others. Based on a search area of 130 deg2 and a detection limit of z*=19.8, we estimate a space density of 0.05 pc-3 for methane brown dwarfs with Teff approximately 1000 K in the 40 pc3 volume of our search. This estimate is based on small-sample statistics and should be treated with appropriate caution.     

Determination of the complex refractive indices of Titan haze analogs using photothermal deflection spectroscopy

The spectrometers of the Cassini mission to the Saturn system have detected haze layers reaching up to 800 km in Titan’s atmosphere. Knowledge of the complex refractive index (k) of the haze is important for modeling the surface and atmosphere of Titan and retrieving some information about the functional groups present in the aerosols. Plasma discharges or ultraviolet radiation are commonly used to drive the formation of solid organics assumed to be good analogs of the Titan aerosols. [Tran, B.N., Ferris, J.P., Chera, J.J., 2003a. The photochemical formation of a Titan haze analog. Structural analysis by X-ray photoelectron and infrared spectroscopy. Icarus 162, 114-124; Tran, B.N., Force, M., Briggs, R., Ferris J.P., Persans, P., Chera, J.J., 2008. Photochemical processes on Titan: Irradiation of mixtures of gases that simulate Titan’s atmosphere. Icarus 177, 106-115] reported the index of refraction of analogs synthesized by far ultraviolet irradiation of various gas mixtures. k was determined in the 200-800 nm wavelength range from transmission and reflection spectroscopy. However, this technique is limited by (i) uncertainties in the absorption values because of the small amounts of organics available, (ii) light scattering by the surface roughness and particulates in the sample. These limitations prompted us to perform new measurements using photothermal deflection spectroscopy (PDS), a technique based on the conversion of absorbed light into heat in the material of interest. By combining traditional spectroscopy (λ < 500 nm) and PDS (λ > 500 nm), we determined values of k over the 375-1550 nm range. k values as low as 10⁻⁴ above 1000 nm were determined. This is one order of magnitude lower than the measurements generally used as a reference for Titan’s aerosols analogs [Khare, B.N., Sagan, C., Arakawa, E.T., Suits, F., Callicott, T.A., Williams, M.W., 1984. Optical-constants of organic Tholins produced in a simulated Titanian atmosphere—from soft-X-ray to microwave-frequencies. Icarus 60(1), 127-137]. We recommend that these results were used in models to describe the optical properties of the aerosols produced in Titan’s stratosphere.     

Convective cloud heights as a diagnostic for methane environment on Titan

The appearance of convective clouds in Titan’s troposphere has been documented from ground-based observation for more than a decade. Cloud tops have been reported between 14 and 25 km. Higher resolution Cassini data have shown smaller portions of the cloud system can reach up to 42 km. We use the Titan Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (TRAMS) to explore environments which allow convective clouds to reach the tropopause. In general, cloud tops remain below 30 km, but for environments where the surface humidity of methane is greater than 50%, a small portion at the center of the cloud rises briefly to higher altitudes; for ?65% humidity, the cloud top reaches nearly to the tropopause (∼40 km). A number of other parameters also have noticeable affects on cloud top such as nucleation critical saturation, haze abundance, and collisional growth of cloud particles.     

The near-IR spectrum of Titan modeled with an improved methane line list

We have obtained spatially resolved spectra of Titan in the near-infrared J, H and K bands at a resolving power of ∼5000 using the near-infrared integral field spectrometer (NIFS) on the Gemini North 8 m telescope. Using recent data from the Cassini/Huygens mission on the atmospheric composition and surface and aerosol properties, we develop a multiple-scattering radiative transfer model for the Titan atmosphere. The Titan spectrum at these wavelengths is dominated by absorption due to methane with a series of strong absorption band systems separated by window regions where the surface of Titan can be seen. We use a line-by-line approach to derive the methane absorption coefficients. The methane spectrum is only accurately represented in standard line lists down to ∼2.1 μm. However, by making use of recent laboratory data and modeling of the methane spectrum we are able to construct a new line list that can be used down to 1.3 μm. The new line list allows us to generate spectra that are a good match to the observations at all wavelengths longer than 1.3 μm and allow us to model regions, such as the 1.55 μm window that could not be studied usefully with previous line lists such as HITRAN 2008. We point out the importance of the far-wing line shape of strong methane lines in determining the shape of the methane windows. Line shapes with Lorentzian, and sub-Lorentzian regions are needed to match the shape of the windows, but different shape parameters are needed for the 1.55 μm and 2 μm windows. After the methane lines are modeled our observations are sensitive to additional absorptions, and we use the data in the 1.55 μm region to determine a D/H ratio of 1.77 ± 0.20 × 10⁻⁴, and a CO mixing ratio of 50 ± 11 ppmv. In the 2 μm window we detect absorption features that can be identified with the ν₅ + 3ν₆ and 2ν₃ + 2ν₆ bands of CH₃D.     

New laboratory measurements of CH4 in Titan's conditions and a reanalysis of the DISR near-surface spectra at the Huygens landing site

Laboratory spectra of methane-nitrogen mixtures have been recorded in the near-infrared range (1.0-1.65 μm) in conditions similar to Titan's near surface, to facilitate the interpretation of the DISR/DLIS (DISR—Descent Imager/Spectral Radiometer) spectra taken during the last phase of the descent of the Huygens Probe, when the surface was illuminated by a surface-science lamp. We used a 0.03 cm⁻¹ spectral resolution, adequate to resolve the lines at high pressure (p_N2∼1.5 bar). By comparing the laboratory spectra with synthetic calculations in the well-studied ν₂+2ν₃ band (7515-7620 cm⁻¹), we determine a methane absorption column density of 178±20 cm atm and a temperature of 118±10 K in our experiment. From this, we derive the methane absorption coefficients over 1.0-1.65 μm with a 0.03 cm⁻¹ sampling, allowing for the extrapolation of the results to any other methane column density under the relevant pressure and temperature conditions. We then revisit the calibration and analysis of the Titan “lamp-on” DLIS spectra. We infer a 5.1±0.8% methane-mixing ratio in the first 25 m of Titan's atmosphere. The CH₄ mixing ratio measured 90 s after landing from a distance of 45 cm is found to be 0.92±0.25 times this value, thus showing no post-landing outgassing of methane in excess of ∼20%. Finally, we determine the surface reflectivity as seen between 25 m and 45 cm and find that the 1500 nm absorption band is deeper in the post-landing spectrum as compared to pre-landing.     

Optical properties of Titan and early Earth haze laboratory analogs in the mid-visible

Scattering and absorption of sunlight by aerosols are integral to understanding the radiative balance of any planetary atmosphere covered in a haze, such as Titan and possibly the early Earth. One key optical parameter of an aerosol is its refractive index. We have simulated both Titan and early Earth organic haze aerosols in the laboratory and measured the real and imaginary portion of their refractive index at λ = 532 nm using cavity ringdown aerosol extinction spectroscopy. This novel technique allows analysis on freely-floating particles minutes after formation. For our Titan analog particles, we find a real refractive index of n = 1.35 ± 0.01 and an imaginary refractive index k = 0.023 ± 0.007, and for the early Earth analog particles we find n = 1.81 ± 0.02 and k = 0.055 ± 0.020. The Titan analog refractive index has a smaller real and similar imaginary refractive index compared to most previous laboratory measurements of Titan analog films, including values from Khare et al. (Khare, B.N., Sagan, C., Arakawa, E.T., Suits, F., Callcott, T.A., Williams, M.W. [1984]. Icarus 60, 127-137). These newly measured Titan analog values have implications for spacecraft retrievals of aerosol properties on Titan. The early Earth analog has a significantly higher real and imaginary refractive index than Titan analogs reported in the literature. These differences suggest that, for a given amount of aerosol, the early Earth analog would act as a stronger anti-greenhouse agent than the Titan analog.     

Analysis of the Hipparcos Measurements of HD 10697: A Mass Determination of a Brown Dwarf Secondary

HD 10697 is a nearby main-sequence star around which a planet candidate has recently been discovered by means of radial velocity measurements (Vogt et al.). The stellar orbit has a period of about 3 yr, the secondary minimum mass is 6.35 Jupiter masses (MJ), and the minimum semimajor axis is 0.36 mas. Using the Hipparcos data of HD 10697 together with the spectroscopic elements of Vogt et al., we found a semimajor axis of 2.1+/-0.7 mas, implying a mass of 38+/-13 MJ for the unseen companion. We therefore suggest that the secondary of HD 10697 is probably a brown dwarf, orbiting around its parent star at a distance of 2 AU.     

Latitudinal variations in Titan’s methane and haze from Cassini VIMS observations

We analyze observations taken with Cassini’s Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS), to determine the current methane and haze latitudinal distribution between 60°S and 40°N. The methane variation was measured primarily from its absorption band at 0.61 μm, which is optically thin enough to be sensitive to the methane abundance at 20-50 km altitude. Haze characteristics were determined from Titan’s 0.4-1.6 μm spectra, which sample Titan’s atmosphere from the surface to 200 km altitude. Radiative transfer models based on the haze properties and methane absorption profiles at the Huygens site reproduced the observed VIMS spectra and allowed us to retrieve latitude variations in the methane abundance and haze. We find the haze variations can be reproduced by varying only the density and single scattering albedo above 80 km altitude. There is an ambiguity between methane abundance and haze optical depth, because higher haze optical depth causes shallower methane bands; thus a family of solutions is allowed by the data. We find that haze variations alone, with a constant methane abundance, can reproduce the spatial variation in the methane bands if the haze density increases by 60% between 20°S and 10°S (roughly the sub-solar latitude) and single scattering absorption increases by 20% between 60°S and 40°N. On the other hand, a higher abundance of methane between 20 and 50 km in the summer hemisphere, as much as two times that of the winter hemisphere, is also possible, if the haze variations are minimized. The range of possible methane variations between 27°S and 19°N is consistent with condensation as a result of temperature variations of 0-1.5 K at 20-30 km. Our analysis indicates that the latitudinal variations in Titan’s visible to near-IR albedo, the north/south asymmetry (NSA), result primarily from variations in the thickness of the darker haze layer, detected by Huygens DISR, above 80 km altitude. If we assume little to no latitudinal methane variations we can reproduce the NSA wavelength signatures with the derived haze characteristics. We calculate the solar heating rate as a function of latitude and derive variations of ∼10-15% near the sub-solar latitude resulting from the NSA. Most of the latitudinal variations in the heating rate stem from changes in solar zenith angle rather than compositional variations.     

A model of Titan's aerosols based on measurements made inside the atmosphere

The descent imager/spectral radiometer (DISR) instrument aboard the Huygens probe into the atmosphere of Titan measured the brightness of sunlight using a complement of spectrometers, photometers, and cameras that covered the spectral range from 350 to 1600 nm, looked both upward and downward, and made measurements at altitudes from 150 km to the surface. Measurements from the upward-looking visible and infrared spectrometers are described in Tomasko et al. [2008a. Measurements of methane absorption by the descent imager/spectral radiometer (DISR) during its descent through Titan's atmosphere. Planet. Space Sci., this volume]. Here, we very briefly review the measurements by the violet photometers, the downward-looking visible and infrared spectrometers, and the upward-looking solar aureole (SA) camera. Taken together, the DISR measurements constrain the vertical distribution and wavelength dependence of opacity, single-scattering albedo, and phase function of the aerosols in Titan's atmosphere.Comparison of the inferred aerosol properties with computations of scattering from fractal aggregate particles indicates the size and shape of the aerosols. We find that the aggregates require monomers of radius 0.05 μm or smaller and that the number of monomers in the loose aggregates is roughly 3000 above 60 km. The single-scattering albedo of the aerosols above 140 km altitude is similar to that predicted for some tholins measured in laboratory experiments, although we find that the single-scattering albedo of the aerosols increases with depth into the atmosphere between 140 and 80 km altitude, possibly due to condensation of other gases on the haze particles. The number density of aerosols is about 5/cm³ at 80 km altitude, and decreases with a scale height of 65 km to higher altitudes. The aerosol opacity above 80 km varies as the wavelength to the −2.34 power between 350 and 1600 nm.Between 80 and 30 km the cumulative aerosol opacity increases linearly with increasing depth in the atmosphere. The total aerosol opacity in this altitude range varies as the wavelength to the −1.41 power. The single-scattering phase function of the aerosols in this region is also consistent with the fractal particles found above 60 km.In the lower 30 km of the atmosphere, the wavelength dependence of the aerosol opacity varies as the wavelength to the −0.97 power, much less than at higher altitudes. This suggests that the aerosols here grow to still larger sizes, possibly by incorporation of methane into the aerosols. Here the cumulative opacity also increases linearly with depth, but at some wavelengths the rate is slightly different than above 30 km altitude.For purely fractal particles in the lowest few km, the intensity looking upward opposite to the azimuth of the sun decreases with increasing zenith angle faster than the observations in red light if the single-scattering albedo is assumed constant with altitude at these low altitudes. This discrepancy can be decreased if the single-scattering albedo decreases with altitude in this region. A possible explanation is that the brightest aerosols near 30 km altitude contain significant amounts of methane, and that the decreasing albedo at lower altitudes may reflect the evaporation of some of the methane as the aerosols fall into dryer layers of the atmosphere. An alternative explanation is that there may be spherical particles in the bottom few kilometers of the atmosphere.     

Radiocarbon on Titan

Abstract— We explore the likely production and fate of ¹⁴C in the thick nitrogen atmosphere of Saturn's moon Titan and investigate the constraints that measurements of ¹⁴C might place on Titan's photochemical, atmospheric transport and surface‐atmosphere interaction processes. Titan's atmosphere is thick enough that cosmic‐ray flux limits the production of ¹⁴C: absence of a strong magnetic field and the increased distance from the Sun suggest production rates of ?9 atom/cm²/s, ?4x higher than Earth. The fate and detectability of ¹⁴C depends on the chemical species into which it is incorporated: as methane it would be hopelessly diluted even in only the atmosphere. However, in the more likely case that the ¹⁴C attaches to the haze that rains out onto the surface (as tholin, HCN or acetylene and their polymers), haze in the atmosphere or recently deposited on the surface would be quite radioactive. Such radioactivity may lead to a significant enhancement in the electrical conductivity of the atmosphere which will be measured by the Huygens probe. Measurements with simple detectors on future missions could place useful constraints on the mass deposition rates of photochemical material on the surface and identify locations where surface deposits of such material are “freshest”.     

Limits on the size of aerosols from measurements of linear polarization in Titan’s atmosphere

The Descent Imager/Spectral Radiometer (DISR) instrument on the Huygens probe into the atmosphere of Titan yielded information on the size, shape, optical properties, and vertical distribution of haze aerosols in the atmosphere of Titan [Tomasko, M.G., Doose, L., Engel, S., Dafoe, L.E., West, R., Lemmon, M., Karkoschka, E., 2008. Planet. Space Sci. 56, 669-707] from photometric and spectroscopic measurements of sunlight in Titan’s atmosphere. This instrument also made measurements of the degree of linear polarization of sunlight in two spectral bands centered at 491 and 934 nm. Here we present the calibration and reduction of the polarization measurements and compare the polarization observations to models using fractal aggregate particles which have different sizes for the small dimension (monomer size) of which the aggregates are composed. We find that the Titan aerosols produce very large polarizations perpendicular to the scattering plane for scattering near 90° scattering angle. The size of the monomers is tightly constrained by the measurements to a radius of 0.04 ± 0.01 μm at altitudes from 150 km to the surface. The decrease in polarization with decreasing altitude observed in red and blue light is as expected by increasing dilution due to multiple scattering at decreasing altitudes. There is no indication of particles that produce small amounts of linear polarization at low altitudes.     

Heat balance in Titan's atmosphere

The recent measurements of the vertical distribution and optical properties of haze aerosols as well as of the absorption coefficients for methane at long paths and cold temperatures by the Huygens entry probe of Titan permit the computation of the solar heating rate on Titan with greater certainty than heretofore. We use the haze model derived from the Descent Imager/Spectral Radiometer (DISR) instrument on the Huygens probe [Tomasko, M.G., Doose, L., Engel, S., Dafoe, L.E., West, R., Lemmon, M., Karkoschka, E., See, C., 2008a. A model of Titan's aerosols based on measurements made inside the atmosphere. Planet. Space Sci., this issue, doi:10.1016/j.pss.2007.11.019] to evaluate the variation in solar heating rate with altitude and solar zenith angle in Titan's atmosphere. We find the disk-averaged solar energy deposition profile to be in remarkably good agreement with earlier estimates using very different aerosol distributions and optical properties. We also evaluated the radiative cooling rate using measurements of the thermal emission spectrum by the Cassini Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) around the latitude of the Huygens site. The thermal flux was calculated as a function of altitude using temperature, gas, and haze profiles derived from Huygens and Cassini/CIRS data. We find that the cooling rate profile is in good agreement with the solar heating profile averaged over the planet if the haze structure is assumed the same at all latitudes. We also computed the solar energy deposition profile at the 10°S latitude of the probe-landing site averaged over one Titan day. We find that some 80% of the sunlight that strikes the top of the atmosphere at this latitude is absorbed in all, with 60% of the incident solar energy absorbed below 150 km, 40% below 80 km, and 11% at the surface at the time of the Huygens landing near the beginning of summer in the southern hemisphere. We compare the radiative cooling rate with the solar heating rate near the Huygens landing site averaging over all longitudes. At this location, we find that the solar heating rate exceeds the radiative cooling rate by a maximum of 0.5 K/Titan day near 120 km altitude and decreases strongly above and below this altitude. Since there is no evidence that the temperature structure at this latitude is changing, the general circulation must redistribute this heat to higher latitudes.     

Titan's prolific propane: The Cassini CIRS perspective

Although propane gas (C₃H₈) was first detected in the stratosphere of Titan by the Voyager IRIS infrared spectrometer in 1980, obtaining an accurate measurement of its abundance has proved difficult. All existing measurements have been made by modeling the ν₂₆ band at : however, different analyzes over time have yielded quite different results, and it also suffers from confusion with the strong nearby ν₅ band of acetylene. In this paper we select large spectral averages of data from the Cassini Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) obtained in limb-viewing mode at low latitudes (30^°S-30^°N), greatly increasing the path length and hence signal-to-noise ratio for optically thin trace species such as propane. By modeling and subtracting the emissions of other gas species, we demonstrate that at least six infrared bands of propane are detected by CIRS, including two not previously identified in Titan spectra. Using a new linelist for the range 1300-1400 cm^-1, along with an existing GEISA list, we retrieve propane abundances from two bands at 748 and 1376 cm^-1. At 748 cm^-1 we retrieve 4.2±0.5×10^-7 (1-σ error) at 2 mbar, in good agreement with previous studies, although lack of hotbands in the present spectral atlas remains a problem. We also determine 5.7±0.8×10^-7 at 2 mbar from the 1376 cm^-1 band — a value that is probably affected by systematic errors including continuum gradients due to haze and also an imperfect model of the ν₆ band of ethane. This study clearly shows for the first time the ubiquity of propane's emission bands across the thermal infrared spectrum of Titan, and points to an urgent need for further laboratory spectroscopy work, both to provide the line positions and intensities needed to model these bands, and also to further characterize haze spectral opacity. The present lack of accurate modeling capability for propane is an impediment not only for the measurement of propane itself, but also for the search for the emissions of new molecules in many spectral regions.     

Stability of a planet in the HD 41004 binary system

The Hill stability criterion is applied to analyse the stability of a planet in the binary star system of HD 41004 AB, with the primary and secondary separated by 22 AU, and masses of 0.7 M_⊙ and 0.4 M_⊙, respectively. The primary hosts one planet in an S‐type orbit, and the secondary hosts a brown dwarf (18.64 M_J) on a relatively close orbit, 0.0177 AU, thereby forming another binary pair within this binary system. This star‐brown dwarf pair (HD 41004 B+Bb) is considered a single body during our numerical calculations, while the dynamics of the planet around the primary, HD 41004 Ab, is studied in different phase‐spaces. HD 41004 Ab is a 2.6 M_J planet orbiting at the distance of 1.7 AU with orbital eccentricity 0.39. For the purpose of this study, the system is reduced to a three‐body problem and is solved numerically as the elliptic restricted three‐body problem (ERTBP). The Hill stability function is used as a chaos indicator to configure and analyse the orbital stability of the planet, HD 41004 Ab. The indicator has been effective in measuring the planet's orbital perturbation due to the secondary star during its periastron passage. The calculated Hill stability time series of the planet for the coplanar case shows the stable and quasi‐periodic orbits for at least ten million years. For the reduced ERTBP the stability of the system is also studied for different values of planet's orbital inclination with the binary plane. Also, by recording the planet's ejection time from the system or collision time with a star during the integration period, stability of the system is analysed in a bigger phase‐space of the planet's orbital inclination, ≤ 90°, and its semimajor axis, 1.65–1.75 AU. Based on our analysis it is found that the system can maintain a stable configuration for the planet's orbital inclination as high as 65° relative to the binary plane. The results from the Hill stability criterion and the planet's dynamical lifetime map are found to be consistent with each other. (© 2016 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Simulation of Titan haze formation using a photochemical flow reactor: The optical constants of the polymer

Solar UV is the principal energy source impinging the atmosphere of Titan while the energy from the electrons in Saturn's magnetosphere is less than 0.5% of the UV light. Titan haze analogs were prepared by the photolysis of a mixture of gases that simulate the composition of its atmosphere (nitrogen, methane, hydrogen, acetylene, ethylene, and cyanoacetylene). The real (n) and imaginary (k) parts of the complex refractive index of haze analogs formed from four different gas mixtures were calculated from the spectral properties of the solid polymer in UV-visible, near infrared and infrared wavelength spectral regions. The value of n was constant at 1.6±0.1 throughout the 0.2-2.5 μm region. The variation of k with wavelength for the values derived for Titan has a lower error than the absolute values of k so the more significant comparisons are with the slopes of the k(λ) plots in the UV-VIS region. Three of the photochemical Titan haze analogs had slopes comparable to those derived for Titan from the Voyager data (Rages and Pollack, 1980, Icarus 41, 119-130; McKay and Toon, 1992, in: Proceedings of the Symposium on Titan, in: ESA SP, Vol. 338, pp. 185-190). The slopes of the k(λ) plots for haze analogs prepared by spark discharge (Khare et al., 1984, Icarus 60, 127-137) and plasma discharge (Ramirez et al., 2002, Icarus 156, 515-529) were also comparable to Titan's. These finding show that the k(λ) plots do not differentiate between different laboratory simulations of atmospheric chemistry on Titan in the UV-VIS near IR region (0.2-2.5 microns). There is a large difference between the k(λ) in the infrared between the haze analogs prepared photochemically and analogs prepared using a plasma discharges (Khare et al., 1984, Icarus 60, 127-137; Coll et al., 1999, Planet. Space Sci. 47, 1331-1340; Khare et al., 2002, Icarus 160, 172-182). The C/N ratio in the haze analog prepared by discharges is in the 2-11 range while that of the photochemical analogs is in the 18-24 range. The use of discharges and UV light for initiating the chemistry in Titan's atmosphere is discussed.     

Influence of high abundances of aerosols on the electrical conductivity of the Titan atmosphere

Observations of optical depth and scattering by instrumentation onboard the Huygens probe have been used by Tomasko et al. [Tomasko et al., 2005. Rain, winds and haze during Huygens probe's descent to Titan's surface. Nature 438 (8), 765-778] to deduce that the size and abundance of Titan aerosols could be nearly independent of altitude. Here we show that by assuming a constant mass flux with altitude and using the measured optical depth as a constraint, we obtain more realistic size and abundance distributions. In particular, the calculated abundance decreases from 3.5×10⁷ m⁻³ at 100 km to 8×10⁶ m⁻³ near the surface while the particle radius varies from 0.25 μm at 150 km to 1.1 μm at the surface. These distributions are consistent with the reported measurements for these quantities. Our results are then employed to compute electron and ion densities and conductivities for various solar UV photoelectron emission thresholds. Our model shows that to get agreement with the published (preliminary) conductivity measurements, photoemission cannot be an important source of electrons and ions. To get agreement with the electron and ion conductivity observations, both an additional population of aerosol embryos above 50 km and a trace amount of an electrophillic molecular species below 50 km are needed.