Titan: Preliminary results on surface properties and photometry from VIMS observations of the early flybys

Cassini observations of the surface of Titan offer unprecedented views of its surface through atmospheric windows in the 1-5 μm region. Images obtained in windows for which the haze opacity is low can be used to derive quantitative photometric parameters such as albedo and albedo distribution, and physical properties such as roughness and particle characteristics. Images from the early Titan flybys, particularly T0, Ta, and T5 have been analyzed to create albedo maps in the 2.01 and 2.73 μm windows. We find the average normal reflectance at these two wavelengths to be 0.15±0.02 and 0.035±0.003, respectively. Titan's surface is bifurcated into two albedo regimes, particularly at 2.01 μm. Analysis of these two regimes to understand the physical character of the surface was accomplished with a macroscopic roughness model. We find that the two types of surface have substantially different roughness, with the low-albedo surface exhibiting mean slope angles of ∼18°, and the high-albedo terrain having a much more substantial roughness with a mean slope angle of ∼34°. A single-scattering phase function approximated by a one-term Henyey-Greenstein equation was also fit to each unit. Titan's surface is back-scattering (g∼0.3-0.4), and does not exhibit substantially different backscattering behavior between the two terrains. Our results suggest that two distinct geophysical domains exist on Titan: a bright region cut by deep drainage channels and a relatively smooth surface. The two terrains are covered by a film or a coating of particles perhaps precipitated from the satellite's haze layer and transported by eolian processes. Our results are preliminary: more accurate values for the surface albedo and physical parameters will be derived as more data is gathered by the Cassini spacecraft and as a more complete radiative transfer model is developed from both Cassini orbiter and Huygens Lander measurements.     

Dynamics of Saturn's magnetodisk near Titan's orbit: Comparison of Cassini magnetometer observations from real and virtual Titan flybys

We analyze the variability of the ambient magnetospheric field along Titan's orbit at 20.3 Saturn radii. However, while our preceding study (Simon et al., 2010) focused on Cassini magnetometer observations from the 62 Titan flybys (TA-T62) between October 2004 and October 2009, the present work discusses magnetic field data that were collected near Titan's orbit when the moon was far away. In analogy to the observations during TA-T62, the magnetospheric fields detected during these 79 “virtual” Titan flybys are strongly affected by the presence of Saturn's bowl-shaped and highly dynamic magnetodisk current sheet. We therefore provide a systematic classification of the magnetic field observations as magnetodisk current sheet or lobe-type scenarios. Among the 141 (62 real+79 virtual) crossings of Titan's orbit between July 2004 and December 2009, only 17 encounters (9 real+8 virtual) took place within quiet, magnetodisk lobe-type fields. During another 50 encounters (21 real+29 virtual), rapid transitions between current sheet and lobe fields were observed around the moon's orbital plane. Most of the encounters (54=22 real+32 virtual) occurred when Titan's orbit was embedded in highly distorted current sheet fields, thereby invalidating the frequently applied idealized picture of Titan interacting with a homogeneous and stationary magnetospheric background field. The locations of real and virtual Titan flybys are correlated to each other. Each of the 62 real Titan flybys possesses at least one virtual counterpart that occurred shortly before or after the real encounter and at nearly the same orbital position. A systematic comparison between Cassini magnetometer observations from the real Titan flybys and their virtual companions suggests that there is no clear evidence of Titan exerting a significant level of control on the vertical oscillatory motion of the magnetodisk near its orbit.     

On the discovery of CO nighttime emissions on Titan by Cassini/VIMS: Derived stratospheric abundances and geological implications

We present a quantitative analysis of CO thermal emissions discovered on the nightside of Titan by Baines et al. [2005. The atmospheres of Saturn and Titan in the near-infrared: First results of Cassini/VIMS. Earth, Moon, and Planets, 96, 119–147]. in Cassini/VIMS spectral imagery. We identify these emission features as the P and R branches of the 1-0 vibrational band of carbon monoxide (CO) near 4.65 μm. For CH₃D, the prominent Q branch of the ν₂ fundamental band of CH₃D near 4.55 μm is apparent. CO₂ emissions from the strong v₃ vibrational band are virtually absent, indicating a CO₂ abundance several orders of magnitude less than CO, in agreement with previous investigations. Analysis of CO emission spectra obtained over a variety of altitudes on Titan's nightside limb indicates that the stratospheric abundance of CO is 32±15 ppm, and together with other recent determinations, suggests a vertical distribution of CO nearly constant at this value from the surface throughout the troposphere to at least the stratopause near 300 km altitude. The corresponding total atmospheric content of CO in Titan is 2.9±1.5×10¹⁴ kg. Given the long lifetime of CO in the oxygen-poor Titan atmosphere (0.5–1.0 Gyr), we find a mean CO atmospheric production rate of 6±3×10⁵ kg yr⁻¹. Given the lack of primordial heavy noble gases observed by Huygens [Niemann et al., 2005. The abundances of constituents of Titan's atmosphere from the GCMS on the Huygens probe. Nature, 438, 779–784], the primary source of atmospheric CO is likely surface emissions. The implied CO/CH₄ mixing ratio of near-surface material is 1.8±0.9×10⁻⁴, based on an average methane surface emission rate over the past 0.5 Gyr of 1.3×10⁻¹³ gm cm⁻² s⁻¹ as required to balance hydrocarbon haze production via methane photolysis [Wilson and Atreya, 2004. Current state of modeling the photochemistry of Titan's mutually dependent atmosphere and ionosphere. J. Geophys. Res. 109, E06002 Doi:10.1029/2003JE002181]. This low CO/CH₄ ratio is much lower than expected for the sub-nebular formation region of Titan and supports the hypothesis [e.g., Atreya et al., 2005. Methane on Titan: photochemical-meteorological-hydrogeochemical cycle. Bull. Am. Astron. Soc. 37, 735] that the conversion of primordial CO and other carbon-bearing materials into CH₄-enriched clathrate-hydrates occurs within the deep interior of Titan via the release of hydrogen through the serpentinization process followed by Fischer–Tropsch catalysis. The time-averaged predicted emission rate of methane-rich surface materials is 0.02 km³ yr⁻¹, a value significantly lower than the rate of silicate lava production for the Earth and Venus, but nonetheless indicative of significant active geological processes reshaping the surface of Titan.     

Initial interpretation of Titan plasma interaction as observed by the Cassini plasma spectrometer: Comparisons with Voyager 1

The Cassini plasma spectrometer (CAPS) instrument made measurements of Titan's plasma environment when the Cassini Orbiter flew through the moon's plasma wake October 26, 2004 (flyby TA). Initial CAPS ion and electron measurements from this encounter will be compared with measurements made by the Voyager 1 plasma science instrument (PLS). The comparisons will be used to evaluate previous interpretations and predictions of the Titan plasma environment that have been made using PLS measurements. The plasma wake trajectories of flyby TA and Voyager 1 are similar because they occurred when Titan was near Saturn's local noon. These similarities make possible direct, meaningful comparisons between the various plasma wake measurements. They lead to the following: (A) The light and heavy ions, H⁺and N⁺/O⁺, were observed by PLS in Saturn's magnetosphere in the vicinity of Titan while the higher mass resolution of CAPS yielded H⁺ and H₂⁺as the light constituents and O⁺/CH₄⁺ as the heavy ions. (B) Finite gyroradius effects were apparent in PLS and CAPS measurements of ambient O⁺ ions as a result of their absorption by Titan's extended atmosphere. (C) The principal pickup ions inferred from both PLS and CAPS measurements are H⁺, H₂⁺, N⁺, CH₄⁺ and N₂⁺. (D) The inference that heavy pickup ions, observed by PLS, were in narrow beam distributions was empirically established by the CAPS measurements. (E) Slowing down of the ambient plasma due to pickup ion mass loading was observed by both instruments on the anti-Saturn side of Titan. (F) Strong mass loading just outside the ionotail by a heavy ion such as N₂⁺ is apparent in PLS and CAPS measurements. (G) Except for the expected differences due to the differing trajectories, the magnitudes and structures of the electron densities and temperatures observed by both instruments are similar. The high-energy electron bite-out observed by PLS in the magnetotail is consistent with that observed by CAPS.     

Titan's highly dynamic magnetic environment: A systematic survey of Cassini magnetometer observations from flybys TA-T62

We analyze the variability of the ambient magnetic field near Titan during Cassini encounters TA-T62 (October 2004-October 2009). Cassini magnetometer (MAG) data show that the moon's magnetic environment is strongly affected by its proximity to Saturn's warped and highly dynamic magnetodisk. In the nightside sector of Saturn's magnetosphere, the magnetic field near Titan is controlled by intense vertical flapping motions of the magnetodisk current sheet, alternately exposing the moon to radially stretched lobe-type fields and to more dipolar, but highly distorted current sheet fields. In southern summer, when most of the Cassini encounters took place, the magnetodisk current sheet was on average located above Titan's orbital plane. However, around equinox in August 2009, the distortions of Titan's magnetic environment due to the rapidly moving current sheet reached a maximum, thus suggesting that the equilibrium position of the sheet at that time was significantly closer to the moon's orbital plane. In the dayside magnetosphere, the formation of the magnetodisk lobes is partially suppressed due to the proximity of the magnetopause. Therefore, during most encounters that took place near noon, Titan was embedded in highly distorted current sheet fields. Within the framework of this study, we not only provide a systematic classification of all Titan flybys between October 2004 and October 2009 as lobe-type or current sheet scenarios, but we also calculate the magnetospheric background field near Titan's orbit whenever possible. Our results show that so far, there is not a single Cassini flyby that matches the frequently applied picture of Titan's plasma interaction from the pre-Cassini era (background field homogeneous, stationary and perpendicular to the moon's orbital plane). The time scales upon which the ambient magnetospheric field close to Titan undergoes significant changes range between only a few minutes and up to several hours. The implications for the development of numerical models for Titan's local plasma interaction are discussed as well.     

Clouds on Titan during the Cassini prime mission: A complete analysis of the VIMS data

We use data from the VIMS instrument on board the Cassini spacecraft to construct high sensitivity and high spatial-resolution maps of the locations of tropospheric clouds on Titan in the late northern winter season during which the Cassini prime mission took place. These observations show that, in this season, clouds on Titan are strongly hemispherically asymmetric. Mid-latitude clouds, in particular, occur only in the southern hemisphere and have not ever been observed in the north. Such an asymmetry is in general agreement with circulation models where sub-solar surface heating controls the locations of clouds and appears in conflict with models where perennial polar hazes prevent significant summertime polar heating from affecting the circulation. The southern mid-latitude clouds appear to be distributed uniformly in longitude, in contrast to some previous observations. Southern high-latitude clouds exhibit a significant concentration, however, between about 180° and 270°E longitude. A spatially and temporally uniform cloud always appears northward of ∼50°N latitude. This cloud appears unchanged over the course of the observations, consistent with the interpretation that it is caused by continuous ethane condensation as air subsides and radiatively cools through the tropopause. The location of this cloud likely provides a direct tracer of elements of north polar atmospheric circulation, potentially allowing continuous monitoring of circulation changes as Titan passes through equinox into north polar spring and summer. We show that a similar analysis of this dataset by Rodriguez et al. (2009) contains substantial errors and should not be used.     

Investigation of energetic proton penetration in Titan's atmosphere using the Cassini INCA instrument

Saturn's largest moon, Titan, provides an interesting opportunity to study how dense atmospheres interact with the surrounding plasma environment. Without an intrinsic magnetic field, this satellite's nitrogen-rich atmosphere is relatively unprotected from plasma interactions. Therefore, the energy-deposition rate is important for understanding chemistry and dynamics in Titan's atmosphere. Since the plasma environment can vary significantly we focus here on the T18 Titan encounter using in-situ data from instruments on board the Cassini spacecraft. These instruments cannot provide in-situ information below the spacecraft closest approach altitude (∼>960 km) so we use the Cassini magnetospheric imaging instrument (MIMI) ion-neutral camera (INCA) to remotely image energetic hydrogen particle fluxes (20-80 keV) at altitudes below Titan closest approach. We also use the MIMI low-energy magnetosphere measurements system (LEMMS) to measure the incident ion fluxes as the spacecraft approaches Titan and combine these data sets with an atmospheric model to first reproduce INCA images. We then use this model to calculate the energy-deposition profiles for the observed incident proton flux. Our model is able to reproduce the INCA observations and give the energy density deposited vs. altitude in Titan's atmosphere; however, we find that the incident fluxes and energy-deposition profiles vary significantly during the encounter.     

High-altitude charged aerosols in the atmosphere of Titan

Observations by several instruments onboard the Cassini spacecraft revealed the existence of heavy hydrocarbon and nitrile species with masses of several thousand atomic mass units in the ionosphere of Titan. These very large molecules are in fact aerosols. The goal of this paper is to compute the concentrations of the charged aerosols in the upper atmosphere (950-1200 km) of Titan. The charging of these aerosols has been studied using the charge balance equations, where positive ions, negative ions, electrons, neutral and charged aerosols are included. Number concentrations of charged aerosols are compared with those observed by the Cassini instruments. The present work estimates the aerosol mass density as 1-10 kg/m³, which is within the predicted range. The results show that the aerosols must be smaller than 10 nm in order to have reasonable agreement with observations by the Cassini Plasma Spectrometer.     

Cryovolcanic features on Titan's surface as revealed by the Cassini Titan Radar Mapper

The Cassini Titan Radar Mapper obtained Synthetic Aperture Radar images of Titan's surface during four fly-bys during the mission's first year. These images show that Titan's surface is very complex geologically, showing evidence of major planetary geologic processes, including cryovolcanism. This paper discusses the variety of cryovolcanic features identified from SAR images, their possible origin, and their geologic context. The features which we identify as cryovolcanic in origin include a large (180 km diameter) volcanic construct (dome or shield), several extensive flows, and three calderas which appear to be the source of flows. The composition of the cryomagma on Titan is still unknown, but constraints on rheological properties can be estimated using flow thickness. Rheological properties of one flow were estimated and appear inconsistent with ammonia-water slurries, and possibly more consistent with ammonia-water-methanol slurries. The extent of cryovolcanism on Titan is still not known, as only a small fraction of the surface has been imaged at sufficient resolution. Energetic considerations suggest that cryovolcanism may have been a dominant process in the resurfacing of Titan.     

Saturn's magnetospheric interaction with Titan as defined by Cassini encounters T9 and T18: New results

We present new results of Cassini's T9 flyby with complementary observations from T18. Based on Cassini plasma spectrometer (CAPS) and Cassini magnetometer (MAG), compositional evidence shows the upstream flow for both T9 and T18 appears composed of light ions (H⁺ and H₂⁺), with external pressures ∼30 times lower than that for the earlier TA flyby where heavy ions dominated the magnetospheric plasma. When describing the plasma heating and sputtering of Titan's atmosphere, T9 and T18 can be considered interactions of low magnetospheric energy input. On the other hand, T5, when heavy ion fluxes are observed to be higher than typical (i.e., TA), represents the limiting case of high magnetospheric energy input to Titan's upper atmosphere. Anisotropy estimates of the upstream flow are 1<T_⊥/T_‖<3 and the flow is perpendicular to B, indicative of local picked up ions from Titan's H and H₂ coronae extending to Titan's Hill sphere radius. Beyond this distance the corona forms a neutral torus that surrounds Saturn. The T9 flyby unexpectedly resulted in observation of two “wake” crossings referred to as Events 1 and 2. Event 2 was evidently caused by draped magnetosphere field lines, which are scavenging pickup ions from Titan's induced magnetopause boundary with outward flux ∼2×10⁶ ions/cm²/s. The composition of this out flow is dominated by H₂⁺ and H⁺ ions. Ionospheric flow away from Titan with ion flux ∼7×10⁶ ion/cm²/s is observed for Event 1. In between Events 1 and 2 are high energy field aligned flows of magnetosphere protons that may have been accelerated by the convective electric field across Titan's topside ionosphere. T18 observations are much closer to Titan than T9, allowing one to probe this type of interaction down to altitudes ∼950 km. Comparisons with previously reported hybrid simulations are made.     

Cassini/VIMS hyperspectral observations of the HUYGENS landing site on Titan

Titan is one of the primary scientific objectives of the NASA–ESA–ASI Cassini–Huygens mission. Scattering by haze particles in Titan's atmosphere and numerous methane absorptions dramatically veil Titan's surface in the visible range, though it can be studied more easily in some narrow infrared windows. The Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) instrument onboard the Cassini spacecraft successfully imaged its surface in the atmospheric windows, taking hyperspectral images in the range 0.4–5.2 μm. On 26 October (TA flyby) and 13 December 2004 (TB flyby), the Cassini–Huygens mission flew over Titan at an altitude lower than 1200 km at closest approach. We report here on the analysis of VIMS images of the Huygens landing site acquired at TA and TB, with a spatial resolution ranging from 16 to14.4 km/pixel. The pure atmospheric backscattering component is corrected by using both an empirical method and a first-order theoretical model. Both approaches provide consistent results. After the removal of scattering, ratio images reveal subtle surface heterogeneities. A particularly contrasted structure appears in ratio images involving the 1.59 and 2.03 μm images north of the Huygens landing site. Although pure water ice cannot be the only component exposed at Titan's surface, this area is consistent with a local enrichment in exposed water ice and seems to be consistent with DISR/Huygens images and spectra interpretations. The images show also a morphological structure that can be interpreted as a 150 km diameter impact crater with a central peak.     

Transterminator ion flow in the Martian ionosphere

The upper ionospheres of Mars and Venus are permeated by the magnetic fields induced by the solar wind. It is a long-standing question whether these fields can put the dense ionospheric plasma into motion. If so, the transterminator flow of the upper ionosphere could explain a significant part of the ion escape from the planets atmospheres. But it has been technically very challenging to measure the ion flow at energies below 20 eV. The only such measurements have been made by the ORPA instrument of the Pioneer Venus Orbiter reporting speeds of 1-5 km/s for O⁺ ions at Venus above 300 km altitude at the terminator ( [Knudsen et al., 1980] and [Knudsen et al., 1982]). At Venus the transterminator flow is sufficient to sustain a permanent nightside ionosphere, at Mars a nightside ionosphere is observed only sporadically. We here report on new measurements of the transterminator ion flow at Mars by the ASPERA-3 experiment on board Mars Express with support from the MARSIS radar experiment for some orbits with fortunate observation geometry. We observe a transterminator flow of O⁺ and O₂⁺ ions with a super-sonic velocity of around 5 km/s and fluxes of 0.8×10⁹/cm² s. If we assume a symmetric flux around the terminator this corresponds to an ion flow of 3.1±0.5×10²⁵/s half of which is expected to escape from the planet. This escape flux is significantly higher than previously observed on the tailside of Mars. A possible mechanism to generate this flux can be the ionospheric pressure gradient between dayside and nightside or momentum transfer from the solar wind via the induced magnetic field since the flow velocity is in the Alfvénic regime. We discuss the implication of these new observations for ion escape and possible extensions of the analysis to dayside observations which may allow us to infer the flow structure imposed by the induced magnetic field.     

Titan's surface from Cassini RADAR SAR and high resolution radiometry data of the first five flybys

The first five Titan flybys with Cassini's Synthetic Aperture RADAR (SAR) and radiometer are examined with emphasis on the calibration and interpretation of the high-resolution radiometry data acquired during the SAR mode (SAR-radiometry). Maps of the 2-cm wavelength brightness temperature are obtained coincident with the SAR swath imaging, with spatial resolution approaching 6 km. A preliminary calibration shows that brightness temperature in these maps varies from 64 to 89 K. Surface features and physical properties derived from the SAR-radiometry maps and SAR imaging are strongly correlated; in general, we find that surface features with high radar reflectivity are associated with radiometrically cold regions, while surface features with low radar reflectivity correlate with radiometrically warm regions. We examined scatterplots of the normalized radar cross-section σ⁰ versus brightness temperature, finding differing signatures that characterize various terrains and surface features. Implications for the physical and compositional properties of these features are discussed. The results indicate that volume scattering is important in many areas of Titan's surface, particularly Xanadu, while other areas exhibit complex brightness temperature variations consistent with variable slopes or surface material and compositional properties.     

Geology of the Selk crater region on Titan from Cassini VIMS observations

Observations of Titan obtained by the Cassini Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) have revealed Selk crater, a geologically young, bright-rimmed, impact crater located ∼800 km north-northwest of the Huygens landing site. The crater rim-crest diameter is ∼90 km; its floor diameter is ∼60 km. A central pit/peak, 20-30 km in diameter, is seen; the ratio of the size of this feature to the crater diameter is consistent with similarly sized craters on Ganymede and Callisto, all of which are dome craters. The VIMS data, unfortunately, are not of sufficient resolution to detect such a dome. The inner rim of Selk crater is fluted, probably by eolian erosion, while the outer flank and presumed ejecta blanket appear dissected by drainages (particularly to the east), likely the result of fluvial erosion. Terracing is observed on the northern and western walls of Selk crater within a 10-15 km wide terrace zone identified in VIMS data; the terrace zone is bright in SAR data, consistent with it being a rough surface. The terrace zone is slightly wider than those observed on Ganymede and Callisto and may reflect differences in thermal structure and/or composition of the lithosphere. The polygonal appearance of the crater likely results from two preexisting planes of weakness (oriented at azimuths of 21° and 122° east of north). A unit of generally bright terrain that exhibits similar infrared-color variation and contrast to Selk crater extends east-southeast from the crater several hundred kilometers. We informally refer to this terrain as the Selk “bench.” Both Selk and the bench are surrounded by the infrared-dark Belet dune field. Hypotheses for the genesis of the optically bright terrain of the bench include: wind shadowing in the lee of Selk crater preventing the encroachment of dunes, impact-induced cryovolcanism, flow of a fluidized-ejecta blanket (similar to the bright crater outflows observed on Venus), and erosion of a streamlined upland formed in the lee of Selk crater by fluid flow. Vestigial circular outlines in this feature just east of Selk’s ejecta blanket suggest that this might be a remnant of an ancient, cratered crust. Evidently the southern margin of the feature has sufficient relief to prevent the encroachment of dunes from the Belet dune field. We conclude that this feature either represents a relatively high-viscosity, fluidized-ejecta flow (a class intermediate to ejecta blankets and long venusian-style ejecta flows) or a streamlined upland remnant that formed downstream from the crater by erosive fluid flow from the west-northwest.     

Sensitivity of a Titan ionospheric model to the ion-molecule reaction parameters

Various aspects of ion-molecule reactions for Titan ionospheric chemistry modeling are reviewed in this work: temperature/collision energy effects on reaction rates and, more importantly, on products distributions; differential reactivity of isomers of ions; reactivity of excited states of ions; pathways to the building of complex ions. We evaluate here the extent to which these points affect model predictions. We find that the present limiting factors to model predictivity are the model incompleteness for heavy ion production pathways; the differential reactivity of isomers; and, to a lesser degree, the temperature effects on the branching ratios of ion-molecule reactions. Extensive experimental studies are required to fill these gaps in ion-molecule reactivity knowledge.     

Analysis of Cassini/CIRS limb spectra of Titan acquired during the nominal mission II: Aerosol extinction profiles in the 600–1420 cm spectral range

We have analyzed the continuum emission of limb spectra acquired by the Cassini/CIRS infrared spectrometer in order to derive information on haze extinction in the 3–0.02 mbar range (∼150–350 km). We focused on the 600–1420 cm⁻¹ spectral range and studied nine different limb observations acquired during the Cassini nominal mission at 55°S, 20°S, 5°N, 30°N, 40°N, 45°N, 55°N, 70°N and 80°N. By means of an inversion algorithm solving the radiative transfer equation, we derived the vertical profiles of haze extinction coefficients from 17 spectral ranges of 20-cm⁻¹ wide at each of the nine latitudes. At a given latitude, all extinction vertical profiles retrieved from various spectral intervals between 600 and 1120 cm⁻¹ display similar vertical slopes implying similar spectral characteristics of the material at all altitudes. We calculated a mean vertical extinction profile for each latitude and derived the ratio of the haze scale height (H_haze) to the pressure scale height (H_gas) as a function of altitude. We inferred H_haze/H_gas values varying from 0.8 to 2.4. The aerosol scale height varies with altitude and also with latitude. Overall, the haze extinction does not show strong latitudinal variations but, at 1 mbar, an increase by a factor of 1.5 is observed at the north pole compared to high southern latitudes. The vertical optical depths at 0.5 and 1.7 mbar increase from 55°S to 5°N, remain constant between 5°N and 30°N and display little variation at higher latitudes, except the presence of a slight local maximum at 45°N. The spectral dependence of the haze vertical optical depth is uniform with latitude and displays three main spectral features centered at 630 cm⁻¹, 745 cm⁻¹ and 1390 cm⁻¹, the latter showing a wide tail extending down to ∼1000 cm⁻¹. From 600 to 750 cm⁻¹, the optical depth increases by a factor of 3 in contrast with the absorbance of laboratory tholins, which is generally constant. We derived the mass mixing ratio profiles of haze at the nine latitudes. Below the 0.4-mbar level all mass mixing ratio profiles increase with height. Above this pressure level, the profiles at 40°N, 45°N, 55°N, at the edge of the polar vortex, display a decrease-with-height whereas the other profiles increase. The global increase with height of the haze mass mixing ratio suggest a source at high altitudes and a sink at low altitudes. An enrichment of haze is observed at 0.1 mbar around the equator, which could be due to a more efficient photochemistry because of the strongest insolation there or an accumulation of haze due to a balance between sedimentation and upward vertical drag.     

Electric properties and related physical characteristics of the atmosphere and surface of Titan

The permittivity, waves and altimetry (PWA) instrument was designed for the investigation of the electric properties and other related physical characteristics of the atmosphere of Titan, from an altitude around 140 km down to the surface. PWA carried sensors to measure the atmospheric conductivity, and record electromagnetic and acoustic waves up to frequencies of 11.5 and 6.7 kHz, respectively. PWA also measured the relief roughness during the descent and the permittivity of the surface after touchdown. The measurements and the results of the preliminary analysis are presented. An ionized layer is detected at altitudes above 50 km, using two independent techniques, and the presence of free electrons in the upper atmosphere is confirmed. An electric signal at around 36 Hz is observed throughout the descent, but it is not yet confirmed that this emission is unambiguously related to a resonance of the ionospheric cavity. The relative dielectric constant of Titan's surface material is nearly 2 and the electric conductivity 4×10⁻¹⁰ S m⁻¹. The electric properties of the surface seem to evolve after touch-down, possibly due to a local warming of the landing site by the Huygens Probe body.     

Measurements of the helium 584 Å airglow during the Cassini flyby of Venus

The helium resonance line at 584 Å has been observed with the UltraViolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) Extreme Ultraviolet channel during the flyby of Venus by Cassini at a period of high solar activity. The brightness was measured along the disk from the morning terminator up to the bright limb near local noon. The mean disk intensity was ∼320 R, reaching ∼700 R at the bright limb. These values are slightly higher than those determined from previous observations. The sensitivity of the 584 Å intensity to the helium abundance is analyzed using recent cross-sections and solar irradiance measurements at 584 Å. The intensity distribution along the UVIS footprint on the disk is best reproduced using the EUVAC solar flux model and the helium density distribution from the VTS3 empirical model. It corresponds to a helium density of 8×10⁶ cm⁻³ at the level of where the CO₂ is 2×10¹⁰ cm⁻³.     

Titan's surface from the Cassini RADAR radiometry data during SAR mode

We present initial results on the calibration and interpretation of the high-resolution radiometry data acquired during the Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) mode (SAR-radiometry) of the Cassini Radar Mapper during its first five flybys of Saturn's moon Titan.We construct maps of the brightness temperature at the 2-cm wavelength coincident with SAR swath imaging. A preliminary radiometry calibration shows that brightness temperature in these maps varies from 64 to 89 K. Surface features and physical properties derived from the SAR-radiometry maps and SAR imaging are strongly correlated; in general, we find that surface features with high radar reflectivity are associated with radiometrically cold regions, while surface features with low radar reflectivity correlate with radiometrically warm regions. We examined scatterplots of the normalized radar cross-section σ⁰ versus brightness temperature, outlining signatures that characterize various terrains and surface features. The results indicate that volume scattering is important in many areas of Titan's surface, particularly Xanadu, while other areas exhibit complex brightness temperature variations consistent with variable slopes or surface material and compositional properties.     

Analysis of Cassini/CIRS limb spectra of Titan acquired during the nominal mission: I. Hydrocarbons, nitriles and CO2 vertical mixing ratio profiles

Observations of the Composite InfraRed Spectrometer (CIRS) during the entire nominal Cassini mission (2004-2008) provide us with an accurate global view of composition and temperature in the middle atmosphere of Titan (between 100 and 500 km). We investigated limb spectra acquired at resolution at nine different latitudes between 56°S and 80°N, with a better sampling in the northern hemisphere where molecular abundances and temperature present strong latitudinal variations. From this limb data acquired between February 2005 and May 2008, we retrieved the vertical mixing ratio profiles of C₂H₂, C₂H₄, C₂H₆, C₃H₈, CH₃C₂H, C₄H₂, C₆H₆, HCN, HC₃N and CO₂. We present here for the first time, the latitudinal variations of the C₂H₆, C₃H₈, CO₂, C₂H₄ and C₆H₆ vertical mixing ratios profiles. Some molecules, such as C₂H₆ or C₃H₈ present little variations above their condensation level. The other molecules (except CO₂) show a significant enhancement of their mixing ratios poleward of 50°N. C₂H₄ is the only molecule whose mixing ratio decreases with height at latitudes below 46°N. Regions depleted in C₂H₂, HCN and C₄H₂ are observed around 400 km (0.01 mbar) and 55°N. We also inferred a region enriched in CO₂ located between 30 and 40°N in the 2-0.7 mbar pressure range. At 80°N, almost all molecules studied here present a local minimum of their mixing ratio profiles near 300 km (∼0.07 mbar), which is in contradiction with Global Circulation Models that predict constant-with-height vertical profiles due to subsidence at the north pole.