Cosmic ray ionization of the Jovian atmosphere

An approximate form of the Boltzmann equation has been used to obtain local ionization rates due to the absorption of galactic cosmic rays in the Jovian atmosphere. It is shown that the muon flux component of the cosmic ray-induced cascade may be especially importannt in ionizing the atmosphere at levels where the total number density exceeds 10¹⁹ cm^?3 (well below the ionospheric layers produced by solar euv). A model containing both positive and negative ion reactions has been employed to compute equilibrium electron and ion number densities. Peak electron number densities on the order of 10³ cm^?3 may be expected even at relatively low magnetic latitudes. The dominant positive ions are NH₄⁺ and C_nH_m⁺ cluster ions, with n ? 2; it is suggested that the absorption of galactic cosmic ray energy at such relatively high pressures in the Jovian atmosphere $\text{(M ? 10}{}^{18}\text{to}\text{10}{}^{20}\text{cm}{}^{\mathrm{?3}}\text{)}$ and the subsequent chemical reactions may be instrumental in the local formation of complex hydrocarbons.     

Titan: Far-infrared and microwave remote sensing of methane clouds and organic haze

It is shown that Titan's surface and plausible atmospheric thermal opacity sources—gaseous N₂, CH₄, and H₂, CH₄ cloud, and organic haze—are sufficient to match available Earth-based and Voyager observations of Titan's thermal emission spectrum. Dominant sources of thermal emission are the surface for wavelenghts λ ? 1 cm, atmospheric N₂ for 1 cm ? λ ? 200 μm,, condensed and gaseous CH₄ for 200 μm ? λ ? 20 μm, and molecular bands and organic haze for λ ? 20 μm. Matching computed spectra to the observed Voyager IRIS spectra at 7.3 and 52.7° emission angles yields the following abundances and locations of opacity sources: CH₄ clouds: 0.1 g cm^? at a planetocentric radius of 2610–2625 km, 0.3 g cm^?2 at 2590–2610 km, total 0.4 ± 0.1 g cm^–2 above 2590 km; organic haze: $\text{4 ± 2 × 10}{}^{\mathrm{?6}}\text{,}\text{g cm}\text{,}{}^{\mathrm{?2}}$ above 2750 km; tropospheric H₂: 0.3 ± 0.1 mol%. This is the first quantitative estimate of the column density of condensed methane (or CH₄/C₂H₆) on Titan. Maximum transparency in the middle to far IR occurs at 19 μm where the atmospheric vertical absorption optical depth is $\text{?0.6}$ A particle radius $\text{r}\text{? 2 μ}\text{m}$ in the upper portion of the CH₄ cloud is indicated by the apparent absence of scattering effects.     

Cross-section for the dissociative photoionization of hydrogen by 584 Å radiation: The formation of protons in the Jovian ionosphere

The cross-section for dissociative photoionization of hydrogen by 584 Å radiation has been measured, yielding a value of 5 × 10^?20 cm². The process can be explained as a transition from the $\text{X}{}^1\text{Σ}{}_{\mathrm{g}}{}^{\mathrm{+}}$ ground state to a continuum level of the $\text{X}{}^2\text{Σ}{}_{\mathrm{g}}{}^{\mathrm{+}}$ ionized state of H₂ The branching ratio for proton (H⁺) vs molecular ion (H₂⁺) production at this energy is 8 × 10^?3. This process is quite likely an important source of protons in the Jovian ionosphere near altitudes where peak ionization rates are found.     

Reaction of protons with methane in the Jovian ionosphere

Laboratory data shows that the reaction of protons with methane proceeds at thermal ion energies to give both CH₃⁺ and CH₄⁺ ions in the ratio $\text{CH}{}_3{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{CH}{}_4{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{= 1.5 ± 0.3}$. The overall rate constant for the reaction is 3.8 ± 0.3 × 10^?9 cm³/sec. This reaction may lead to the formation of hydrocarbon ions in the lower ionosphere of Jupiter, and the significance of this process for formation of hydrocarbons and HCN in the atmosphere of Jupiter is discussed.     

The influence of ethane and acetylene upon the thermal structure of the Jovian atmosphere

Ethane and acetylene, both of which possess more efficient emission bands than methane, have been incorporated into a thermal structure model for the atmosphere of Jupiter. Choosing for illustrative purposes the mixing ratios $\text{[}\text{C}{}_2\text{H}{}_6\text{]}\text{[}\text{H}{}_2\text{]}\text{= 10}{}^{\mathrm{?5}}$ and $\text{[}\text{C}{}_2\text{H}{}_2\text{]}\text{[}\text{H}{}_2\text{]}\text{= 5 × 10}{}^{\mathrm{?7}}$, it is found that these hydrocarbon gases lower the atmospheric temperature within the thermal inversion region by as much as 20 K, subsequently reducing the emission intensity of the 7.7 μm CH₄ band below the observed result. It is qualitatively shown, however, that this cooling by C₂H₆ and C₂H₂ could be compensated by aerosol heating resulting from a uniformily mixed aerosol which absorbs 15% of the incident solar radiation. Such aerosol heating has been suggested by uv albedo observations.     

On the simultaneous ionization-excitation of the OII(λ834 Å) resonance transition by electron impact on atomic oxygen

Laboratory cross-section data on the excitation of the OII(2s 2p⁴⁴P → 2s² 2p³⁴S; λ834 Å) resonance transition and on the production of O⁺ and O²⁺ ions by electron impact on atomic oxygen are used to show that the ratio $\text{σ(λ834}\text{A}\text{?}\text{)}\text{σ(O}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{+ O}{}^{\mathrm{2+}}\text{)}$ is nearly constant for incident electron energies > 50 eV. Under auroral conditions, the total electron-ion pair production rate from electron impact on O can be inferred from λ834 Å volume emission rate measurements using the result that $\text{η(O}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{+ O}{}^{\mathrm{2+}}\text{)}\text{\$}\text{?}\text{8.4η(λ834}\text{A}\text{?}\text{)}$. These findings, along with earlier work on the simultaneous ionization-excitation of the 1 Neg (0,0) band of N₂⁺ and the 1 Neg (1, 0) band of O⁺₂, allow the specific ionization rates for the principal atmospheric constituents (O⁺, O⁺₂, N⁺₂), for the multiply-ionized species (O²⁺, O²⁺₂, N²⁺₂), and for the dissociatively produced atomic ions to be inferred in aurora from remote satellite observations.     

Airglow from the inner comas of comets

The intensities of radiation from the inner comas of comets which are composed primarily of water and carbon monoxide have been calculated. Only “airglow” emissions initiated by the absorption of extreme ultraviolet radiation have been considered. The photoionizations of H₂O, CO, CO₂, and N₂ are the most important emission sources, although photoelectron excitation is also considered. Among the emission features for which intensities were calculated are H₂O⁺ ($\text{A}\text{?}{}^2\text{A}{}_{\mathrm{1?}}\text{X}\text{?}{}^2\text{B}{}_1$), CO⁺ (first negative), CO (fourth positive), CO (Cameron), CO₂⁺ ($\text{B}\text{?}{}^2\text{?}{}_{\mathrm{u}}\text{?}\text{X}\text{?}{}^2\text{II}{}_{\mathrm{g}}$), N₂ (Vegard-Kaplan), N₂⁺ (first negative), and OI (1304 Å). In the inner coma (collision region) these airglow mechanisms are shown to be possible competitors with the usually assumed resonance scattering and flourescence excitation mechanisms which are appropriate for the outer coma and tail.     

The photochemistry of hydrocarbons in the atmosphere of Titan

Detailed photochemical models are constructed for two model atmospheres: (1) 100% CH₄ and (2) 50% H₂, 50% CH₄. Both models predict large column densities of C₂H₂ and C₂H₆ (～1 cm atm) for eddy mixing rates ～10⁵ cm² sec^?, which are comparable to rates appropriate for Jupiter. These column densities vary inversely with the eddy diffusion coefficient. The models confirm the interpretation by Danielson et al. (1973) of the 12μ feature in the spectra of Gillet et al. (1973) as emission by C₂H₆ in a thermal inversion region. The $\text{C}{}_2\text{H}{}_6\text{C}{}_2\text{H}{}_2$ mixing ratio is sensitive to the net escape rate of H atoms from the exobase.     

Stratospheric in situ measurements of H2SO4 and HSO3 vapors during a volcanically active period

In situ measurements of stratospheric H₂SO₄ and HSO₃vapors using passive chemical ionization mass spectrometry were made in October 1982 after the eruption of volcano El Chichon. Data were obtained between about 20 and 41 km showing [H₂SO₄ + HSO₃] sum concentrations between about 10⁴ and 2 × 10⁵ cm^?3 below 29 km and a steep rise above this altitude. Maximum [H₂SO₄ + HSO₃] values of about 3 × 10⁶ cm^?3 are reached above 35 km.Partial [HSO₃] concentrations increase above 34 km reaching about $\text{4 × 10}{}^5\text{cm}{}^{\mathrm{?3}}$ around 40 km. From the measurements it is concluded that H₂SO₄ and probably HSO₃photolysis have an important influence above 34 km leading to the observed increase of [HSO₃] and a depletion of H₂SO₄vapor.It also seems that the data support the view of heterogeneous HSO₃ removal. If correct, this would imply that stratospheric aerosols are formed primarily from HSO₃ rather than H₂SO₄vapor.     

The chemistry of metastable species in the Venusian ionosphere

Reactions of metastable species are important in determining the densities of minor ions in the Venusian ionosphere. Calculations are carried out in which the coupled continuity and momentum equations are solved for twelve ions and four neutral species in the dayside ionosphere, including $\text{O}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{(}{}^2\text{D),}\text{O}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{(}{}^2\text{P),}\text{N}\text{(}{}^2\text{D),}\text{and N}\text{(}{}^2\text{P)}$. Altitude profiles of these metastable species are presented. Their reactions are shown to be a significant source of several minor ions, especially N₂⁺, CO⁺, and N⁺. The discrepancies which existed between model and measured densities of these ions are resolved.     

On the photodissociation of water vapour in the mesosphere

The photodissociation of water vapour in the mesosphere depends on the absorption of solar radiation in the region (175–200 nm) of the O₂ Schumann-Runge band system and also at H-Lyman alpha. The photodissociation products are OH + H, OH + H, O + 2H and H₂ + O at Lyman alpha; the percentages for these four channels are 70, 8, 12 and 10%, respectively, but OH + H is the only channel between 175 and 200 nm. Such proportions lead to a production of H atoms corresponding to practically the total photodissociation of H₂O, while the production of H₂ molecules is only 10% of the H₂O photodissociation by Lyman alpha.The photodissociation frequency (s^?1) at Lyman alpha can be expressed by a simple formula

$\text{J}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>Ly</mtext><mtext>\alpha </mtext>}}\text{H}{}_2\text{O=4.5 ×10}{}^{\mathrm{?6}}\text{1+0.2}\text{F}{}_{10.7}\text{?65}\text{100}\text{exp}\text{[?4.4 ×10}{}^{\mathrm{?19}}\text{N}{}^{0.917}\text{]}$

where F_{10.7 cm} is the solar radioflux at 10.7 cm and N the total number of O₂ molecules (cm^?2), and when the following conventional value is accepted for the Lyman alpha solar irradiance at the top of the Earth's atmosphere ($\text{Δλ = 3.5}\text{A}\text{?}$) q_Lyα,∞ = 3 × 10¹¹ photons cm^?2 s^1?.The photodissociation frequency for the Schumann-Runge band region is also given for mesospheric conditions by a simple formula

$\text{J}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>SRB</mtext>}}\text{(}\text{H}{}_2\text{O}\text{) = J}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>SRB</mtext><mtext>,\infty </mtext>}}\text{(}\text{H}{}_2\text{O}\text{) exp [?10}{}^{\mathrm{?7}}\text{N}{}^{0.35}\text{]}$

where J_SRB,∞(H₂O) = 1.2 × 10^?6 and 1.4 × 10^?6 s^?1 for quiet and active sun conditions, respectively.The precision of both formulae is good, with an uncertainty less than 10%, but their accuracy depends on the accuracy of observational and experimental parameters such as the absolute solar irradiances, the variable transmittance of O₂ and the H₂O effective absorption cross sections. The various uncertainties are discussed. As an example, the absolute values deduced from the above formulae could be decreased by about 25-20% if the possible minimum values of the solar irradiances were used.     

A search for millimeter wave spectral lines from comet Sugano-Saigusa-Fujikawa (1983e)

The search for radio spectral lines from Comet Sugano-Saigusa-Fujikawa (1983e) was conducted using the 45-m telescope of Nobeyama Radio Observatory. The frequency ranges of 44.0–46.0 and 47.5–49.5 GHz were surveyed down to $\text{ΔT}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>A</mtext>}}{}^1\text{(}\text{rms}\text{) = 20–30}\text{mK}$, with a beam size of ～35 arc sec. Upper limits have been established for spectral lines of atomic hydrogen, CS, OCS, SO₂, H₂CO, CH₃OH, HCCCCCN, HCOOCH₃, CH₃OCH₃, and CH₃CH₂CN. The J = 5?4 line from HCCCN in the vibrational ground state possibly has been detected but not confirmed. The suggested total amount of HCCCN in the coma is consistent with the possible picture that HCCCN is the main parent molecule of CN.     

Production and condensation of organic gases in the atmosphere of Titan

The rates and altitudes for the dissociation of atmospheric constituents of Titan are calculated for solar UV, solar wind protons, interplanetary electrons, Saturn magnetospheric particles, and cosmic rays. The resulting integrated synthesis rates of organic products range from 10²–10³ g cm^?2 over 4.5 × 10⁹ years for high-energy particle sources to 1.3 × 10⁴ g cm^?2 for UV at $\text{λ < 1550}\text{A}\text{?}$, and to 5.0 × 10⁵ g cm^?2 if $\text{λ > 1550}\text{A}\text{?}$ (acting primarily on C₂H₂, C₂H₄, and C₄H₂) is included. The production rate curves show no localized maxima corresponding to observed altitudes of Titan's hazes and clouds. For simple to moderately complex organic gases in the Titanian atmosphere, condensation occurs below the top of the main cloud deck at 2825 km. Such condensates comprise the principal cloud mass, with molecules of greater complexity condensing at higher altitudes. The scattering optical depths of the condensates of molecules produced in the Titanian mesosphere are as great as ～ 10²/(particulate radius, μm) if column densities of condensed and gas phases are comparable. Visible condensation hazes of more complex organic compounds may occur at altitudes up to ～ 3060 km provided only that the abundance of organic products declines with molecular mass no faster than laboratory experiments indicate. Typical organics condensing at 2900 km have molecular masses = 100–150 Da. At current rates of production the integrated depth of precipitated organic liquids, ices, and tholins produced over 4.5 × 10⁹ years ranges from a minimum ～ 100 m to kilometers if UV at $\text{λ > 1550}\text{A}\text{?}$ is important. The organic nitrogen content of this layer is expected to be ～ 10^?1?10^?3 by mass.     

Space erosion of meteorites and the secular variation of cosmic rays (over 109 years)

The space erosion of stony meteorites has been determined to be 650μm 10⁶y^?1, while that of iron meteorites has been determined to be 22 μm 10⁶y^?1. The erosion rates are based on flux and size distributions of small particles in the solar system, meteoroid orbitals and the relation, determined by laboratory experiments, between excavated volume due to a collision and the size and velocity of the impacting small particle. Neither multiple collision or space erosion can explain the difference in cosmic ray exposure ages based on ${}^{40}\text{K}$ and those based on ${}^{36}\text{Cl}\text{,}{}^{39}\text{Ar and}{}^{10}\text{Be}$. It is concluded that there is a long term cosmic ray variation.     

Laboratory measurements of the association rate coefficients of NO+, O+2, N+, and N+2 ions with N2 and CO2 at temperatures between 100 k and 400 k

Rate coefficients for the association reactions of NO⁺ ions with N₂ and CO₂, O₂⁺ with N₂, and N⁺ and N₂⁺ with N₂ have been determined as a function of gas temperature in a laboratory experiment employing a variable-temperature drift-tube apparatus. The measured rate coefficients were fitted to power laws of the form $\text{k = C}\text{(}\text{T}\text{300}\text{)}{}^{\mathrm{x}}$ where the exponents x ranged from 2.2 to 4.3. The strong temperature dependence observed in the case of the reaction of NO⁺ with N₂ (x = 4.3) supports the thesis by Arnold et al. (1979) that the temperature variability of D-region ion densities is a result of this reaction step in the ion clustering sequence.     

Branching ratios for the photoionization cross section of atomic oxygen

Branching ratios $\text{σ(}\text{O}{}^0{}^3\text{P}\text{→}\text{O}{}^{\mathrm{+}}{}^2\text{D}{}^0\text{)}\text{σ(}\text{O}{}^0{}^3\text{P}\text{→}\text{O}{}^{\mathrm{+}}{}^4\text{S}{}^0\text{)}$ and $\text{σ(}\text{O}{}^0{}^3\text{P}\text{→}\text{O}{}^{\mathrm{+}}{}^2\text{P}{}^0\text{)}\text{σ (}\text{O}{}^0{}^3\text{P}\text{→}{}^4\text{S}{}^0\text{)}$ are calculated at 584 Å and 304 A employing the close-coupling approximation to compute the photoionization cross section values. The coupled channels include the states dominated by the ground configuration 1s²2s²p³ of O⁺and the next excited configuration ls²2s2p⁴. It is found that the partial c section $\text{σ(}{}^2\text{D}{}^0\text{)}$ decreases more rapidly than $\text{σ(}{}^2\text{P}{}^0\text{)}$, and at the lower wavelength 304 Å, the ratio $\text{σ(}{}^2\text{D}{}^0\text{)}\text{σ(}{}^4\text{S}{}^0\text{)}\text{<}\text{σ(}{}^2\text{P}{}^0\text{)}\text{σ(}{}^4\text{S}{}^0\text{)}$. Present results at 304 Å differ considerably from previous work.     

Aeronomical determination of the efficiency of O1D) production by dissociative recombination of O2+

Simultaneous measurements of the 6300 Å airglow intensity, the electron density profile, and F-region ion temperatures and vertical ion velocities taken at the Arecibo Observatory in March 1971 are utilized in the height integrated continuity equation to extract the number of photons'of 6300 Å emitted per recombination. After accounting for quenching of $\text{O}\text{(}{}^1\text{D}\text{)}$ and the electrons lost via NO⁺ recombination, the efficiency of $\text{O}\text{(}{}^1\text{D}\text{)}$ production by the dissociative recombination of O₂⁺ is determined to be 0.6 ± 0.2 including cascading from the $\text{O}\text{(}{}^1\text{S}\text{)}$ state. The uncertainty includes both random measurement errors and estimates of possible systematic errors.     

The O(1S) quantum yield from O2+ dissociative recombination

Recent laboratory studies show that the $\text{O}\text{(}{}^1\text{S}\text{)}$ quantum yield, $\text{f}\text{(}{}^1\text{S}\text{)}$, from O₂⁺ dissociative recombination varies considerably with the degree r of vibrational excitation. However, the suggestion that the high values for $\text{f}\text{(}{}^1\text{S}\text{)}$ deduced from airglow and auroral observations can be explained by invoking vibrational excitation, creates a number of problems. Firstly, the rapid vibrational deactivation of O₂⁺ ions by collisions with O atoms will keep r too low to account for the magnitude of $\text{f}\text{(}{}^1\text{S}\text{)}$; secondly, r varies considerably from one atmospheric source to another but its relative values (which should be reliable) do not co-vary with those of $\text{f}\text{(}{}^1\text{S}\text{)}$; thirdly, because r increases markedly above the peak of the $\text{X5577}\text{A}\text{?}$ dissociative recombination layer, the fits which theorists have obtained to the observed volume emission rate profiles would have to be regarded as fortuitious. It is tentatively suggested that $\text{f}\text{(}{}^1\text{S}\text{)}$ is higher in the airglow and aurora than in the laboratory plasma studied by Zipf (1980) because of the electron temperature dependence of the $\text{O}\text{(}{}^1\text{S}\text{)}$ specific recombination coefficient for O₂⁺(v^' ? 3) ions.The repulsive ${}^1\text{Σ}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>u</mtext>}}\text{[}{}^1\text{D}\text{+}{}^1\text{s}\text{]}$ state of O₂ does not provide a suitable channel for the dissociative recombination. A possible alternative is the bound ${}^3\text{Π}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>u</mtext>}}\text{[}{}^5\text{S}\text{+}{}^3\text{s}\text{]}$ state with predissociation to the repulsive ${}^3\text{Π}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>u</mtext>}}\text{[}{}^3\text{P}\text{+}{}^1\text{s}\text{]}$ state.