Three types of liquid water in icy surfaces of celestial bodies

It is shown that, at temperatures far below the triple point and under appropriate conditions, liquid water can stably or temporarily exist in upper ice-covered surfaces of planetary bodies (like Mars) in three different types:

(i)

undercooled interfacial water (due to freezing point depression by van der Waals forces and “premelting”),

(ii)

water in brines (due to freezing point depression in solutions), and

(iii)

sub-surface melt water (due to a solid-state greenhouse effect driven heating).

The physics behind and the related conditions for these liquid waters to evolve and to exist, and possibly related consequences, are discussed. These calculations are mainly made in view of the possible presence of these sub-surface liquids in the upper surface of the present Mars.     

Production of organic molecules in the outer solar system by proton irradiation: Laboratory simulations

In the past few years considerable attention has been given to the determination of likely compounds that could account for the various colors observed in the outer solar system: and to possible formation mechanisms for these compounds. Many experiments have been done using electrical discharges (Chadha, M. S., et al., 1971, Icarus15, 39) and ultraviolet light (Khare, B. N., and Sagan, C., 1973, Icarus20, 311) on mixtures of CH₄, NH₃, and H₂S, which are most likely the dominant minor constituents of the atmospheres of Jupiter, Saturn, Titan, and possibly the other satellites early in their histories. Colored polymers, usually brownish-red, have been produced in these experiments. With the passage of Pioneer 10 around Jupiter, there is another source of energy worthy of consideration, energetic protons (and electrons). Preliminary experiments to investigate the formation of colored polymers and other interesting molecules by the irradiation of gas mixtures by protons are discussed. Two to four Mev protons were used, with corresponding beam fluxes (as measured at 6R_J from the planet) equivalent to approximately 80 Earth years at Jupiter per hour of exposure. As in the other types of experiments, colored polymers have been produced. An important feature of this work is the presence or absence of absorption at 5 μm in the different materials produced; Titan is quite dark at this wavelength and Io is fairly bright. Such features may provide criteria for accepting or rejecting various materials produced in these experiments as reasonable coloring agents for the outer solar system.     

Constraints from deuterium on the formation of icy bodies in the Jovian system and beyond

We consider the role of deuterium as a potential marker of location and ambient conditions during the formation of small bodies in our Solar system. We concentrate in particular on the formation of the regular icy satellites of Jupiter and the other giant planets, but include a discussion of the implications for the Trojan asteroids and the irregular satellites. We examine in detail the formation of regular planetary satellites within the paradigm of a circum-Jovian subnebula. Particular attention is paid to the two extreme potential subnebulae—“hot” and “cold”. In particular, we show that, for the case of the “hot” subnebula model, the D:H ratio in water ice measured from the regular satellites would be expected to be near-Solar. In contrast, satellites which formed in a “cold” subnebula would be expected to display a D:H ratio that is distinctly over-Solar. We then compare the results obtained with the enrichment regimes which could be expected for other families of icy small bodies in the outer Solar system—the Trojan asteroids and the irregular satellites. In doing so, we demonstrate how measurements by Laplace, the James Webb Space Telescope, HERSCHEL and ALMA will play an important role in determining the true formation locations and mechanisms of these objects.     

On the possible in situ elemental analysis of small bodies with laser ablation TOF-MS

An analysis is presented of the potential application of laser ablation time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LA-TOF-MS) to the study of small bodies on in situ and sample return missions. LA-TOF-MS provides the significant advantages of high-quality, low-ambiguity data, no requirement of sample contact or preparation, rapid analysis, and local probe capability. The ability to address particular scientific goals on a given mission depends strongly on obtaining reproducible instrument- and sample-dependent fractionation factors for heterogeneous samples in various operating conditions. LA-TOF-MS analyses of basalt and mineral separate standards, in both powdered and compressed forms, have been used to establish an understanding of elemental fractionation in the mass range from C to Zn and selected higher-mass elements. Results of a preliminary calibration applied to the bulk analysis of carbonaceous meteorites suggests that sufficient precision is obtained from replicate averaging of spectra to differentiate among some sub-classes. Complementary point-by-point LA analyses of such samples could also provide powerful diagnostic information for mineralogy.     

A Critical review of theoretical models of negatively polarized light scattered by atmosphereless solar system bodies

About a dozen physical mechanisms and models aspire to explain the negative polarization of light scattered by atmosphereless celestial bodies. This is too large a number for the reliable interpretation of observational data. Through a comparative analysis of the models, our main goal is to answer the question: Does any one model have an advantage over the others? Our analysis is based on new laboratory polarimetric and photometric data as well as on theoretical results. We show that the widely used models due to Hopfield and Wolff cannot realistically explain the phase-angle dependence of the degree of polarization observed at small phase angles. The so-called interference or coherent backscattering mechanism is the most promising model. Models based on that mechanism use well-defined physical parameters to explain both negative polarization and the opposition effect. They are supported by laboratory experiments, particularly those showing enhancement of negative polarization with decreasing particle size down to the wavelength of light. According to the interference mechanism, pronounced negative branches of polarization, like those of C-class asteroids, may indicate a high degree of optical inhomogeneity of light-scattering surfaces at small scales. The mechanism also seems appropriate for treating the negative polarization and opposition effects of cometary dust comae, planetary rings, and the zodiacal light.     

Main Belt Comets: A new class of small bodies in the solar system

Comets and asteroids have traditionally been considered two distinct separate populations of small bodies in the solar system, according to their different dynamical, observational, and compositional characteristics.The discovery of a new class of objects, the so-called, Main Belt Comets (MBCs), exhibiting a clear cometary activity but having at the same time orbits indistinguishable from the ones of asteroids in the Main Belt provided further evidence that asteroids and comets, rather than two distinct separate classes, represent the end-members of a continuum of small bodies, with compositions from the very rocky to the very icy.Their study is nowadays deepening our knowledge of the formation mechanisms of the solar system and of the distribution of volatile materials in the protoplanetary disk.In this paper the present knowledge of MBCs is reviewed in terms of physical properties derived from observations, dynamical studies about the origin and formation, thermal modeling of the nuclei, investigations about the activation mechanisms, and the eventual contribution to the presence of water on our planet. An overview of the large-scale surveys dedicated to their discovery and of the detection techniques used so far is also given. Moreover, open question and indications for future observations and modeling are outlined.     

Investigation of the long-periodic orbits of Trojan-type asteroids in the outer solar system

The present paper demonstrates the results of the numerical integration of equations of motion of a infinitesimal mass pleased in the neighborhood of the triangular point of the Sun-planet system. There are presented the results for the outer solar system, i.e. for Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. The long-periodic solutions were searched for the distance from the Lagrangian point changing from ±0.01 to ±0.10 in canonical units. The Trojans of those planets have the circle, tadpole, horseshoe and irregular shape of their orbits. Same of those test particles showed a close approach to planet. Other of those collided with planet and then was removed from the solar system. The tadpole, circle and same trajectories surveyed integration for 100,000 years. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The web of three-planet resonances in the outer Solar System: II. A source of orbital instability for Uranus and Neptune

The motion of the giant planets from Jupiter to Neptune is chaotic with Lyapunov time of approximately 10 Myr. A recent theory explains the presence of this chaos with three-planet mean-motion resonances, i.e. resonances among the orbital periods of at least three planets. We find that the distribution of these resonances with respect to the semi-major axes of all the planets is compatible with orbital instability. In particular, they overlap in a region of 10⁻³ AU with respect to the variation of the semi-major axes of Uranus and Neptune. Fictitious planetary systems with initial conditions in this region can undergo systematic variations of semi-major axes. The true Solar System is marginally in this region, and Uranus and Neptune undergo very slow systematic variations of semi-major axes with speed of order 10⁻⁴ AU/Gyr.     

The Kozai resonance in the outer solar system and the dynamics of long-period comets

We consider the secular evolution of the orbits of bodies in the Outer Solar System under the perturbations of the jovian planets assumed on coplanar and circular orbits. Through the approach used for asteroidal belt by Yoshihide Kozai in 1962, we obtain that the Kozai resonance do not affect the behavior of bodies belonging to the Kuiper belt but concerns the long-timescale evolution of long-period comets. In particular this resonance appears as a process contributing to produce Sun-grazer comets.     

On the “strength” of the small bodies of the solar system: A review of strength theories and their implementation for analyses of impact disruptions

Composed of rocks, dirt, ices and metals, the small bodies of the Solar System generally show features of strength; and that property undoubtedly played a major role in their collisional evolution. But the quantification of strength is difficult because there are many different measures of strength, and those measures depend significantly on a body's composition, previous history and size. Although it is at the foundations of our scaling theories for the disruption of small bodies, and an essential part of code calculations, we have only recently begun to understand and come to grips with that strength property and in appropriate ways to model it in our theories and calculations.This is a general overview of strength theories for geological-type materials as needed for impact analyses. Dominant features of strength models are discussed, and comparisons of various models in the literature against that feature template is given. A summary of the use of strength theories in impact calculations is presented.     

Short-lived radionuclides in the early solar system — A meteoritic perspective of the solar system formation

This paper reviews the evidence for short-lived radionuclides in the early solar system and evaluates the models of their origin. The stellar model requires that some freshly-nucleosynthesized radionuclides were injected into the proto-solar cloud shortly before it began to collapse. The spallation theory suggests that these nuclides were the products of interaction between energetic particles and gas/dust in the proto-solar cloud or solar nebula. A brief discussion is given to a new theory for the X-wind model of solar system formation.     

A study of possible temporal and latitudinal variations in the properties of the solar tachocline

Temporal variations of the structure and the rotation rate of the solar tachocline region are studied using helioseismic data from the Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG) and the Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) obtained during the period 1995–2000. We do not find any significant temporal variation in the depth of the convection zone, the position of the tachocline or the extent of overshoot below the convection zone. No systematic variation in any other properties of the tachocline, like width, etc., is found either. The possibility of periodic variations in these properties is also investigated. Time-averaged results show that the tachocline is prolate with a variation of about 0.02 R_⊙ in its position. Neither the depth of the convection zone nor the extent of overshoot shows any significant variation with latitude.     

The opposition effect in the outer Solar system: A comparative study of the phase function morphology

In this paper, we characterize the morphology of the disk-integrated phase functions of satellites and rings around the giant planets of our solar system. We find that the shape of the phase function is accurately represented by a logarithmic model [Bobrov, M.S., 1970. Physical properties of Saturn's rings. In: Dollfus, A. (Ed.), Surfaces and Interiors of Planets and Satellites. Academic, New York, pp. 376-461]. For practical purposes, we also parametrize the phase curves by a linear-exponential model [Kaasalainen, S., Muinonen, K., Piironen, J., 2001. Comparative study on opposition effect of icy solar system objects. Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer 70, 529-543] and a simple linear-by-parts model [Lumme, K., Irvine, W.M., 1976. Photometry of Saturn's rings. Astronomical Journal 81, 865-893], which provides three morphological parameters: the amplitude A and the half-width at half-maximum (HWHM) of the opposition surge, and the slope S of the linear part of the phase function at larger phase angles.Our analysis demonstrates that all of these morphological parameters are correlated with the single-scattering albedos of the surfaces.By taking more accurately into consideration the finite angular size of the Sun, we find that the Galilean, Saturnian, Uranian and Neptunian satellites have similar HWHMs (?0.5^°), whereas they have a wide range of amplitudes A. The Moon has the largest HWHM (∼2^°). We interpret that as a consequence of the “solar size bias”, via the finite angular size of the Sun which varies dramatically from the Earth to Neptune. By applying a new method that attempts to morphologically deconvolve the phase function to the solar angular size, we find that icy and young surfaces, with active resurfacing, have the smallest values of A and HWHM, whereas dark objects (and perhaps older surfaces) such as the Moon, Nereid and Saturn's C ring have the largest A and HWHM.Comparison between multiple objects also shows that solar system objects belonging to the same planet have comparable opposition surges. This can be interpreted as a “planetary environmental effect” that acts to locally modify the regolith and the surface properties of objects which are in the same environment.     

On the ‘Divergence Problem’ in Northern Forests: A review of the tree-ring evidence and possible causes

An anomalous reduction in forest growth indices and temperature sensitivity has been detected in tree-ring width and density records from many circumpolar northern latitude sites since around the middle 20th century. This phenomenon, also known as the “divergence problem”, is expressed as an offset between warmer instrumental temperatures and their underestimation in reconstruction models based on tree rings. The divergence problem has potentially significant implications for large-scale patterns of forest growth, the development of paleoclimatic reconstructions based on tree-ring records from northern forests, and the global carbon cycle. Herein we review the current literature published on the divergence problem to date, and assess its possible causes and implications. The causes, however, are not well understood and are difficult to test due to the existence of a number of covarying environmental factors that may potentially impact recent tree growth. These possible causes include temperature-induced drought stress, nonlinear thresholds or time-dependent responses to recent warming, delayed snowmelt and related changes in seasonality, and differential growth/climate relationships inferred for maximum, minimum and mean temperatures. Another possible cause of the divergence described briefly herein is ‘global dimming’, a phenomenon that has appeared, in recent decades, to decrease the amount of solar radiation available for photosynthesis and plant growth on a large scale. It is theorized that the dimming phenomenon should have a relatively greater impact on tree growth at higher northern latitudes, consistent with what has been observed from the tree-ring record. Additional potential causes include “end effects” and other methodological issues that can emerge in standardization and chronology development, and biases in instrumental target data and its modeling. Although limited evidence suggests that the divergence may be anthropogenic in nature and restricted to the recent decades of the 20th century, more research is needed to confirm these observations.