Roughness of the lunar soil

In situ measurements at the lunar surface at millimeter resolution by the Apollo astronauts have been analyzed. Several statistical parameters have been determined for the landing site. The surface roughness has been found to be very nearly gaussian. The root-mean-square slopes have been obtained over scales between 0.5 mm and 5 cm. They steadily decrease with increasing scale length from 58° to 2° and are in reasonable agreement with radar-measured values. The autocorrelation coefficient of the height distribution has also been obtained. It has a scale-length of 0.7 mm.Adjunct Professor at the University of Massachusetts.Visiting Scholar at the University of Massachusetts.     

Surface properties and effective resolution from ground-based observations of Mercury

A detailed study to evaluate ground-based photographs of Mercury has been carried out. Models of the surface scattering properties have been assumed and smeared with a Gaussian function for direct comparison with center-to-limb scans along Mercury's intensity equator. Data from a range of phase angles from 31° to 92° have been compared with smeared models assuming a Lambert surface, a surface which obeys the Lommel-Seeliger law and one which is Minnaertian, having a variable coefficient. Within the limits of the observations a lunar Minnaert surface yields the most consistent interpretation. An objective evaluation of the resolution of the photographs is obtained in terms of Gaussian half-widths.     

Time-Distance Helioseismology with f Modes as a Method for Measurement of Near-Surface Flows

Travel times measured for the f mode have been used to study flows near the solar surface in conjunction with simultaneous measurements of the magnetic field. Previous flow measurements of Doppler surface rotation, small magnetic feature rotation, supergranular pattern rotation, and surface meridional circulation have been confirmed. In addition, the flow in supergranules due to Coriolis forces has been measured. The spatial and temporal power spectra for a six-day observing sequence have been measured.     

Extreme relativistic model for neutron stars and pulsars

Exact solutions have been obtained for a massive fluid sphere under the extreme causality condition (dP/dρ)=1. Radial pulsational stability of these structures has been discussed. It is found that for pulsationally stable configurations the surface to central density ratio is greater than 0.30, the maximum values for surface and central redshifts are 0.85 and 3.40 respectively in the extreme case, and the maximum mass and size are respectively 4.8M _⊙ and 20.1 km. It has also been shown that these structures are gravitationally bound, with a maximum binding energy per unit rest mass equal to 0.25 for a surface to central density ratio ?0.40. Slow rotation of these configurations has also been considered, and the relative drag and moment of inertia have been calculated. These results have been applied to the Crab pulsar and the mass of the pulsar has also been calculated based upon this model.     

Precise calculation of the magnetosphere surface for a tilted dipole

The shape of the magnetosphere has been calculated self-consistently for inclinations of the Earth's magnetic dipole from perpendicular to the solar wind. Inclination angles of 0–35° have been chosen in steps of 5° and various smooth trends in the surface characteristics with increasing inclination angle noted. The surface points and the complete field at the surface points have been calculated for the entire surfaces. The neutral point region has been given precise study in one degree steps and is found to be tangent to the solar wind velocity and to have a smooth continuous curvature. The inclusion of the Earth's bow shock pressure and other sources of current have not been included at this stage of our program.     

A cold and wet Mars

Water on Mars has been explained by invoking controversial and mutually exclusive solutions based on warming the atmosphere with greenhouse gases (the “warm and wet” Mars) or on local thermal energy sources acting in a global freezing climate (the “cold and dry” Mars). Both have critical limitations and none has been definitively accepted as a compelling explanation for the presence of liquid water on Mars. Here is considered the hypothesis that cold, saline and acidic liquid solutions have been stable on the sub-zero surface of Mars for relatively extended periods of time, completing a hydrogeological cycle in a water-enriched but cold planet. Computer simulations have been developed to analyze the evaporation processes of a hypothetical martian fluid with a composition resulting from the acid weathering of basalt. This model is based on orbiter- and lander-observed surface mineralogy of Mars, and is consistent with the sequence and time of deposition of the different mineralogical units. The hydrological cycle would have been active only in periods of dense atmosphere, as having a minimum atmospheric pressure is essential for water to flow, and relatively high temperatures (over ∼245 K) are required to trigger evaporation and snowfall; minor episodes of limited liquid water on the surface could have occurred at lower temperatures (over ∼225 K). During times with a thin atmosphere and even lesser temperatures (under ∼225 K), only transient liquid water can potentially exist on most of the martian surface. Assuming that surface temperatures have always been maintained below 273 K, Mars can be considered a “cold and wet” planet for a substantial part of its geological history.     

Local time asymmetries of the SSC-associated hydromagnetic variations at the geosynchronous altitude

167 SSC events have been studied by using the data observed at the multiple-satellites at the geosynchronous altitude. The strong local time asymmetry of the SSC amplitude which was found by Kokubun (1983) has been confirmed. The pronounced local time asymmetry has also been found with the direction of the initial movement of Psc magnetic pulsations. Those local time effects are interpreted by the intensification of the magnetopause surface current during a SSC event, and by the distance between the geosynchronous satellite and the surface current. It has also been clarified that the SSC signal propagates with a speed of 400–700 km s^?1 across the field lines in the magnetosphere as suggested by Wilken et al. (1982).     

The directional characteristics of lunar infrared radiation

A theory of the directional characteristics of the lunar infrared radiation measured by Saari and Shorthill has been derived. This theory is in excellent agreement with experiment at all angles of observation and at all phase angles. The radiation law used to describe the angular dependence of the infrared radiation emitted by a flat element of the lunar surface is 0.85 cos + 0.22 cos², where is the angle between the surface normal and the direction of observation. This radiation law is subsequently modified by taking into account lunar surface roughness. We assume a surface covered in part with spherical craters of various depth to diameter ratios as a model for the lunar soil. Re-radiation within the craters has been accounted for. Extensive use is made of group theoretical and invariant tensor methods which enable us to show that most of the details of the radiation pattern do not depend on the detailed nature of the surface features assumed, but only on the average surface slope. A best fit to the Saari-Shorthill data has been obtained by assuming 50% of the lunar surface to be covered with craters with a depth to diameter ratio of 1:3, while the remainder of the surface is essentially flat. The mean deviation between theory and experiment is 4K.This work has been supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration under Contracts No. NAS8-20 385 and NAS8-25 585, Marshall Space Flight Center, Alabama.Receipt delayed due to postal strike in Great Britain.     

AFM study on surface nanotopography of matrix olivines in Allende carbonaceous chondrite

By means of nanoscale surface observation, we have proposed a new approach for investigating fine crystals of cosmic materials to reveal their origin and growth conditions. Several different morphologies of polyhedral fine olivines with faceted faces have been found in Allende carbonaceous chondrite (4.5 byr in geochronological age). In the present work, molecular level topography of the faceted matrix olivine by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) has successfully been performed. The matrix olivine found to have preserved growth step pattern on its surface even though quite long time has passed since they formed in the early Solar System. The surface pattern suggests that the faceted matrix olivine could have been condensed from the gas phase, and possibly that these olivine crystals had continued to grow under a rapid cooling condition (0.1-1 K s⁻¹). The estimated cooling rate agrees well with predictions based on hypothetical rapid heating and cooling events such as shock wave heating.     

TITAN’S GROUND REFLECTANCE RETRIEVAL FROM CASSINI-VIMS DATA TAKEN DURING THE JULY 2ND, 2004 FLY-BY AT 2 AM UT

An attempt to evaluate the preliminary values of the Titan's surface albedo at 2 μm from the first Cassini-VIMS observations of the moon is presented. The methodology is based on the application of radiative transfer calculations and a microphysical model of the Titan atmosphere based on fractal aerosol. As a first guess, the surface has been considered flat and lambertian. The results are presented as a function of the geographical coordinates associated to the image pixels. The libRadtran package, using the radiative transfer equation solver DISORT 2.0, has been applied for the calculations. A test run to evaluate the model performances, using ground based observations of Titan as reference in the range of wavelengths 0.3-1.0 μm, has been carried out.The retrieved values of the surface albedo range between 0.03 and 0.22.     

Anomalous radar backscatter from Titan’s surface?

Since Cassini arrived at Saturn in 2004, its moon Titan has been thoroughly mapped by the RADAR instrument at 2-cm wavelength, in both active and passive modes. Some regions on Titan, including Xanadu and various bright hummocky bright terrains, contain surfaces that are among the most radar-bright encountered in the Solar System. This high brightness has been generally attributed to volume scattering processes in the inhomogeneous, low-loss medium expected for a cold, icy satellite surface. We can test this assumption now that the emissivity has been obtained from the concurrent radiometric measurements for nearly all the surface, with unprecedented accuracy (Janssen et al., and the Cassini RADAR Team [2009]. Icarus 200, 222-239). Kirchhoff’s law of thermal radiation relates the radar and radiometric properties in a way that has never been fully exploited. In this paper we examine here how this law may be applied in this case to better understand the nature of Titan’s radar-bright regions. We develop a quantitative model that, when compared to the observational data, allows us to conclude that either the reflective characteristics of the putative volume scattering subsurface must be highly constrained, or, more likely, organized structure on or in the surface is present that enhances the backscatter.     

Effect of atmospheric dust loading on martian albedo measurements

This work is devoted to the analysis of the variation of albedo measured by orbiting instruments with atmospheric opacity on Mars. The study has been conduced by analysing Mars Global Surveyor Thermal Emission Spectrometer (MGS-TES) data from martian regions with different surface albedo.In support of these data, synthetic spectra with different surface albedo and atmospheric opacities have been computed, so that a comparison has been performed. The synthetic spectra have been retrieved by using two different grain sizes for suspended dust (0.5 and 1.2 μm), allowing a comparison between the two models and the observations.Using the DCI, a parameter describing the quantity of dust deposited on the surface, the effectiveness of the single scattering approximation has been tested for low atmospheric opacity by analysing the quality of the linear fit up to different atmospheric opacity.For more opaque conditions two kinds of fits have been applied to the data, linear and second-order degree polynomial. In this case, we found that the polynomial fit better describes the observations.The analysis of these data made it possible to notice a peculiar trend, already reported by Christensen (1988), of the albedo over Syrtis Major after the occurrence of dust storms, but, differently from that work, now the study of DCI together with atmospheric opacity and albedo allowed us to robustly confirm the hypothesis made by Christensen.Finally, the comparison between observations and synthetic spectra computed with models with different particles grain sizes indicates that dust particles of 0.5 μm diameter are the most effective to change the aerosol atmospheric opacity on Mars.     

An inverse problem in a three-dimensional radiative transfer

In a series of papers (cf. Bellmanet al., 1965a, b; Kagiwadaet al., 1975), an estimation of optical properties of turbid media has been made, in the least-squared sense, with the aid of quasi-linearization and invariant imbedding. Recently, an extension of the above procedure to the three-dimensional case with horizontally inhomogeneous albedo of the underlying surface has been attempted (Ueno, 1982). From computational aspects the numerical evaluation is not so easy, even by means of high-speed electronic computers. In the present paper it is shown that the latin-square algorithm is a useful estimate for the least-squares inference of the optical properties of turbid media bounded by an inhomogeneous reflecting surface.     

Phase retrieval holography and surface adjustment of SEST using the LES-8 satellite

Phase retrieval holography has been used to determine the surface profile of the Swedish-ESO Sub-millimetre Telescope (SEST). The measurement was performed using a signal transmitted from the geosynchronous LES-8 satellite over a range of elevation angles. The results of the measurements have been used to reset the reflector thus reducing the surface errors from the initial 80 m r.m.s. to 51 m r.m.s. The improvement in the surface accuracy has been confirmed by telescope efficiency measurements at 232–250 GHz.     

Surface age of the ice–dust mantle deposit in Malea Planum,Mars

The mid- and high-latitudes of Mars are covered by a smooth young mantle that is interpreted as an atmospherically derived air-fall deposit of ice and dust related to recent climate changes. In order to determine relative and absolute ages of this surface unit within the southern hemisphere, a systematic survey of all available HiRISE and CTX images in the Malea Planum region from 55–60°S latitude and 50–70°E longitude was performed and the distribution and the morphology of small impact craters on the mantle deposit were investigated. Using crater size-frequency measurements, we derived absolute model ages of ～3–5 Ma for the surface of the mantle, immediately south of the Hellas basin rim. Morphologic observations of the mantle, its fresh appearance, very low number of craters, and superposition on older units support this very young Amazonian age. Nearly all observed craters on the smooth mantle in Malea Planum are small and show signs of erosion, evidence for the ongoing modification of the ice–dust mantle. However, this modification has not been strong enough to reset the surface age. Compared to the ice–dust mantle at higher latitudes in the northern and southern hemisphere, the surface of the mantle in Malea Planum is older and thus has been relatively stable during obliquity changes in the last ～3–5 Ma. This is consistent with the hypothesis that the ice–dust mantle is a complex surface deposit of different layers, that shows a strong latitude dependence in morphology and has been deposited and degraded at different times in martian history.     

Monte-Carlo simulation of Mercury's exosphere

Because of its proximity to the Sun and its small size, Mercury has not been able to retain its atmosphere and only a thin exosphere surrounds the planet. The exospheric pressure at the planetary surface is approximately 10⁻¹⁰ mbar, set by the Mariner 10 occultation experiment. The existence of gaseous species H, He, and O has been established by Mariner 10. In addition Na, K, and Ca have been observed by ground based instrumentation. Other elements are expected to be found in Mercury's exosphere since the total pressure of the known species is almost two orders of magnitude less than the exospheric pressure.It is intended to measure these exospheric particle densities in situ with an instrument on board of ESA's BepiColombo Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) spacecraft. Since the expected exospheric densities are very small we developed a Monte-Carlo computer model to investigate if such a measurement is feasible along the MPO spacecraft orbit. We model energy and ejection angle distributions of the particles at the surface, with the emission process determining the actual distribution functions. Our model follows the trajectory of each particle by numerical integration until the particle hits Mercury's surface again or escapes from the calculation domain. Using a large set of these trajectories bulk parameters of the exospheric gas are derived, e.g., particle densities for various atomic and molecular species. Our study suggests that a mass spectrometric measurement is feasible and, at least at MPO's periherm, all species that are released from the surface will be observed.     

Gravitational scattering in planetary rings

The gravitational influence of a large body (moonlet; satellite) on the radial structure of planetary rings has been calculated numerically. A drastical change of the surface mass density is obtained even after a single scattering process of the ring-particles on a moonlet (satellite). The final surface density shows a significant radial structure, which has been used to estimate radius and mass of satellites embedded in rings of low optical depth (E-ring, Cassini-division, C-ring of Saturn).     

Nonlinear Kelvin-Helmholtz magnetohydrodynamic instability of a rotating plasma

Nonlinear analysis for Kelvin-Helmholtz instability of an incompressible, inviscid, rotating fluid with infinite conductivity in the presence of gravity and surface tension has been discussed. The unperturbed magnetic field on two sides of the interface is taken to be uniform. The nonlinear Schrödinger equation for the time variation of amplitude of small perturbations with wave number around the neutral stability is derived. It is found that stability of a magnetised K-H rotating configuration depends on the density ratio, surface tension, and discontinuity of velocity and magnetic field. The effect of an aligned magnetic field and rotation on the non-linear instability of a rotating conducting plasma has been discussed in certain important limiting cases.     

Large-scale three-dimensional structure of the interplanetary magnetic field

Analysis of observations of the white-light corona performed aboard OSO-7 is evidence for the existence of coronal ribbon-structures, which may be observed on the limb as coronal streamers. It is shown that prolongation of these structures into interplanetary space forms a curved surface; intersection of this surface is accompanied by a change of polarity of the interplanetary magnetic field, which existed in May–July 1973; and its connection with several phenomena in the solar atmosphere, has been found.     

Methane Abundance on Titan, Measured by the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph

Although methane is the dominant absorber in Titan's reflection spectrum, the amount of methane in the atmosphere has only been determined to an order of magnitude. We analyzed spectra from the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph, looking at both a bright surface region (700-km radius) and a dark surface region. The difference between the spectra of the two regions is attributed to light that has scattered off the surface, and therefore made a round-trip through all of Titan's methane. Considering only absorption, the shape of the difference spectrum provides an upper limit on methane abundance of 3.5 km-am. Modeling the multiple scattering in the atmosphere further constrains the methane abundance to 2.63±0.17 km-am. In the absence of supersaturation and with a simplified methane vertical profile, this corresponds to a surface methane-mole fraction near 3.8% and a relative humidity of 0.32. With supersaturation near the tropopause, the surface methane mole fraction could be as low as 3%.