5,235 research outputs found
Coordinated thermal and optical observations of Trans-Neptunian object (20000) Varuna from Sierra Nevada
We report on coordinated thermal and optical measurements of trans-Neptunian
object (20000) Varuna obtained in January-February 2002, respectively from the
IRAM 30-m and IAA 1.5 m telescopes. The optical data show a lightcurve with a
period of 3.176+/-0.010 hr, a mean V magnitude of 20.37+/-0.08 and a
0.42+/-0.01 magnitude amplitude. They also tentatively indicate that the
lightcurve is asymmetric and double-peaked. The thermal observations indicate a
1.12+/-0.41 mJy flux, averaged over the object's rotation. Combining the two
datasets, we infer that Varuna has a mean 1060(+180/-220) km diameter and a
mean 0.038(+0.022/-0.010) V geometric albedo, in general agreement with an
earlier determination using the same technique.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics (7 pages,
including 3 figures
High resolution spectroscopy of Pluto's atmosphere: detection of the 2.3 m CH bands and evidence for carbon monoxide
The goal is to determine the composition of Pluto's atmosphere and to
constrain the nature of surface-atmosphere interactions.
We perform high--resolution spectroscopic observations in the 2.33--2.36
m range, using CRIRES at the VLT.
We obtain (i) the first detection of gaseous methane in this spectral range,
through lines of the + and + bands (ii) strong
evidence (6- confidence) for gaseous CO in Pluto. For an isothermal
atmosphere at 90 K, the CH and CO column densities are 0.75 and 0.07 cm-am,
within factors of 2 and 3, respectively. Using a physically--based thermal
structure model of Pluto's atmosphere also satisfying constraints from stellar
occultations, we infer CH and CO mixing ratios q=
0.6% (consistent with results from the 1.66 m range) and
q = 0.5. The CO atmospheric abundance is
consistent with its surface abundance. As for Triton, it is probably controlled
by a thin, CO-rich, detailed balancing layer resulting from seasonal transport
and/or atmospheric escape.Comment: Astronomy and Astrophysics Letters, in pres
Wind mapping in Venus' upper mesosphere with the IRAM-Plateau de Bure interferometer
The dynamics of the upper mesosphere of Venus (~85-115 km) have been
characterized as a combination of a retrograde superrotating zonal wind (RSZ)
with a subsolar-to-antisolar flow (SSAS). Numerous mm-wave single-dish
observations have been obtained and could directly measure mesospheric
line-of-sight winds by mapping Doppler-shifts on CO rotational lines, but their
limited spatial resolution makes their interpretation difficult. By using
interferometric facilities, one can obtain better resolution on Doppler-shifts
maps, allowing in particular to put firmer constraints on the respective
contributions of the SSAS and RSZ circulations to the global mesospheric wind
field. We report on interferometric observations of the CO(1-0) line obtained
with the IRAM-Plateau de Bure interferometer in November 2007 and June 2009,
that could map the upper mesosphere dynamics on the morning hemisphere with a
very good spatial resolution (3.5-5.5"). All the obtained measurements show,
with a remarkably good temporal stability, that the wind globally flows in the
(sky) East-West direction, corresponding in the observed geometry either to an
unexpected prograde zonal wind or a SSAS flow. A very localized inversion of
the wind direction, that could correspond to a RSZ wind, is also repeatedly
detected in the night hemisphere. The presence of significant meridional winds
is not evidenced. Using models with different combinations of zonal and SSAS
winds, we find that the data is best reproduced by a dominant SSAS flow with a
maximal velocity at the terminator of ~200 m/s, displaying large diurnal and
latitudinal asymmetries, combined with an equatorial RSZ wind of 70-100 m/s,
overall indicating a wind-field structure consistent with but much more complex
than the usual representation of the mesospheric dynamics.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&
First Disk-Resolved Millimeter Observations Of Io's Surface And SO2 Atmosphere
Aims. In spite of considerable progress in the last two decades, Io's atmosphere remains poorly understood. The goal of this work is to improve our understanding of its spatial distribution, temperature and dynamics. Methods. We present millimeter observations of Io's surface and SO2 atmosphere at 1.4 mm obtained with the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer in January-February 2005. With a synthesized beam of 0.5 x 1.5 '', these observations resolve Io's similar to 1.0 '' disk in the longitudinal/local time direction, and sample the leading and trailing hemispheres of Io. Results. The measured continuum total flux and visibilities show that continuum radiation originates from a depth of at least 1 cm in Io's subsurface. On both the leading and trailing sides, emission in the SO2 216.643 GHz line appears spatially narrower than the continuum, and suggests that the atmosphere covers similar to 80% of the surface on the leading side and similar to 60% on the trailing. On the leading side, disk-resolved spectra yield Doppler shift measurements, indicating a beam-integrated limb-to-limb velocity difference of 330 +/-3 100 m/s in the prograde direction. Such a flow allows an improved fit of disk-averaged SO2 spectra, but its origin remains to be understood. Mean gas temperatures are in the range 130-180 K, in agreement with estimates from IR measurements, and with a tendency for higher trailing vs leading side gas temperatures. On the basis of realistic plume models, we find that the contribution of isolated volcanic plumes to the SO2 emission is small.Astronom
Exploring Io's atmospheric composition with APEX: first measurement of 34SO2 and tentative detection of KCl
The composition of Io's tenuous atmosphere is poorly constrained. Only the
major species SO2 and a handful of minor species have been positively
identified, but a variety of other molecular species should be present, based
on thermochemical equilibrium models of volcanic gas chemistry and the
composition of Io's environment. This paper focuses on the spectral search for
expected yet undetected molecular species (KCl, SiO, S2O) and isotopes (34SO2).
We analyze a disk-averaged spectrum of a potentially line-rich spectral window
around 345 GHz, obtained in 2010 at the APEX-12m antenna (Atacama Pathfinder
EXperiment). Using different models assuming either extended atmospheric
distributions or a purely volcanically-sustained atmosphere, we tentatively
measure the KCl relative abundance with respect to SO2 and derive a range of
4x10^{-4}-8x10^{-3}. We do not detect SiO or S2O and present new upper limits
on their abundances. We also present the first measurement of the 34S/32S
isotopic ratio in gas phase on Io, which appears to be twice as high as the
Earth and ISM reference values. Strong lines of SO2 and SO are also analyzed to
check for longitudinal variations of column density and relative abundance. Our
models show that, based on their predicted relative abundance with respect to
SO2 in volcanic plumes, both the tentative KCl detection and SiO upper limit
are compatible with a purely volcanic origin for these species.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. 11 pages, 4 figure
Detection of CO in Triton's atmosphere and the nature of surface-atmosphere interactions
Triton possesses a thin atmosphere, primarily composed of nitrogen, sustained
by the sublimation of surface ices. The goal is to determine the composition of
Triton's atmosphere and to constrain the nature of surface-atmosphere
interactions. We perform high-resolution spectroscopic observations in the
2.32-2.37 m range, using CRIRES at the VLT. From this first spectroscopic
detection of Triton's atmosphere in the infrared, we report (i) the first
observation of gaseous methane since its discovery in the ultraviolet by
Voyager in 1989 and (ii) the first ever detection of gaseous CO in the
satellite. The CO atmospheric abundance is remarkably similar to its surface
abundance, and appears to be controlled by a thin, CO-enriched, surface veneer
resulting from seasonal transport and/or atmospheric escape. The CH partial
pressure is several times larger than inferred from Voyager. This confirms that
Triton's atmosphere is seasonally variable and is best interpreted by the
warming of CH-rich icy grains as Triton passed southern summer solstice in
2000. The presence of CO in Triton's atmosphere also affects its temperature,
photochemistry and ionospheric composition. An improved upper limit on CO in
Pluto's atmosphere is also reported.Comment: 11 pages, including 4 figures and 2 on-line figures Astronomy and
Astrophysics, in press (accepted March 13, 2010
The Thin Gap Chambers database experience in test beam and preparations for ATLAS
Thin gap chambers (TGCs) are used for the muon trigger system in the forward
region of the LHC experiment ATLAS. The TGCs are expected to provide a trigger
signal within 25 ns of the bunch spacing. An extensive system test of the ATLAS
muon spectrometer has been performed in the H8 beam line at the CERN SPS during
the last few years. A relational database was used for storing the conditions
of the tests as well as the configuration of the system. This database has
provided the detector control system with the information needed for
configuration of the front end electronics. The database is used to assist the
online operation and maintenance. The same database is used to store the non
event condition and configuration parameters needed later for the offline
reconstruction software. A larger scale of the database has been produced to
support the whole TGC system. It integrates all the production, QA tests and
assembly information. A 1/12th model of the whole TGC system is currently in
use for testing the performance of this database in configuring and tracking
the condition of the system. A prototype of the database was first implemented
during the H8 test beams. This paper describes the database structure, its
interface to other systems and its operational performance.Comment: Proceedings IEEE, Nuclear Science Symposium 2005, Stockholm, Sweeden,
May 200
Pluto's lower atmosphere structure and methane abundance from high-resolution spectroscopy and stellar occultations
Context: Pluto possesses a thin atmosphere, primarily composed of nitrogen,
in which the detection of methane has been reported.
Aims: The goal is to constrain essential but so far unknown parameters of
Pluto's atmosphere such as the surface pressure, lower atmosphere thermal
stucture, and methane mixing ratio.
Methods: We use high-resolution spectroscopic observations of gaseous
methane, and a novel analysis of occultation light-curves.
Results: We show that (i) Pluto's surface pressure is currently in the 6.5-24
microbar range (ii) the methane mixing ratio is 0.5+/-0.1 %, adequate to
explain Pluto's inverted thermal structure and ~100 K upper atmosphere
temperature (iii) a troposphere is not required by our data, but if present, it
has a depth of at most 17 km, i.e. less than one pressure scale height; in this
case methane is supersaturated in most of it. The atmospheric and bulk surface
abundance of methane are strikingly similar, a possible consequence of the
presence of a CH4-rich top surface layer.Comment: AA vers. 6.1, LaTeX class for Astronomy & Astrophysics, 9 pages with
5 figures Astronomy and Astrophysics Letters, in pres
Exploring the spatial, temporal, and vertical distribution of methane in Pluto's atmosphere
High-resolution spectra of Pluto in the 1.66 um region, recorded with the
VLT/CRIRES instrument in 2008 (2 spectra) and 2012 (5 spectra), are analyzed to
constrain the spatial and vertical distribution of methane in Pluto's
atmosphere and to search for mid-term (4 year) variability. A sensitivity study
to model assumptions (temperature structure, surface pressure, Pluto's radius)
is performed. Results indicate that (i) no variation of the CH4 atmospheric
content (column-density or mixing ratio) with Pluto rotational phase is present
in excess of 20 % (ii) CH4 column densities show at most marginal variations
between 2008 and 2012, with a best guess estimate of a ~20 % decrease over this
time frame. As stellar occultations indicate that Pluto's surface pressure has
continued to increase over this period, this implies a concomitant decrease of
the methane mixing ratio (iii) the data do not show evidence for an
altitude-varying methane distribution; in particular, they imply a roughly
uniform mixing ratio in at least the first 22-27 km of the atmosphere, and high
concentrations of low-temperature methane near the surface can be ruled out.
Our results are also best consistent with a relatively large (> 1180 km) Pluto
radius. Comparison with predictions from a recently developed global climate
model GCM indicates that these features are best explained if the source of
methane occurs in regional-scale CH4 ice deposits, including both low latitudes
and high Northern latitudes, evidence for which is present from the rotational
and secular evolution of the near-IR features due to CH4 ice. Our "best guess"
predictions for the New Horizons encounter in 2015 are: a 1184 km radius, a 17
ubar surface pressure, and a 0.44 % CH4 mixing ratio with negligible
longitudinal variations.Comment: 21 pages, 6 figure
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