Neutral upper atmospheres of the outer planets

Several recent papers have reviewed the upper atmospheres and ionospheres of Jupiter and Saturn in the post Voyager era (see, e.g., /1/ and references therein). Therefore, this paper will review only the most salient characteristics, as far as Jupiter and Saturn are concerned. The emphasis here, however, is placed on the Uranus upper atmosphere that was probed in January, 1986, by Voyager 2 spacecraft. In particular comparative aspects of atmospheric composition, thermal structure, photochemistry and the vertical mixing are discussed.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/26875/1/0000441.pd

Upper atmosphere of Jupiter--a post voyager perspective

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/24496/1/0000772.pd

Coupled Clouds and Chemistry of the Giant Planets— A Case for Multiprobes

In seeking to understand the formation of the giant planets and the origin of their atmospheres, the heavy element abundance in well-mixed atmosphere is key. However, clouds come in the way. Thus, composition and condensation are intimately intertwined with the mystery of planetary formation and atmospheric origin. Clouds also provide important clues to dynamical processes in the atmosphere. In this chapter we discuss the thermochemical processes that determine the composition, structure, and characteristics of the Jovian clouds. We also discuss the significance of clouds in the big picture of the formation of giant planets and their atmospheres. We recommend multiprobes at all four giant planets in order to break new ground.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/43766/1/11214_2005_Article_1951.pd

Modification of planetary atmospheres by material from the rings

The atmospheres and ionospheres of ringed planets can be, and perhaps are, modified by the injection of gaseous neutral and ionized species, and dust of ring origin. Although no direct evidence for such interaction exists, many of the unresolved characteristics of planetary composition, thermal structure and ionosphere would be understood if the rings supplied certain materials to their parent planets.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/24945/1/0000372.pd

High spectral resolution Fabry-Perot interferometer measurements of comet Halley at H-alpha and 6300 A

A 40.6 cm Newtonian telescope has been interfaced to the Fabry-Perot interferometer at the Arecibo Observatory to make high spectral resolution measurements of Comet Halley emissions at 6562.72 A (H-alpha) and 6300.3 A (OI). In March 1986 the H-alpha surface brightness for a 5'.9 field of view centered on the comet nucleus decreased from 39+/-7.8 rayleighs on 12 March to 16+/-3.8 rayleighs on 23 March. The atomic hydrogen production rate on 12 March 1986 was 1.62+/-0.5 x 1030 s-1, and on 23 March 1986 it was 6.76+/-2.3 x 1029 s-1. Using spectral resolution of 0.196 A, we found the atomic hydrogen outflow velocity to be approximately 7.9+/-1.0 km s-1. In general, the H-alpha spectra are highly structured, and indicative of a multiple component atomic hydrogen velocity distribution. An isotropic outflow of atomic hydrogen at various velocities is not adequate to explain the spectra measured at H-alpha. The 6300.3 A emission of O(1D) had a surface brightness of 81+/-16 rayleighs on 15 March 1986, and 95+/-11 rayleighs on 17 March 1986. After adjustment for atmospheric extinction, the implied O(1D) production rate on 15 March is 6.44+/-3.0 x 1028 s-1, and the production rate on 17 March is 5.66+/-2.7 x 1028 s-1. These spectra included a feature at 6300.8 A that we attribute to NH2. The brightness of this emission feature was 37+/-11 rayleighs on 15 March.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/25881/1/0000444.pd

Jupiter's temperature structure: a reassessment of the voyager radio occultation results

Stars and planetary system

The Atmospheric Chemistry Suite (ACS) of Three Spectrometers for the ExoMars 2016 Trace Gas Orbiter

The Atmospheric Chemistry Suite (ACS) package is an element of the Russian contribution to the ESA-Roscosmos ExoMars 2016 Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) mission. ACS consists of three separate infrared spectrometers, sharing common mechanical, electrical, and thermal interfaces. This ensemble of spectrometers has been designed and developed in response to the Trace Gas Orbiter mission objectives that specifically address the requirement of high sensitivity instruments to enable the unambiguous detection of trace gases of potential geophysical or biological interest. For this reason, ACS embarks a set of instruments achieving simultaneously very high accuracy (ppt level), very high resolving power (>10,000) and large spectral coverage (0.7 to 17 μm—the visible to thermal infrared range). The near-infrared (NIR) channel is a versatile spectrometer covering the 0.7–1.6 μm spectral range with a resolving power of ∼20,000. NIR employs the combination of an echelle grating with an AOTF (Acousto-Optical Tunable Filter) as diffraction order selector. This channel will be mainly operated in solar occultation and nadir, and can also perform limb observations. The scientific goals of NIR are the measurements of water vapor, aerosols, and dayside or night side airglows. The mid-infrared (MIR) channel is a cross-dispersion echelle instrument dedicated to solar occultation measurements in the 2.2–4.4 μm range. MIR achieves a resolving power of >50,000. It has been designed to accomplish the most sensitive measurements ever of the trace gases present in the Martian atmosphere. The thermal-infrared channel (TIRVIM) is a 2-inch double pendulum Fourier-transform spectrometer encompassing the spectral range of 1.7–17 μm with apodized resolution varying from 0.2 to 1.3 cm−1. TIRVIM is primarily dedicated to profiling temperature from the surface up to ∼60 km and to monitor aerosol abundance in nadir. TIRVIM also has a limb and solar occultation capability. The technical concept of the instrument, its accommodation on the spacecraft, the optical designs as well as some of the calibrations, and the expected performances for its three channels are described

JIRAM, the Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper

JIRAM is an imager/spectrometer on board the Juno spacecraft bound for a polar orbit around Jupiter. JIRAM is composed of IR imager and spectrometer channels. Its scientific goals are to explore the Jovian aurorae and the planet's atmospheric structure, dynamics and composition. This paper explains the characteristics and functionalities of the instrument and reports on the results of ground calibrations. It discusses the main subsystems to the extent needed to understand how the instrument is sequenced and used, the purpose of the calibrations necessary to determine instrument performance, the process for generating the commanding sequences, the main elements of the observational strategy, and the format of the scientific data that JIRAM will produce