On the carbon abundance in Comet Halley derived from the 3 micron feature: Comparison with interstellar dust

In spite of some similarities with the infrared features observed in the interstellar medium, the 3 micron signature observed in comet Halley's spectrum shows two distinct differences: (1) the 3.28 micron and 3.37 micron cometary features are both in emission, while the 3.37 micron interstellar feature is most often observed in absorption; and (2) there is no associated emission feature beyond 6 micron in the cometary spectrum. These two facts can be simply explained if it is assumed that the excitation mechanism is resonance fluorescence by the solar IR radiation field. With this assumption, it is found that hydrocarbons are present in roughly equal quantities in both the saturated forms, with a total carbon abundance of about 30 percent of H2O. This carbon abundance can be compared with the abundances derived for the interstellar dust when all condensed (or condensable) components are considered

Detection of parent molecules in the IR spectrum of P/Halley with the IKS-Vega spectrometer

The two spectroscopic channels of the IKS experiment on board the Vega probes were designed for the detection of emission bands of parent molecules and/or cometary dust, in the 2.5 to 5 micrometer range and the 6 to 12 micron range respectively. On Vega 1, the experiment worked successfully, and cometary spectra were recorded at distances from the comet nucleus ranging from about 250,000 to 40,000 km. The field of view was 1 deg and the spectral resolving power was about 50. On Vega 2, no result could be obtained due to a failure of the cryogenic system. The emission spectra obtained are briefly analyzed

Observations of the J = 1-0 CO lines in the Mars atmosphere: Radiodetection of 13CO and monitoring of 12CO

Repeated millimeter-wave observations of Mars, performed in September and October 1986 and January 1987, allowed a high-resolution recording of the J = 1-0 12CO line, and the first radiodetection of 13CO. In the hypothesis where the thermal profile has the structure measured by the Viking spacecrafts, our observations are not compatible with a terrestrial 12C/13C isotopic ratio. If the isotope ratio is assumed terrestrial, then the observations imply that the thermal profile is very different from the profile in dust-free conditions, especially in its lower part, and that the CO abundance could vary by a factor of about 2 over a period of a few months.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/28079/1/0000524.pd

A chemical survey of exoplanets with ARIEL

Thousands of exoplanets have now been discovered with a huge range of masses, sizes and orbits: from rocky Earth-like planets to large gas giants grazing the surface of their host star. However, the essential nature of these exoplanets remains largely mysterious: there is no known, discernible pattern linking the presence, size, or orbital parameters of a planet to the nature of its parent star. We have little idea whether the chemistry of a planet is linked to its formation environment, or whether the type of host star drives the physics and chemistry of the planet’s birth, and evolution. ARIEL was conceived to observe a large number (~1000) of transiting planets for statistical understanding, including gas giants, Neptunes, super-Earths and Earth-size planets around a range of host star types using transit spectroscopy in the 1.25–7.8 μm spectral range and multiple narrow-band photometry in the optical. ARIEL will focus on warm and hot planets to take advantage of their well-mixed atmospheres which should show minimal condensation and sequestration of high-Z materials compared to their colder Solar System siblings. Said warm and hot atmospheres are expected to be more representative of the planetary bulk composition. Observations of these warm/hot exoplanets, and in particular of their elemental composition (especially C, O, N, S, Si), will allow the understanding of the early stages of planetary and atmospheric formation during the nebular phase and the following few million years. ARIEL will thus provide a representative picture of the chemical nature of the exoplanets and relate this directly to the type and chemical environment of the host star. ARIEL is designed as a dedicated survey mission for combined-light spectroscopy, capable of observing a large and well-defined planet sample within its 4-year mission lifetime. Transit, eclipse and phase-curve spectroscopy methods, whereby the signal from the star and planet are differentiated using knowledge of the planetary ephemerides, allow us to measure atmospheric signals from the planet at levels of 10–100 part per million (ppm) relative to the star and, given the bright nature of targets, also allows more sophisticated techniques, such as eclipse mapping, to give a deeper insight into the nature of the atmosphere. These types of observations require a stable payload and satellite platform with broad, instantaneous wavelength coverage to detect many molecular species, probe the thermal structure, identify clouds and monitor the stellar activity. The wavelength range proposed covers all the expected major atmospheric gases from e.g. H2O, CO2, CH4 NH3, HCN, H2S through to the more exotic metallic compounds, such as TiO, VO, and condensed species. Simulations of ARIEL performance in conducting exoplanet surveys have been performed – using conservative estimates of mission performance and a full model of all significant noise sources in the measurement – using a list of potential ARIEL targets that incorporates the latest available exoplanet statistics. The conclusion at the end of the Phase A study, is that ARIEL – in line with the stated mission objectives – will be able to observe about 1000 exoplanets depending on the details of the adopted survey strategy, thus confirming the feasibility of the main science objectives.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

No detection of methane on Mars from early ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter observations

The detection of methane on Mars has been interpreted as indicating that geochemical or biotic activities could persist on Mars today. A number of different measurements of methane show evidence of transient, locally elevated methane concentrations and seasonal variations in background methane concentrations. These measurements, however, are difficult to reconcile with our current understanding of the chemistry and physics of the Martian atmosphere, which-given methane's lifetime of several centuries-predicts an even, well mixed distribution of methane. Here we report highly sensitive measurements of the atmosphere of Mars in an attempt to detect methane, using the ACS and NOMAD instruments onboard the ESA-Roscosmos ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter from April to August 2018. We did not detect any methane over a range of latitudes in both hemispheres, obtaining an upper limit for methane of about 0.05 parts per billion by volume, which is 10 to 100 times lower than previously reported positive detections. We suggest that reconciliation between the present findings and the background methane concentrations found in the Gale crater would require an unknown process that can rapidly remove or sequester methane from the lower atmosphere before it spreads globally

Enabling planetary science across light-years. Ariel Definition Study Report

Ariel, the Atmospheric Remote-sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large-survey, was adopted as the fourth medium-class mission in ESA's Cosmic Vision programme to be launched in 2029. During its 4-year mission, Ariel will study what exoplanets are made of, how they formed and how they evolve, by surveying a diverse sample of about 1000 extrasolar planets, simultaneously in visible and infrared wavelengths. It is the first mission dedicated to measuring the chemical composition and thermal structures of hundreds of transiting exoplanets, enabling planetary science far beyond the boundaries of the Solar System. The payload consists of an off-axis Cassegrain telescope (primary mirror 1100 mm x 730 mm ellipse) and two separate instruments (FGS and AIRS) covering simultaneously 0.5-7.8 micron spectral range. The satellite is best placed into an L2 orbit to maximise the thermal stability and the field of regard. The payload module is passively cooled via a series of V-Groove radiators; the detectors for the AIRS are the only items that require active cooling via an active Ne JT cooler. The Ariel payload is developed by a consortium of more than 50 institutes from 16 ESA countries, which include the UK, France, Italy, Belgium, Poland, Spain, Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Portugal, Czech Republic, Hungary, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Estonia, and a NASA contribution

From Solar System to Exoplanets: What can we learn from Planetary Spectroscopy?

International audienceThe purpose of this paper is to address the question: Using our knowledge of infrared planetary spectroscopy, what can we learn about the atmospheres of exoplanets? In a first part, a simplified classification of exoplanets, assuming thermochemical equilibrium, is presented, based on their masses and their equilibrium temperatures, in order to propose some possible estimations about their atmospheric composition. In the second part, infrared spectra of planets are discussed, in order to see what lessons can be drawn for exoplanetary spectroscopy. In the last part, we consider the solar system as it would appear from a star located in the ecliptic plane. It first appears that the solar system (except in a few specific cases) would not be seen as a multiple system, because, contrary to many exoplanetary systems, the planets are too far from the Sun and the inclinations of their orbits with respect to the ecliptic plane are too high. Primary transit synthetic spectra of solar system planets are used to discuss the relative merits of transmission and direct emission spectroscopy for probing exoplanetary atmospheres