| 1. |
- Becker, Tracy M., et al.
(författare)
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Mid-ultraviolet Hubble Observations of Europa and the Global Surface Distribution of SO2
- 2022
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Ingår i: The Planetary Science Journal. - : IOP Publishing Ltd. - 2632-3338. ; 3:6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present spatially resolved reflectance spectra of Europa's surface in the wavelength range of 210-315 nm obtained by the Hubble Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph in 2018 and 2019. These data provide the first high-quality, near-global spectral observations of Europa from 210 to 240 nm. They show that the reflectance of Europa's leading, trailing, anti-Jovian, and sub-Jovian hemispheres is similar to 5% near 210 nm, with varying spectral slopes across the mid-UV. This low albedo, even on the more "pristine" leading hemisphere, indicates a lack of the signature far-UV spectral edge characteristic of water ice. We detected and mapped a strong absorption feature at 280 nm that is consistent with an S-O bond that has previously been attributed to SO2 on the surface, hypothesized to be formed through radiolytic processing of Iogenic sulfur ions that have been preferentially emplaced on Europa's trailing hemisphere by Jupiter's magnetic field. Our models show that small inclusions of SO2 (0.1%) within the water ice are sufficient to produce the 280 nm feature without producing a feature at 4.07 mu m, which has not been observed in ground-based spectral observations of Europa. This data set is the first to produce a spatially resolved, near-global map of the assumed SO2 feature, which is primarily concentrated near the apex of the trailing hemisphere and correlated with large-scale darker regions in both the visible and the ultraviolet. This distribution is consistent with "cold" exogenic sulfur ion bombardment on Europa.
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| 2. |
- Biber, H., et al.
(författare)
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Sputtering Behavior of Rough, Polycrystalline Mercury Analogs
- 2022
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Ingår i: The Planetary Science Journal. - : Institute of Physics (IOP). - 2632-3338. ; 3:12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The solar wind continuously impacts on rocky bodies in space, eroding their surface, thereby contributing significantly to the exosphere formations. The BepiColombo mission to Mercury will investigate the Hermean exosphere, which makes an understanding of the precise formation processes crucial for evaluation of the acquired data. We therefore developed an experimental setup with two microbalances that allows us to compare the sputter behavior of deposited thin solid layers with that of real mineral samples in the form of pressed powder. In addition, this technique is used to study the angular distribution of the sputtered particles. Using 4 keV He+ and 2 keV Ar+ ions, the sputter behavior of pellets of the minerals enstatite (MgSiO3) and wollastonite (CaSiO3) is studied, because these minerals represent analogs for the surface of the planet Mercury or the Moon. Pellets of powdered enstatite show significantly lower sputter yields than thin amorphous enstatite films prepared by pulsed laser deposition. 3D simulations of sputtering based on surface topography data from atomic force microscopy show that the observed reduction can be explained by the much rougher pellet surface alone. We therefore conclude that sputter yields from amorphous thin films can be applied to surfaces of celestial bodies exposed to ion irradiation, provided the effects of surface roughness, as encountered in realistic materials in space, are adequately accounted for. This also implies that taking surface roughness into account is important for modeling of the interaction of the solar wind with the surface of Mercury.
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| 3. |
- Dreyer, Joshua, et al.
(författare)
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Identifying Shadowing Signatures of C Ring Ringlets and Plateaus in Cassini Data from Saturn's Ionosphere
- 2022
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Ingår i: The Planetary Science Journal. - : Institute of Physics (IOP). - 2632-3338. ; 3:7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- For orbits 288 and 292 of Cassini's Grand Finale, clear dips (sharp and narrow decreases) are visible in the H-2(+) densities measured by the Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer (INMS). In 2017, the southern hemisphere of Saturn was shadowed by its rings and the substructures within. Tracing a path of the solar photons through the ring plane to Cassini's position, we can identify regions in the ionosphere that were shadowed by the individual ringlets and plateaus (with increased optical depths) of Saturn's C ring. The calculated shadowed altitudes along Cassini's trajectory line up well with the dips in the H-2(+) data when adjusting the latter based on a detected evolving shift in the INMS timestamps since 2013, illustrating the potential for verification of instrument timings. We can further estimate the mean optical depths of the ringlets/plateaus by comparing the dips to inbound H-2(+) densities. Our results agree well with values derived from stellar occultation measurements. No clear dips are visible for orbits 283 and 287, whose periapsides were at higher altitudes. This can be attributed to the much longer chemical lifetime of H2+ at these higher altitudes, which in turn can be further used to estimate a lower limit for the flow speed along Cassini's trajectory. The resulting estimate of similar to 0.3 km s(-1) at an altitude of similar to 3400 km is in line with prior suggestions. Finally, the ringlet and plateau shadows are not associated with obvious dips in the electron density, which is expected due to their comparatively long chemical (recombination) lifetime.
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| 4. |
- Farnocchia, Davide, et al.
(författare)
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International Asteroid Warning Network Timing Campaign: 2019 XS
- 2022
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Ingår i: The Planetary Science Journal. - : Institute of Physics Publishing (IOPP). - 2632-3338. ; 3:7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- As part of the International Asteroid Warning Network's observational exercises, we conducted a campaign to observe near-Earth asteroid 2019 XS around its close approach to Earth on 2021 November 9. The goal of the campaign was to characterize errors in the observation times reported to the Minor Planet Center, which become an increasingly important consideration as astrometric accuracy improves and more fast-moving asteroids are observed. As part of the exercise, a total of 957 astrometric observations of 2019 XS during the encounter were reported and subsequently were analyzed to obtain the corresponding residuals. While the timing errors are typically smaller than 1 s, the reported times appear to be negatively biased, i.e., they are generally earlier than they should be. We also compared the observer-provided position uncertainty with the cross-track residuals, which are independent of timing errors. A large fraction of the estimated uncertainties appear to be optimistic, especially when <0 2. We compiled individual reports for each observer to help identify and remove the root cause of any possible timing error and improve the uncertainty quantification process. We suggest possible sources of timing errors and describe a simple procedure to derive reliable, conservative position uncertainties.
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| 5. |
- Fauchez, Thomas J., et al.
(författare)
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The TRAPPIST-1 Habitable Atmosphere Intercomparison (THAI). III. Simulated Observables-the Return of the Spectrum
- 2022
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Ingår i: The Planetary Science Journal. - : Institute of Physics Publishing (IOPP). - 2632-3338. ; 3:9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The TRAPPIST-1 Habitable Atmosphere Intercomparison (THAI) is a community project that aims to quantify how differences in general circulation models (GCMs) could impact the climate prediction for TRAPPIST-1e and, subsequently, its atmospheric characterization in transit. Four GCMs have participated in THAI: ExoCAM, LMD-Generic, ROCKE-3D, and the UM. This paper, focused on the simulated observations, is the third part of a trilogy, following the analysis of two land planet scenarios (Part I) and two aquaplanet scenarios (Part II). Here we show a robust agreement between the simulated spectra and the number of transits estimated to detect the land planet atmospheres. For the cloudy aquaplanet ones, a 5 sigma detection of CO2 could be achieved in about 10 transits if the atmosphere contains at least 1 bar of CO2. That number can vary by 41%-56% depending on the GCM used to predict the terminator profiles, principally due to differences in the cloud deck altitude, with ExoCAM and LMD-G producing higher clouds than ROCKE-3D and UM. Therefore, for the first time, this work provides "GCM uncertainty error bars" of similar to 50% that need to be considered in future analyses of transmission spectra. We also analyzed the intertransit spectral variability. Its magnitude differs significantly between the GCMs, but its impact on the transmission spectra is within the measurement uncertainties. THAI has demonstrated the importance of model intercomparison for exoplanets and also paved the way for a larger project to develop an intercomparison meta-framework, namely, the Climates Using Interactive Suites of Intercomparisons Nested for Exoplanet Studies.
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| 6. |
- López-Oquendo, Andy, et al.
(författare)
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Physical Characterization of 2015 JD1: A Possibly Inhomogeneous Near-Earth Asteroid
- 2022
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Ingår i: The Planetary Science Journal. - : Institute of Physics Publishing (IOPP). - 2632-3338. ; 3:8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The surfaces of airless bodies such as asteroids are exposed to many phenomena that can alter their physical properties. Bennu, the target of the OSIRIS-REx mission, has demonstrated how complex the surface of a small body can be. In 2019 November, the potentially hazardous asteroid 2015 JD1 experienced a close approach of 0.033 1 au from the Earth. We present results of the physical characterization of 2015 JD1 based on ground-based radar, spectroscopy, and photometric observations acquired during 2019 November. Radar polarimetry measurements from the Arecibo Observatory indicate a morphologically complex surface. The delay-Doppler images reveal a contact binary asteroid with an estimated visible extent of ∼150 m. Our observations suggest that 2015 JD1 is an E-type asteroid with a surface composition similar to aubrites, a class of differentiated enstatite meteorites. The dynamical properties of 2015 JD1 suggest that it came from the ν6 resonance with Jupiter, and spectral comparison with major E-type bodies suggests that it may have been derived from a parental body similar to the progenitor of the E-type (64) Angelina. Significantly, we find rotational spectral variation across the surface of 2015 JD1 from the red to blue spectral slope. Our compositional analysis suggests that the spectral slope variation could be due to the lack of iron and sulfides in one area of the surface of 2015 JD1 and/or differences in grain sizes.
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| 7. |
- Rasca, Anthony P., et al.
(författare)
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Modeling the Lunar Wake Response to a CME Using a Hybrid PIC Model
- 2022
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Ingår i: Planetary Science Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 2632-3338. ; 3:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In the solar wind, a low-density wake region forms downstream of the nightside lunar surface. In this study, we use a series of 3D hybrid particle-in-cell simulations to model the response of the lunar wake to a passing coronal mass ejection (CME). Average plasma parameters are derived from the Wind spacecraft located at 1 au during three distinct phases of a passing halo (Earth-directed) CME on 2015 June 22. Each set of plasma parameters, representing the shock/plasma sheath, a magnetic cloud, and plasma conditions we call the mid-CME phase, are used as the time-static upstream boundary conditions for three separate simulations. These simulation results are then compared with results that use nominal solar wind conditions. Results show a shortened plasma void compared to nominal conditions and a distinctive rarefaction cone originating from the terminator during the CME’s plasma sheath phase, while a highly elongated plasma void reforms during the magnetic cloud and mid-CME phases. Developments of electric and magnetic field intensification are also observed during the plasma sheath phase along the central wake, while electrostatic turbulence dominates along the plasma void boundaries and 2–3 lunar radii RM downstream in the central wake during the magnetic cloud and mid-CME phases. The simulations demonstrate that the lunar wake responds in a dynamic way with the changes in the upstream solar wind during a CME.
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| 8. |
- Sergeev, Denis E., et al.
(författare)
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The TRAPPIST-1 Habitable Atmosphere Intercomparison (THAI). II. Moist Cases-The Two Waterworlds
- 2022
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Ingår i: The Planetary Science Journal. - : IOP Publishing Ltd. - 2632-3338. ; 3:9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To identify promising exoplanets for atmospheric characterization and to make the best use of observational data, a thorough understanding of their atmospheres is needed. Three-dimensional general circulation models (GCMs) are one of the most comprehensive tools available for this task and will be used to interpret observations of temperate rocky exoplanets. Due to parameterization choices made in GCMs, they can produce different results, even for the same planet. Employing four widely used exoplanetary GCMs-ExoCAM, LMD-G, ROCKE-3D, and the UM-we continue the TRAPPIST-1 Habitable Atmosphere Intercomparison by modeling aquaplanet climates of TRAPPIST-1e with a moist atmosphere dominated by either nitrogen or carbon dioxide. Although the GCMs disagree on the details of the simulated regimes, they all predict a temperate climate with neither of the two cases pushed out of the habitable state. Nevertheless, the intermodel spread in the global mean surface temperature is nonnegligible: 14 K and 24 K in the nitrogen- and carbon dioxide-dominated case, respectively. We find substantial intermodel differences in moist variables, with the smallest amount of clouds in LMD-Generic and the largest in ROCKE-3D. ExoCAM predicts the warmest climate for both cases and thus has the highest water vapor content and the largest amount and variability of cloud condensate. The UM tends to produce colder conditions, especially in the nitrogen-dominated case due to a strong negative cloud radiative effect on the day side of TRAPPIST-1e. Our study highlights various biases of GCMs and emphasizes the importance of not relying solely on one model to understand exoplanet climates.
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| 9. |
- Trumbo, Samantha K., et al.
(författare)
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A New UV Spectral Feature on Europa : Confirmation of NaCl in Leading-hemisphere Chaos Terrain
- 2022
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Ingår i: The Planetary Science Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 2632-3338. ; 3:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Recent visible-wavelength observations of Europa's surface obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) revealed the presence of an absorption feature near 450 nm that appears spatially correlated with leading-hemisphere chaos terrain. This feature was interpreted to reflect the presence of irradiated sodium chloride ultimately sourced from the interior. Here, we use ultraviolet spectra also collected with the HST to detect an additional previously unseen absorption near 230 nm, which spatially correlates with the 450 nm feature and with the same leading-hemisphere chaos terrain. We find that the new ultraviolet feature is also well matched by irradiated sodium chloride at Europa-like conditions. Such confirmation of sodium chloride within geologically young regions has important implications for Europa's subsurface composition.
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| 10. |
- Turbet, Martin, et al.
(författare)
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The TRAPPIST-1 Habitable Atmosphere Intercomparison (THAI). I. Dry Cases-The Fellowship of the GCMs
- 2022
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Ingår i: The Planetary Science Journal. - : IOP Publishing Ltd. - 2632-3338. ; 3:9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- With the commissioning of powerful, new-generation telescopes such as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the ground-based Extremely Large Telescopes, the first characterization of a high molecular weight atmosphere around a temperate rocky exoplanet is imminent. Atmospheric simulations and synthetic observables of target exoplanets are essential to prepare and interpret these observations. Here we report the results of the first part of the TRAPPIST-1 Habitable Atmosphere Intercomparison (THAI) project, which compares 3D numerical simulations performed with four state-of-the-art global climate models (ExoCAM, LMD-Generic, ROCKE-3D, Unified Model) for the potentially habitable target TRAPPIST-1e. In this first part, we present the results of dry atmospheric simulations. These simulations serve as a benchmark to test how radiative transfer, subgrid-scale mixing (dry turbulence and convection), and large-scale dynamics impact the climate of TRAPPIST-1e and consequently the transit spectroscopy signature as seen by JWST. To first order, the four models give results in good agreement. The intermodel spread in the global mean surface temperature amounts to 7 K (6 K) for the N-2-dominated (CO2-dominated) atmosphere. The radiative fluxes are also remarkably similar (intermodel variations less than 5%), from the surface (1 bar) up to atmospheric pressures similar to 5 mbar. Moderate differences between the models appear in the atmospheric circulation pattern (winds) and the (stratospheric) thermal structure. These differences arise between the models from (1) large-scale dynamics, because TRAPPIST-1e lies at the tipping point between two different circulation regimes (fast and Rhines rotators) in which the models can be alternatively trapped, and (2) parameterizations used in the upper atmosphere such as numerical damping.
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