| 1. |
- Coustenis, A., et al.
(author)
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TandEM : Titan and Enceladus mission
- 2009
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In: Experimental astronomy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0922-6435 .- 1572-9508. ; 23:3, s. 893-946
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- TandEM was proposed as an L-class (large) mission in response to ESA's Cosmic Vision 2015-2025 Call, and accepted for further studies, with the goal of exploring Titan and Enceladus. The mission concept is to perform in situ investigations of two worlds tied together by location and properties, whose remarkable natures have been partly revealed by the ongoing Cassini-Huygens mission. These bodies still hold mysteries requiring a complete exploration using a variety of vehicles and instruments. TandEM is an ambitious mission because its targets are two of the most exciting and challenging bodies in the Solar System. It is designed to build on but exceed the scientific and technological accomplishments of the Cassini-Huygens mission, exploring Titan and Enceladus in ways that are not currently possible (full close-up and in situ coverage over long periods of time). In the current mission architecture, TandEM proposes to deliver two medium-sized spacecraft to the Saturnian system. One spacecraft would be an orbiter with a large host of instruments which would perform several Enceladus flybys and deliver penetrators to its surface before going into a dedicated orbit around Titan alone, while the other spacecraft would carry the Titan in situ investigation components, i.e. a hot-air balloon (MontgolfiSre) and possibly several landing probes to be delivered through the atmosphere.
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| 2. |
- Vuitton, V., et al.
(author)
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Negative ion chemistry in Titan's upper atmosphere
- 2009
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In: Planetary and Space Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0032-0633 .- 1873-5088. ; 57:13, s. 1558-1572
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Electron Spectrometer (ELS), one of the sensors making up the Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (CAPS) revealed the existence of numerous negative ions in Titan's upper atmosphere. The observations at closest approach (similar to 1000 km) show evidence for negatively charged ions up to similar to 10,000 amu/q, as well as two distinct peaks at 22+/-4 and 44+/-8 amu/q, and maybe a third one at 82+/-14 amu/q. We present the first ionospheric model of Titan including negative ion chemistry. We find that dissociative electron attachment to neutral molecules (mostly HCN) initiates the formation of negative ions. The negative charge is then transferred to more acidic molecules such as HC3N, HC5N or C4H2. Loss occurs through associative detachment with radicals (H and CH3). We attribute the three low mass peaks observed by ELS to CN-, C3N-/C4H- and C5N-. These species are the first intermediates in the formation of the even larger negative ions observed by ELS. which are most likely the precursors to the aerosols observed at lower altitudes.
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| 3. |
- Cravens, T. E., et al.
(author)
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Model-data comparisons for Titan's nightside ionosphere
- 2009
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In: Icarus. - : Elsevier BV. - 0019-1035 .- 1090-2643. ; 199:1, s. 174-188
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Solar and X-ray radiation and energetic plasma from Saturn's magnetosphere interact with the upper atmosphere producing an ionosphere at Titan. The highly coupled ionosphere and upper atmosphere system mediates the interaction between Titan and the external environment. A model of Titan's nightside ionosphere will be described and the results compared with data from the Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer (INMS) and the Langmuir probe (LP) part of the Radio and Plasma Wave (RPWS) experiment for the T5 and T21 nightside encounters of the Cassini Orbiter with Titan. Electron impact ionization associated with the precipitation of magnetospheric electrons into the upper atmosphere is assumed to be the source of the nightside ionosphere, at least for altitudes above 1000 km. Magnetospheric electron fluxes measured by the Cassini electron spectrometer (CAPS ELS) are used as an input for the model. The model is used to interpret the observed composition and structure of the T5 and T21 ionospheres. The densities of many ion species (e.g., CH5+ and C2H5+) measured during T5 exhibit temporal and/or spatial variations apparently associated with variations in the fluxes of energetic electrons that precipitate into the atmosphere from Saturn's magnetosphere.
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| 4. |
- Cui, J., et al.
(author)
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Diurnal variations of Titan's ionosphere
- 2009
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In: Journal of Geophysical Research. - 0148-0227 .- 2156-2202. ; 114:6, s. A06310-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present our analysis of the diurnal variations of Titan's ionosphere (between 1000 and 1300 km) based on a sample of Ion Neutral Mass Spectrometer (INMS) measurements in the Open Source Ion (OSI) mode obtained from eight close encounters of the Cassini spacecraft with Titan. Although there is an overall ion depletion well beyond the terminator, the ion content on Titan's nightside is still appreciable, with a density plateau of similar to 700 cm(-3) below similar to 1300 km. Such a plateau is a combined result of significant depletion of light ions and modest depletion of heavy ones on Titan's nightside. We propose that the distinctions between the diurnal variations of light and heavy ions are associated with their different chemical loss pathways, with the former primarily through "fast'' ion-neutral chemistry and the latter through "slow'' electron dissociative recombination. The strong correlation between the observed night-to-day ion density ratios and the associated ion lifetimes suggests a scenario in which the ions created on Titan's dayside may survive well to the nightside. The observed asymmetry between the dawn and dusk ion density profiles also supports such an interpretation. We construct a time-dependent ion chemistry model to investigate the effect of ion survival associated with solid body rotation alone as well as superrotating horizontal winds. For long-lived ions, the predicted diurnal variations have similar general characteristics to those observed. However, for short-lived ions, the model densities on the nightside are significantly lower than the observed values. This implies that electron precipitation from Saturn's magnetosphere may be an additional and important contributor to the densities of the short-lived ions observed on Titan's nightside.
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| 5. |
- Galand, M., et al.
(author)
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Electron temperature of Titan's sunlit ionosphere
- 2006
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In: Geophysical Research Letters. - 0094-8276 .- 1944-8007. ; 33:21, s. L21101-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Titan's upper atmosphere is ionized by solar radiation and particle bombardment from Saturn's magnetosphere. The induced ionosphere plays a key role in the coupling of Titan's atmosphere with the Kronian environment. It also provides unique signatures for identifying energy sources upon Titan's upper atmosphere. Here we focus on observations from the first, close flyby by the Cassini spacecraft and assess the ionization and electron heating sources in Titan's sunlit ionosphere. We compare CAPS electron spectra with spectra produced by an electron transport model based on the INMS neutral densities and a MHD interaction model. In addition, we compare RPWS electron temperature against the models. The important terms in the electron energy equation include loss through excitation of vibrational states of N-2 and CH4, Coulomb collisions with suprathermal electrons, and thermal conduction. Our analysis highlights the important role of the magnetic field line configuration for aeronomic studies at Titan.
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| 6. |
- Robertson, I. P., et al.
(author)
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Structure of Titan's ionosphere : Model comparisons with Cassini data
- 2009
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In: Planetary and Space Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0032-0633 .- 1873-5088. ; 57:14-15, s. 1834-1846
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Solar extreme ultraviolet and X-ray radiation and energetic plasma from Saturn's magnetosphere interact with the upper atmosphere producing an ionosphere at Titan. The highly coupled ionosphere and upper atmosphere system mediates the interaction between Titan and the external environment. New insights into Titan's ionosphere are being facilitated by data from several instruments onboard the Cassini Orbiter, although the Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer (INMS) measurements will be emphasized here. We present dayside ionosphere models and compare the results with both Radio and Plasma Wave-Langmuir Probe (RPWS/LP) and INMS data, exploring the sensitivity of models to ionospheric chemistry schemes and solar flux variations. Modeled electron densities for the dayside leg of T18 and all of T17 (dayside) had reasonable agreement with the measured RPWS electron densities and INMS total ion densities. Magnetospheric inputs make at best minor contributions to the ionosphere for these flybys, at least for altitudes above about 1000 km. At lower (< 1100 km) altitudes, the total ion densities measured by the INMS are less than the electron densities measured by the RPWS/LP which could be due to heavy (> 100 daltons) ions, which the INMS is not able to detect. Qualitatively, INMS spectra exhibit the same ion species and 12 amu family separations for the dayside ionospheres of T17 and T18 as were seen in the mass spectra measured during T5 (nightside). However, the relative abundance of high-mass (m > 50) ion species is about 10 times less for the dayside T17 and T18 passes than it was for the polar nightside T5 flyby, which can perhaps be explained in several ways including differences in neutral composition, less dissociative recombination on the nightside than on the dayside (due to lower electron densities and affecting heavier ion species more than lighter ones), and transport of longer-lived high-mass species from day-to-night.
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| 7. |
- Wahlund, Jan Erik, et al.
(author)
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On the amount of heavy molecular ions in Titan's ionosphere
- 2009
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In: Planetary and Space Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0032-0633 .- 1873-5088. ; 57:14-15, s. 1857-1865
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present observational evidence that the ionosphere of Titan below an altitude of 1150 km is a significant source of heavy (> 100 amu) molecular organic species. This study is based on measurements by five instruments (RPWS/LP, RPWS/E, INMS, CAPS/ELS, CAPS/IBS) onboard the Cassini spacecraft during three flybys (T17, T18, T32) of Titan. The ionospheric peaks encountered at altitudes of 950-1300 km had densities in the range 900-3000 cm(-3). Below these peaks the number densities of heavy positively charged ions reached 100-2000 cm(-3) and approached 50-70% of the total ionospheric density with an increasing trend toward lowest measured altitudes. Simultaneously measured negatively charged ion densities were in the range 50-150 cm(-3). These results imply that similar to 10(5)similar to 10(6) heavy positively charged ions/m(3)/s are continuously recombining into heavy neutrals and supply the atmosphere of Titan. The ionosphere may in this way produce 0.1-1 Mt/yr of heavy organic compounds and is therefore a sizable source for aerosol formation. We also predict that Titan's ionosphere is dominated by heavy (> 100 amu) molecular ions below 950 km.
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