Identifying Titan’s atmosphere – A look at hydrocarbons potentially present in the atmosphere of Saturn’s most interesting moon
Hewett, Daniel M.
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/104245
Description
Title
Identifying Titan’s atmosphere – A look at hydrocarbons potentially present in the atmosphere of Saturn’s most interesting moon
Author(s)
Hewett, Daniel M.
Contributor(s)
Billinghurst, Brant E.
Bernath, Peter F.
Wong, Andy
Issue Date
2019-06-19
Keyword(s)
Astronomy
Abstract
Much research in planetary atmospheres is focused on Titan, one of Saturn’s moons. This interest is driven by the Cassini-Hyugens mission and the fact that Titan’s atmosphere is considered a potential analog of prebiotic Earth. In order to identify the chemical composition of the moon’s atmosphere a catalog of known spectra is needed for accurate comparisons. The molecules of interest are small hydrocarbons, as they have been observed on Titan and can be generated via photochemistry of methane, a primary component of Titan’s atmosphere. This talk will look at propane, as well as new data that will be recorded for some of the larger possible hydrocarbons, such as neopentane, a molecule for which there is little data in the literature, and n-butane. Absorption cross sections were obtained for pure samples of propane and with hydrogen and helium broadening gases to simulate astronomical environments. The propane spectra were taken in the 3 micron region, at temperatures ranging from 200 to 298 K and at broadening gas pressures from 0 Torr to 300 Torr. Calibration of the cross sections were carried out using data from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) infrared database.
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