Deuterium Abundance in the Upper Atmosphere of Venus

Computer Science

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Hst Proposal Id #6706 Solar System

Scientific paper

It is proposed to measure with GHRS the Deuterium and HydrogenLy-alpha intensities from the sunlit disk of Venus at maximumelongation, in order to determine the abundance of Deuteriumin the upper atmosphere (z =100 km). It is a well recognizedfact that the D/H ratio in the lower atmosphere is 1.5 x 10^-2, showing an enrichment of Deuterium with respect to theEarth of a factor more than 100. However, previous IUEobservations have failed to show any Deuterium Ly-alphaemission, implying a D/H ratio of a few 10-3 only in theupper atmosphere. The purpose of the present proposal is todetect the presence of D atoms in the upper atmosphere ofVenus, or to place a more stringent upper limit. Indeed, theabundance of D atoms in the upper atmosphere is a crucialparameter to estimate the present escape flux of D atoms fromthe planet, which in turn is very important to interpret thehigh D/H ratio in the lower atmosphere in terms of the actualhistory of H2O in the plan. et Venus. The two lines D and Hare separated by 0.33Angstrom and well resolved with HRSEchelle A. The D/H ratio in the bulk lower atmospheretransfers into a different D/H Ly-alpha emission ratio becauseof atmospheric processes, different solar excitation rates,and radiative transfer. All these effects require modellingswhich are well mastered by the proposers, with computer codesused in particular for the interpretation of the only positiveplanetary D Ly-alpha measurement performed up to now (Earthfrom Atlas-1).

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