Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
Nov 2009
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009sf2a.conf..241m&link_type=abstract
SF2A-2009: Proceedings of the Annual meeting of the French Society of Astronomy and Astrophysics, held 29 June - 4 July 2009 in
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
Scientific paper
We describe a formation scenario of Enceladus constrained by the deuterium-to-hydrogen ratio in the gas plumes as measured by the Cassini Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer (INMS). We propose that, similarly to Titan, Enceladus formed from icy planetesimals that were partly devolatilized during their migration within the Kronian subnebula. In our scenario, at least primordial Ar, CO and N_2 were devolatilized from planetesimals during their drift within the subnebula, due to the increasing temperature and pressure conditions of the gas phase. The origin of methane is still uncertain since it might have been either trapped in the planetesimals of Enceladus during their formation in the solar nebula or produced via serpentinization reactions in the satellite's interior. If the methane of Enceladus originates from the solar nebula, then its D/H ratio should range between ˜ 4.7 × 10^{-5} and 1.5 × 10^{-4}. On the other hand, if the methane of Enceladus results from serpentinization reactions, then its D/H ratio should range between ˜ 2.1 × 10^{-4} and 4.5 × 10^{-4}.
Lunine Jonathan I.
Mousis Oliver
Waite H. Jr. J..
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