Physics
Scientific paper
Mar 1977
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1977icar...30..479p&link_type=abstract
Icarus, vol. 30, Mar. 1977, p. 479-492.
Physics
10
Dust, Electromagnetic Absorption, Saturn Atmosphere, Titan, Albedo, Atmospheric Composition, Atmospheric Stratification, Methane, Mie Scattering
Scientific paper
The observed sharp drop in the geometric albedo of Titan shortward of 6000 A (also observed for Jupiter and Saturn) has been tentatively attributed to the presence of small absorbing particles referred to as Axel dust. The properties of Axel dust particles are studied, with the effect of scattering included through Mie theory, in an attempt to obtain a physically plausible set of parameters that properly characterizes the dust. Quantitative characteristics of the dust are described, scattering and absorption properties of various particle size distributions are calculated, and fits are made to observations of Titan and Saturn. It is found that: (1) a flat distribution of particle radii up to 0.1 micron and an imaginary part of the refractive index that varies as the -2.5 power of wavelength produce a good fit for Titan provided the extinction optical depth of the satellite's atmosphere is about 10 at 5000 A; (2) a clear layer of about 7 km-am hydrogen is required above the dust for a good fit to Saturn with the same dust properties; and (3) the inclusion of dust significantly increases the computed abundance of methane over the value given by reflecting-layer models.
Danielson Robert E.
Podolak Morris
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