Discovery of heavy negative ions in Titan's ionosphere

Details Discovery of heavy negative ions in Titan's ionosphere Discovery of heavy negative ions in Titan's ionosphere

Nov 2007

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2007georl..3422103c&link_type=abstract

Geophysical Research Letters, Volume 34, Issue 22, CiteID L22103

Physics

72

Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets: Ionospheres (2459), Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects: Titan, Ionosphere: Planetary Ionospheres (5435, 5729, 6026), Atmospheric Composition And Structure: Aerosols And Particles (0345, 4801, 4906), Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets: Surface Materials And Properties

Scientific paper

Titan's ionosphere contains a rich positive ion population including organic molecules. Here, using CAPS electron spectrometer data from sixteen Titan encounters, we reveal the existence of negative ions. These ions, with densities up to ~100 cm-3, are in mass groups of 10-30, 30-50, 50-80, 80-110, 110-200 and 200+ amu/charge. During one low encounter, negative ions with mass per charge as high as 10,000 amu/q are seen. Due to their unexpectedly high densities at ~950 km altitude, these negative ions must play a key role in the ion chemistry and they may be important in the formation of organic-rich aerosols (tholins) eventually falling to the surface.

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