Preliminary Results of Laboratory Measurements of the Centimeter Wavelength Properties of Phosphine under Simulated Conditions for the Outer Planets

Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics

Scientific paper

Rate now

  [ 0.00 ] – not rated yet Voters 0   Comments 0

Details

Scientific paper

It has been suggested that phosphine (PH_3) may contribute significantly to the microwave emission spectrum of Neptune, and to the centimeter-wavelength opacity measured by the Voyager 2 spacecraft at Neptune (DeBoer and Steffes, ICARUS 123, 324-335, 1996). As a result, laboratory measurements of the microwave opacity and refractivity of PH_3 in an H_2/He atmosphere are being conducted at 1.5 GHz (20 cm), 2.2 GHz (13.3 cm), 8.3 GHz (3.6 cm), 13.3 GHz (2.3 cm), and 21.6 GHz (1.4 cm) at pressures of 1, 3, and 5 Bars. The experimental approach is similar to that previously used by DeBoer and Steffes (Astrophys. and Space Sci. 236, 111-124, 1996) utilizing the Georgia Tech high sensitivity microwave measurment system. Preliminary results at room temperature indicate that current theories significantly understate the centimeter-wavelength opacity of PH_3. This appears to be most drastic at the longer wavelengths (13.3 and 20 cm). This higher-than-expected opacity will further elucidate the interpretation of centimeter-wavelength microwave observations from radio telescopes and previous spacecraft (Voyager) radio occulation measurements of the atmospheres of all four Jovian planets. These data will also serve to aid future interpretation of entry probe signal attenuation measurements from the Galileo probe, and from Cassini radioscientific studies at Saturn. Further experiments will be conduced at ambient, 213K and 173K, at the same frequencies and pressures. This work is supported by the NASA Planetary Atmospheres Program under grant NAG5-4190.

No associations

LandOfFree

Say what you really think

Search LandOfFree.com for scientists and scientific papers. Rate them and share your experience with other people.

Rating

Preliminary Results of Laboratory Measurements of the Centimeter Wavelength Properties of Phosphine under Simulated Conditions for the Outer Planets does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Preliminary Results of Laboratory Measurements of the Centimeter Wavelength Properties of Phosphine under Simulated Conditions for the Outer Planets, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Preliminary Results of Laboratory Measurements of the Centimeter Wavelength Properties of Phosphine under Simulated Conditions for the Outer Planets will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

     

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-815845

  Search
All data on this website is collected from public sources. Our data reflects the most accurate information available at the time of publication.