Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Sep 2006
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006dps....38.2105d&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #38, #21.05; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 38, p.519
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
1
Scientific paper
The ionosphere of Triton was observed by the Voyager spacecraft in 1989 to have a remarkably high electron density of 40,000/cc at its peak altitude. Delitsky et al. (1990) modeled this ionosphere using only N2 and CH4, the constituents of the atmosphere known at that time, and found that, at the extremely cold temperatures in the Triton atmosphere, cluster ions would form. These clusters are created when N+ or N2+ resulting from photolysis or radiolysis accrete neutral N2 molecules and form ions such as (N2+(N2)n). In these clusters, n can be very high, around 50-100, depending on temperature. Cluster ions easily sweep up electrons at the low altitudes where they form (keeping the e- content low) which leads to dissociative recombination. This neutralizes the cluster ions and releases the N2 molecules back into the atmosphere.
In 1991, CO and CO2 were observed on Triton (Cruikshank et al. 1991). At Tritonian temperatures, CO will have a very high vapor pressure and could constitute up to 6% of the Triton atmosphere. Any N+ or N2+ will charge exchange with CO (and NO from chemistry) to yield CO+, NO+ and C+. These then become the core ions to the clusters (CO+(N2)n), (NO+(N2)n), or (C+(N2)n). (Delitsky et al. 1992, Delitsky, 1995). Clusters cannot form at higher altitudes and lower pressures and so at the peak altitude, the ionosphere is comprised almost totally of C+ ions. From modeling, CO + hv -> C+ (+ O) does not appear to be an important source of the C+ . Rather, the charge exchange reaction, CO+ + C -> C+ + CO produces the C+ which charge balances the electrons in the ionosphere.
Ref: Cruikshank et al., BAAS, 23,1208 (1991);.. Delitsky et al. GRL, 17, 1725 (1990); ..Delitsky et al. Neptune conf, 1992; ..Delitsky, BAAS, 27, 1100 (1995)
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