Mathematics – Logic
Scientific paper
Jan 2009
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009dps....40.3122w&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #40, #31.22; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 41, p.560
Mathematics
Logic
Scientific paper
The Cassini RADAR instrument has collected a variety of microwave data from the surface of Titan during the spacecraft's first four years of operation. We have applied the instrument's real-aperture scatterometry processor to the entire collection of active data, creating a uniformly-calibrated comprehensive dataset that covers 93% of Titan's surface at a variety of viewing angles. Here, we examine how the measured backscatter response (radar reflectivity as a function of incidence angle) varies with surface feature type. We identify features, such as dunes, cryovolcanic areas, and anomalous albedo terrain, using a combination of maps produced by the RADAR, ISS, and VIMS instruments. Using composite models consisting of the superposition of two traditional quasispecular laws (we consider all pair-wise combinations of the Hagfors, Gaussian, and Exponential models) together with a diffuse cosine-power law, we retrieve constraints on surface parameters from each of the feature backscatter curves. In general, we find that the Hagfors+Exponential+Diffuse composite model best fits the data. Using these feature model results, we produce maps of relative dielectric constant, surface rms slope, and radar albedo. We also map the relative prevalence of different scattering mechanisms, such as volume scattering and surface scattering, through the measured ratio of diffuse power to quasispecular power. These map products help to constrain and explain how different geological processes might be interacting on a global scale.
This work was conducted under contract with the Cassini Project and was partially supported by NASA headquarters under the NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship Program.
Janssen Michael A.
Le Gall A. A.
Lopes Rosaly M.
Peckyno R.
Wye Lauren
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