Other
Scientific paper
Sep 2006
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006dps....38.0508a&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #38, #05.08; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 38, p.489
Other
Scientific paper
We discuss how the existence of a putative ionic ocean may manifest itself in the tropospheric cloud structure of Uranus and Neptune. An optically infinite cloud, presumably of H2S-ice, has been postulated at 3-5 bar to explain the microwave absorption [1] and the methane [2] observations. Our equilibrium cloud condensation model shows that no clouds forms in this region when similar enrichment factors are employed for all heavy elements [3,4]. However, an H2S-ice cloud can form in the 3-5 bar region, if the S/N ratio is greatly supersolar. This can happen if ammonia was depleted substantially in the deep troposphere. The loss of ammonia in the conventional aqueous-ammonia solution or cloud at kilobar level or in the NH4SH cloud is insignificant [3]. On the other hand, existence of a water ocean in the deep atmosphere would allow ammonia to dissolve readily in water, resulting in a water-ammonia ionic ocean [H3O+ (NH4+) OH-] and depleting NH3 in turn above this level. Interior models suggest the existence of such an ocean [5,6], and Molecular Dynamics models and lab experiments also show that at P>50; GPa and T>1000; K, water is dynamically ionized, consisting of H3O+, OH- and H2O [7]. The intrinsic magnetic field of Uranus and Neptune detected by Voyager [8] could also be due to an active dynamo in such a water-ammonia ionic ocean. [1]de Pater I, et al., 1991. Icarus, 91, 220; [2]Baines K, Hammel H, 1994. Icarus, 109, 20; [3]Atreya, SK, Wong, AS, 2005. Space Sci. Rev., 116, 121; [4]Atreya SK, et al. 2005AGUFM.P11A0088A; [5] Hubbard W, in Uranus, Neptune, NASA CP 2330, 291, 1984; [6]Podolak M, et al., 1991, in Uranus, 1991. 48; [7]Goncharov et al., Phys. Rev. Ltrs., 94, 125508, 2005; [8]Ness N, et al., 1986 Science 233, 85, and 1989 Science 246, 1473.
Atreya Sushil K.
Baines Kevin Hays
Egeler P. A.
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