Compositional Mapping Saturn's Icy satellites with Cassin VIMS (Invited)

Details Compositional Mapping Saturn's Icy satellites with Cassin VIMS (Invited) Compositional Mapping Saturn's Icy satellites with Cassin VIMS (Invited)

Dec 2009

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009agufm.p43f..05c&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2009, abstract #P43F-05

Physics

[5410] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Composition, [5422] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Ices, [5464] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Remote Sensing, [5470] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Surface Materials And Properties

Scientific paper

Cassini has completed over 5 years of satellite fly-bys in the Saturn system. The Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) has obtained spatially resolved imaging spectroscopy data on numerous satellites of Saturn. Compositional mapping shows that the satellite surfaces are composed largely of H2O ice, with small amounts of CO2, trace organics, bound water or OH-bearing minerals, and possible signatures of ammonia, H2O or OH-bearing minerals, and as yet unidentified materials. The Cassini Rev 49 Iapetus fly-by on September 10, 2007, provided imaging spectroscopy data on both the dark material and the transition zone between the dark material and the visually bright ice on the trailing side. The dark material has very low albedo with a linear increase in reflectance with wavelength, a 3-micron water absorption, and a CO2 absorption. We have been unable to match this spectrum using tholins and carbon compounds. The dark material is matched by a high component of fine-grained metallic iron plus a small component of nano-phase hematite contributing a UV absorber. Spatially resolved Iapetus data show mixing of dark material with ice and the mixtures display a blue scattering peak with a UV absorber. The blue scattering peak and UV-Visible absorption is observed in spectra of all satellites which contain dark material and in spectra of Saturn's rings. The scattering peak and UV absorption can be explained by Rayleigh scattering from sub-micron particles with a UV absorption, or a combination of Rayleigh scattering and Rayleigh absorption as attributed to spectral properties of the moon. Rayleigh absorption requires high absorption coefficient nano-sized particles, which is also consistent with metallic iron. The UV absorber appears to have increased strength on satellite surfaces close to Saturn, with a corresponding decrease in metallic iron signature. A possible explanation is that the iron is oxidized closer to Saturn by oxygen in the extended atmosphere of Saturn's rings.

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