Fluorescence of Methane in the Atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn from ISO/SWS observations at 3.3 micron

Details Fluorescence of Methane in the Atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn from ISO/SWS observations at 3.3 micron Fluorescence of Methane in the Atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn from ISO/SWS observations at 3.3 micron

Sep 1998

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1998dps....30.3002d&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #30, #30.02; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 30, p.1066

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

1

Scientific paper

The observations of ISO/SWS between 3.0 and 3.4 micron exhibit faint emission features, at the level of few Jansky, both in Jupiter equatorial spectra and Saturn disk-averaged spectra, corresponding to the spectral location of methane nu_3 band group (Encrenaz et al., Astron. Astrophys., 1996; de Graauw et al, Astron. Astrophys., 1997). A preliminary attempt to interpret the Jovian emission concluded to thermal emission in the upper stratosphere through the nu_3 band of methane, but this interpretation has now been ruled out by further investigations, including a joint fit of both fundamentals, nu_4 band at 7.7 mu m and nu_3 at 3.3 mu m. The best interpretation of the observed emissions is now obtained from a model of fluorescence of solar light through the rovibrational structure of the CH_4 molecules. The model includes the absorption of solar photons in the nu_3 band (3.3 mu m), the 2.3 mu m and the 1.7 mu m band groups, with line parameters obtained from recent analysis of methane vibration bands (Tyuterev et al, JQSRT, 1994). The maximum of absorption peaks at atmospheric levels of 10 mu bar, 60 mu bar and 160 mu bar respectively, with the photochemical model of Gladstone et al. (Icarus, 1996). The re-emission of photons corresponds to transitions between various levels of the complex vibrational structure of methane; a non-monochromatic, non-LTE model of radiative transfer has been developped, following the scheme of vibrational relaxation of CH_4 detailed in Appleby (Icarus, 1990). Fits to the observed ISO spectra give some constraints on the methane abundance vertical profile in the upper stratosphere of Jupiter and Saturn, which will be compared to current photochemical models of methane in these planets.

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