Anomalous Radar Backscatter from Some Regions on Titan

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Scientific paper

Radar backscattering from some regions on Titan's surface observed by the Cassini RADAR is enhanced beyond what can be explained by current models for solar system surfaces. In particular, based on the application of Kirchhoff's law of radiation, we find that the backscattering cross sections in Xanadu and some other hummocky radar-bright regions are too high in relation to their observed emissivities to be explained by random scattering from inhomogeneities in a low-loss subsurface, even when coherent backscattering (cf. Hapke, 1990) is allowed for. We argue the need for the presence of ordered backscattering structure on certain terrains on Titan's surface. The radar-bright channels that likely result from past liquid flows are a particular example, where we show that the presence of rounded river ice "rocks” could indeed act in a manner analogous with the retroreflective paint used on highway signs to produce such anomalous backscatter. This work was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

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