Photochemical production of benzene and PAHs in the atmospheres of Titan and Jupiter: a sensitivity study

Details Photochemical production of benzene and PAHs in the atmospheres of Titan and Jupiter: a sensitivity study Photochemical production of benzene and PAHs in the atmospheres of Titan and Jupiter: a sensitivity study

Apr 2003

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2003eaeja.....5013l&link_type=abstract

EGS - AGU - EUG Joint Assembly, Abstracts from the meeting held in Nice, France, 6 - 11 April 2003, abstract #5013

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Scientific paper

Benzene has recently been observed in the upper atmosphere of Jupiter and Saturn (Bézard et al., Icarus 154, 2001). It has not yet been observed on Titan. This compound is required as a precursor for larger aromatic species (PAHs) that may be part of the aerosol particles that are present in these atmospheres. Experimental synthesis of tholins, analogs of these aerosols, also hint that aromatics may be present (Khare et al., Icarus 160, 2002). On the other hand, photochemical models are not yet able to reproduce the observed quantities of benzene in the atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn, and predictions on PAHs formation are very sensitive to large uncertainties on cinetic reaction rates (Wong et al., ApJ 534, 2000; Friedson et al., Icarus 158, 2002; Wilson and Atreya, B.A.A.S. 33, 2001; Lebonnois et al., B.A.A.S. 33, 2001 and Icarus 159, 2002). We report here on a sensitivity study of benzene and PAHs formation in the atmospheres of Jupiter and Titan. We used two different photochemical schemes (taken from Lebonnois et al., Icarus 159, 2002 and Moses et al., Icarus 143, 2000) in one-dimensional photochemical models of Jupiter and Titan. Key differences between both schemes are presented, together with the consequences on benzene formation. Benzene profiles are compared to observations in the case of Jupiter, and the PAHs synthesis is discussed. In order to better understand the formation of benzene and other heavy hydrocarbons in planetary atmospheres, progress in cinetics data at temperatures and pressures relevant to these atmospheres are crucial.

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