IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v14y2023i1d10.1038_s41467-023-42389-x.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Direct detection of atomic oxygen on the dayside and nightside of Venus

Author

Listed:
  • Heinz-Wilhelm Hübers

    (Institute of Optical Sensor Systems
    Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Physics)

  • Heiko Richter

    (Institute of Optical Sensor Systems)

  • Urs U. Graf

    (I. Physikalisches Institut der Universität zu Köln)

  • Rolf Güsten

    (Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie)

  • Bernd Klein

    (Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie
    University of Applied Sciences Bonn-Rhein-Sieg)

  • Jürgen Stutzki

    (I. Physikalisches Institut der Universität zu Köln)

  • Helmut Wiesemeyer

    (Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie)

Abstract

Atomic oxygen is a key species in the mesosphere and thermosphere of Venus. It peaks in the transition region between the two dominant atmospheric circulation patterns, the retrograde super-rotating zonal flow below 70 km and the subsolar to antisolar flow above 120 km altitude. However, past and current detection methods are indirect and based on measurements of other molecules in combination with photochemical models. Here, we show direct detection of atomic oxygen on the dayside as well as on the nightside of Venus by measuring its ground-state transition at 4.74 THz (63.2 µm). The atomic oxygen is concentrated at altitudes around 100 km with a maximum column density on the dayside where it is generated by photolysis of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. This method enables detailed investigations of the Venusian atmosphere in the region between the two atmospheric circulation patterns in support of future space missions to Venus.

Suggested Citation

  • Heinz-Wilhelm Hübers & Heiko Richter & Urs U. Graf & Rolf Güsten & Bernd Klein & Jürgen Stutzki & Helmut Wiesemeyer, 2023. "Direct detection of atomic oxygen on the dayside and nightside of Venus," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-7, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:14:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-023-42389-x
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42389-x
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-42389-x
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-023-42389-x?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:14:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-023-42389-x. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.