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Photochemical activity of Titan’s low-altitude condensed haze

Author

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  • Murthy S. Gudipati

    (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
    IPST, University of Maryland, College Park)

  • Ronen Jacovi

    (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
    Present addresses: Flight Control Group, Urban Aeronautics LTD, Nahal-Snir 10, Yavne 81224, Israel (R.J.); Arthur Amos Noyes Laboratory of Chemical Physics, California Institute of Technology, MC 127-72 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, California 91125, USA (I.C.-T.))

  • Isabelle Couturier-Tamburelli

    (Laboratoire Physique des interactions ioniques et moléculaires, UMR CNRS 7345, Aix-Marseille Université, 13397 Marseille cedex 20, France)

  • Antti Lignell

    (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
    Present addresses: Flight Control Group, Urban Aeronautics LTD, Nahal-Snir 10, Yavne 81224, Israel (R.J.); Arthur Amos Noyes Laboratory of Chemical Physics, California Institute of Technology, MC 127-72 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, California 91125, USA (I.C.-T.))

  • Mark Allen

    (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
    California Institute of Technology)

Abstract

Titan, the largest moon of Saturn and similar to Earth in many aspects, has unique orange-yellow colour that comes from its atmospheric haze, whose formation and dynamics are far from well understood. Present models assume that Titan’s tholin-like haze formation occurs high in atmosphere through gas-phase chemical reactions initiated by high-energy solar radiation. Here we address an important question: Is the lower atmosphere of Titan photochemically active or inert? We demonstrate that indeed tholin-like haze formation could occur on condensed aerosols throughout the atmospheric column of Titan. Detected in Titan’s atmosphere, dicyanoacetylene (C4N2) is used in our laboratory simulations as a model system for other larger unsaturated condensing compounds. We show that C4N2 ices undergo condensed-phase photopolymerization (tholin formation) at wavelengths as long as 355 nm pertinent to solar radiation reaching a large portion of Titan’s atmosphere, almost close to the surface.

Suggested Citation

  • Murthy S. Gudipati & Ronen Jacovi & Isabelle Couturier-Tamburelli & Antti Lignell & Mark Allen, 2013. "Photochemical activity of Titan’s low-altitude condensed haze," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 4(1), pages 1-8, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:4:y:2013:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms2649
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2649
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