http://arxiv.org/abs/1408.6461
We present spectrally and spatially-resolved maps of HNC and HC$_3$N emission from Titan’s atmosphere, obtained with the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) on 2013 November 17. These maps show anisotropic spatial distributions for both molecules, with resolved emission peaks in Titan’s northern and southern hemispheres. The HC$_3$N maps indicate enhanced concentrations of this molecule over the poles, consistent with previous studies of Titan’s photochemistry and global atmospheric circulation patterns. Differences between the integrated flux distributions of HNC and HC$_3$N show that these species are not co-spatial. The observed spectral line shapes are consistent with HNC residing predominantly in the upper atmosphere/mesosphere (at altitudes $z$ above 400 km), whereas HC$_3$N is abundant at a broader range of altitudes ($z\approx70-500$ km). From spatial variations in the HC$_3$N line profile, the locations of the HC$_3$N emission peaks are shown to be variable as a function of altitude. The integrated emission peaks for HNC and the upper-atmosphere HC$_3$N component (at $z\gtrsim300$ km) are found to be asymmetric with respect to Titan’s polar axis, indicating that the mesosphere may be more longitudinally-variable than previously thought. Disk-averaged HNC and HC$_3$N spectra are modeled using the RADTRANS planetary atmosphere code and the resulting best-fitting vertical mixing ratio (VMR) profiles are found to be in reasonable agreement with previous measurements for these species.
M. Cordiner, C. Nixon, N. Teanby, et. al.
Thu, 28 Aug 14
32/38
Comments: Submitted to ApJ Letters
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