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Ionization processes in the atmosphere of Titan. I. Ionization in the whole atmosphere
Gronoff, G.; Lilensten, J.; Desorgher, L. +1 more
Context: The Cassini probe regularly passes in the vicinity of Titan, revealing new insights into particle precipitation thanks to the electron and proton spectrometer. Moreover, the Huygens probe has revealed an ionized layer at 65~km induced by cosmic rays. The impact of these different particles on the chemistry of Titan is probably very strong…
Ionization processes in the atmosphere of Titan. II. Electron precipitation along magnetic field lines
Gronoff, G.; Lilensten, J.; Modolo, R.
Context: The Cassini probe regularly passes the vicinity of Titan, providing new insights into particle precipitation by use of its electron and ion spectrometers. A discrepancy between precipitation models and observations of electron fluxes has been found. This discrepancy was suspected to be caused by the geometry of the magnetic field.
Aim…
Formation of Titan in Saturn's subnebula: constraints from Huygens probe measurements
Alibert, Y.; Mousis, O.
We present an evolutionary turbulent model of the Saturn's subnebula consistent with recent core accretion formation models of Saturn. Our calculations are similar to those conducted in the case of the Jovian subnebula, and take into account the vertical structure of the disk, as well as the evolution of its surface density, as given by an α-disk …
Clathrate hydrates as a sink of noble gases in Titan's atmosphere
Mousis, O.; Thomas, C.; Picaud, S. +1 more
We use a statistical thermodynamic approach to determine the composition of clathrate hydrates which may form from a multiple compound gas whose composition is similar to that of Titan's atmosphere. Assuming that noble gases are initially present in this gas phase, we calculate the ratios of xenon, krypton and argon to species trapped in clathrate…
An estimate of the D/H ratio in Jupiter and Saturn's regular icy satellites - Implications for the Titan Huygens mission
Mousis, O.
The solar nebula model described by Dubrulle (\cite{Dubrulle1993}) and Drouart et al. (\cite{Drouart1999}) is used to predict the D/H ratio in H2O ice of both Jovian and Saturnian regular satellite systems. These calculations take into account recent scenarios of formation of Jupiter and Saturn's large regular icy satellites developed f…