Search Publications
Dayglow and auroral emissions of Uranus in H2 FUV bands
Lamy, L.; Roueff, E.; Cessateur, G. +7 more
Following the recent detection of an auroral signal on Uranus (Lamy et al. [2012]. Geophys. Res. Lett. 39, 7105) during HST/STIS observation performed in November 2011, we analyzed the associated HST/STIS FUV spectral images obtained in 2011 and 2012. Our purpose was to extract any possible H2 emission produced in the upper atmosphere o…
Modeling the SAR backscatter of linear dunes on Earth and Titan
Le Gall, A.; Bernard, D.; Radebaugh, J. +3 more
We modeled the Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) response of linear dunes of the Great Sand Sea in Egypt using a single surface scattering term, based on Integral Equation and Physical Optics Models. Using multi-frequency SIR-C/X-SAR radar scenes and topography obtained from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), we were able to estimate reason…
Constraining the depth of Saturn’s zonal winds by measuring thermal and gravitational signals
Fletcher, Leigh N.; Liu, Junjun; Schneider, Tapio
Based on straightforward dynamical considerations, we show how available and upcoming measurements of Saturn’s thermal and gravitational signals can be used to constrain the depth to which its zonal winds penetrate. The dynamical considerations issue from the facts that Saturn has a strong intrinsic heat flux, rotates rapidly, and has negligible a…
Latitudinal structure of the Venus O2 infrared airglow: A signature of small-scale dynamical processes in the upper atmosphere
Drossart, P.; Piccioni, G.; Gérard, J. -C. +1 more
Images of the nightside limb of Venus have been obtained in the northern hemisphere with the VIRTIS multispectral infrared imager on board Venus Express between April 2006 and October 2008. We analyze the latitudinal distribution of the O2(a1Δ) airglow limb profiles at 1.27 µm to characterize its distribution and variab…
O2(a1Δg) dayglow limb observations on Mars by SPICAM IR on Mars-Express and connection to water vapor distribution
Montmessin, F.; Bertaux, J. -L.; Fedorova, A. A. +3 more
The 1.27-µm O2(a1Δg) dayglow on Mars is a product of the ozone photolysis by solar UV radiation. The intensity of the O2(a1Δg) emission rate depends on ozone concentration, atmospheric density and kinetic parameters of involved photochemical reactions. In turn, the distributio…
Gravity waves in Titan's lower stratosphere from Huygens probe in situ temperature measurements
Young, Leslie A.; Lorenz, Ralph D.; Ferri, Francesca
The Huygens probe recorded atmospheric temperatures during its parachute descent through the atmosphere of Titan. A careful analysis of these data reveals for the first time spectacular but hitherto-unreported small-scale variations in stratospheric temperatures that we interpret as gravity waves, consistent with detection of such waves at higher …
The global precipitation of magnetospheric electrons into Titan's upper atmosphere
Yelle, R. V.; Snowden, D.
We couple a two-stream electron transport model to a three-dimensional model of Titan's plasma interaction to calculate the global precipitation of magnetospheric electrons into Titan's atmosphere. We describe energy deposition rates from eleven simulations that vary the following parameters: relative orientation of the solar and magnetospheric ra…
The discovery and dynamical evolution of an object at the outer edge of Saturn’s A ring
Murray, Carl D.; Cooper, Nicholas J.; Williams, Gareth A. +2 more
We report on the serendipitous discovery of an unresolved, evolving, sub-km-radius object with a semimajor axis <10 km inside that of the edge of Saturn’s main rings. The object has been detectable in Cassini images since at least May 2012 and its changing orbit shows evidence of a possible disruption in early 2013.
A survey of low-velocity collisional features in Saturn's F ring
Murray, Carl D.; Cooper, Nicholas J.; Williams, Gareth A. +1 more
Small (∼50 km scale), irregular features seen in Cassini images to be emanating from Saturn's F ring have been termed mini-jets by Attree et al. (2012). One particular mini-jet was tracked over half an orbital period, revealing its evolution with time and suggesting a collision with a local moonlet as its origin. In addition to these data we prese…
Landscape formation at the Deuteronilus contact in southern Isidis Planitia, Mars: Implications for an Isidis Sea?
Hiesinger, H.; Hauber, E.; Bernhardt, H. +3 more
Two of the most widely studied landforms that are associated with a putative ocean that filled the northern hemisphere of Mars are (1) the Vastitas Borealis Formation (VBF), plain units that cover a larger portion of the northern lowlands of Mars, and (2) a candidate paleoshoreline, e.g., the Deuteronilus contact, which represents the outer margin…