We present the analysis of ≈100 molecular maps of the coma of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko that were obtained with the MIRO submillimeter radiotelescope on board the Rosetta spacecraft. From the ...spectral line mapping of H 216 $_2^{16}$ 216 O, H 218 $_2^{18}$218 O, H 217 $_2^{17}$217 O, CH3OH, NH3, and CO and some fixed nadir pointings, we retrieved the outgassing pattern and total production rates for these species. The analysis covers the period from July 2014, inbound to perihelion, to June 2016, outbound, and heliocentric distances rh = 1.24–3.65 AU. A steep evolution of the outgassing rates with heliocentric distance is observed, typically in rh−16 $r_{\textrm{h}}^{-6}$rh−6 , with significant differences between molecules (e.g. steeper variation for H2O post-perihelion than for methanol). As a consequence, the abundances relative to water in the coma vary. The CH3OH and CO abundances increase after perihelion, while the NH3 abundance peaks around perihelion and then decreases. Outgassing patterns have been modeled as 2D Gaussian jets. The width of these jets is maximum around the equinoxes when the bulk of the outgassing is located near the equator. From July 2014 to February 2015, the outgassing is mostly restricted to a narrower jet (full width at half-maximum ≈80°) originating from high northern latitudes, while around perihelion, most of the gaseous production comes from the southernmost regions ( − 80 ± 5° cometocentric latitude) and forms a 100°–130° (full width at half-maximum) wide fan. We find a peak production of water of 0.8 × 1028 molec. s−1, 2.5 times lower than measured by the ROSINA experiment, and place an upper limit to a 50% additional production that could come from the sublimation of icy grains. We estimate the total loss of ices during this perihelion passage to be 4.18 ± 0.18 × 109 kg. We derive a dust-to-gas ratio in the lost material of 0.7–2.3 (including all sources of errors) based on the nucleus mass loss of 10.5 ± 3.4 × 109 kg estimated by the RSI experiment. We also obtain an estimate of the H 218 $_2^{18}$218 O/H 217 $_2^{17}$217 O ratio of 5.6 ± 0.8.
Jupiter’s interior and deep atmosphere Bolton, S. J.; Adriani, A.; Adumitroaie, V. ...
Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science),
05/2017, Letnik:
356, Številka:
6340
Journal Article
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On 27 August 2016, the Juno spacecraft acquired science observations of Jupiter, passing less than 5000 kilometers above the equatorial cloud tops. Images of Jupiter's poles show a chaotic scene, ...unlike Saturn's poles. Microwave sounding reveals weather features at pressures deeper than 100 bars, dominated by an ammonia-rich, narrow low-latitude plume resembling a deeper, wider version of Earth's Hadley cell. Near-infrared mapping reveals the relative humidity within prominent downwelling regions. Juno's measured gravity field differs substantially from the last available estimate and is one order of magnitude more precise. This has implications for the distribution of heavy elements in the interior, including the existence and mass of Jupiter's core. The observed magnetic field exhibits smaller spatial variations than expected, indicative of a rich harmonic content.
Aims. Using spectroscopic and continuum data measured by the MIRO instrument on board Rosetta of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, it is possible to derive and track the change in the water production ...rate, to learn how the outgassing evolves with heliocentric distance. The MIRO data are well suited to investigate the evolution of 67P, in unprecedented spatial and temporal detail. Methods. To obtain estimates of the local effective Haser production rates we developed an efficient and reliable retrieval approach with precalculated lookup tables. We employed line area ratios (H216O/H218O) from pure nadir observations as the key variable, along with the Doppler shift velocity, and continuum temperature. This method was applied to the MIRO data from August 2014 until April 2016. Perihelion occurred on August 13, 2015 when the comet was 1.24 AU from the Sun. Results. During the perihelion approach, the water production rates increased by an order of magnitude, and from the observations, the derived maximum for a single observation on August 29, 2015 is (1.42 ± 0.51) ×1028. Modeling the data indicates that there is an offset in the peak outgassing, occurring 34 ± 10 days after perihelion. During the pre-perihelion phase, the production rate changes with heliocentric distance as rh−3.8±0.2; during post-perihelion, the dependence is rh−4.3±0.2. The comet is calculated to have lost 0.12 ± 0.06 % of its mass during the perihelion passage, considering only water ice sublimation. Additionally, this method provides well sampled data to determine the spatial distribution of outgassing versus heliocentric distance. The time evolution is definitely not uniform across the surface. Pre- and post-perihelion, the surface temperature on the southern hemisphere changes rapidly, as does the sublimation rate with an exponent of ~−6. There is a strong latitudinal dependence on the rh exponent with significant variation between northern and southern hemispheres, and so the average over the comet surface may only be of limited importance. We present more detailed regional variation in the outgassing, demonstrating that the highest derived production rates originate from the Wosret, Neith and Bes regions during perihelion.
The Juno Microwave Radiometer (MWR) is a six-frequency scientific instrument designed and built to investigate the deep atmosphere of Jupiter. It is one of a suite of instruments on NASA’s New ...Frontiers Mission Juno launched to Jupiter on August 5, 2011. The focus of this paper is the description of the scientific objectives of the MWR investigation along with the experimental design, observational approach, and calibration that will achieve these objectives, based on the Juno mission plan up to Jupiter orbit insertion on July 4, 2016. With frequencies distributed approximately by octave from 600 MHz to 22 GHz, the MWR will sample the atmospheric thermal radiation from depths extending from the ammonia cloud region at around 1 bar to pressure levels as deep as 1000 bars. The primary scientific objectives of the MWR investigation are to determine the presently unknown dynamical properties of Jupiter’s subcloud atmosphere and to determine the global abundance of oxygen and nitrogen, present in the atmosphere as water and ammonia deep below their respective cloud decks. The MWR experiment is designed to measure both the thermal radiation from Jupiter and its emission-angle dependence at each frequency relative to the atmospheric local normal with high accuracy. The antennas at the four highest frequencies (21.9, 10.0, 5.2, and 2.6 GHz) have ∼12° beamwidths and will achieve a spatial resolution approaching 600 km near perijove. The antennas at the lowest frequencies (0.6 and 1.25 GHz) are constrained by physical size limitations and have 20° beamwidths, enabling a spatial resolution of as high as 1000 km to be obtained. The MWR will obtain Jupiter’s brightness temperature and its emission-angle dependence at each point along the subspacecraft track, over angles up to 60° from the normal over most latitudes, during at least six perijove passes after orbit insertion. The emission-angle dependence will be obtained for all frequencies to an accuracy of better than one part in
10
3
, sufficient to detect small variations in atmospheric temperature and absorber concentration profiles that distinguish dynamical and compositional properties of the deep Jovian atmosphere.
The Microwave Instrument on the Rosetta Orbiter (MIRO) has been observing the coma of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko almost continuously since June 2014 at wavelengths near 0.53 mm. We present here ...a map of the water column density in the inner coma (within 3 km from nucleus center) when the comet was at 3.4 AU from the Sun. Based on the analysis of the H216O and H218O (110-101) lines, we find that the column density can vary by two orders of magnitude in this region. The highest column density is observed in a narrow region on the dayside, close to the neck and north pole rotation axis of the nucleus, while the lowest column density is seen against the nightside of the nucleus where outgassing seems to be very low. We estimate that the outgassing pattern can be represented by a Gaussian distribution in a solid angle with FWHM ≈ 80°.
Aims. We present the spatial and diurnal variation of water outgassing on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko using the H216O rotational transition line at 556.936 GHz observed from Rosetta/MIRO in ...August 2014. Methods. The water line was analyzed with a non-LTE radiative transfer model and an optimal estimation method to retrieve the H216O outgassing intensity, expansion velocity, and gas kinetic temperature. On August 7−9, 2014 and August 18−19, 2014, MIRO performed long steady nadir-pointing observations of the nucleus while it was rotating around its spin axis. The ground track of the MIRO beam during the observation was mostly on the northern hemisphere of comet 67P, covering its three distinct parts: the so-called head, body, and neck areas. Results. The MIRO spectral observation data show that the water-outgassing intensity varies by a factor of 30, from 0.1 × 1025 molecules s-1 sr-1 to 3.0 × 1025 molecules s-1 sr-1, the terminal gas expansion velocity varies by 0.17 km s-1 from 0.61 km s-1 to 0.78 km s-1, and the terminal gas temperature varies by 27 K from 47 K to 74 K. The retrieved coma parameters are co-registered with local environment variables such as the subsurface temperatures, measured in the MIRO continuum bands, the local solar time, illumination condition, and beam location on nucleus. The spatial variation of the outgassing activity is very noticeable, and the largest outgassing activity in August 2014 occurs near the neck region of the nucleus. The outgassing activity in the neck region is also found to be correlated with the local solar hour, which is related to the local illumination condition.
The high obliquity (~50degrees) of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P) is responsible for a long-lasting winter polar night in the southern regions of the nucleus. We report observations made with ...the submillimeter and millimeter continuum channels of the Microwave Instrument onboard the Rosetta Orbiter (MIRO) of the thermal emission from these regions during the period August-October 2014. Before these observations, the southern polar regions had been in darkness for approximately five years. Subsurface temperatures in the range 25-50 K are measured. Thermal model calculations of the nucleus near-surface temperatures carried out over the orbit of 67P, coupled with radiative transfer calculations of the MIRO channels brightness temperatures, suggest that these regions have a thermal inertia within the range 10-60 J m super(-2) K super(-1) s super(-0.5). Such low thermal inertia values are consistent with a highly porous, loose, regolith-like surface. These values are similar to those derived elsewhere on the nucleus. A large difference in the brightness temperatures measured by the two MIRO continuum channels is tentatively attributed to dielectric properties that differ significantly from the sunlit side, within the first few tens of centimeters. This is suggestive of the presence of ice(s) within the MIRO depths of investigation in the southern polar regions. These regions started to receive sunlight in May of 2015, and refinements of the shape model in these regions, as well as continuing MIRO observations of 67P, will allow refining these results and reveal the thermal properties and potential ice content of the southern regions in more detail.
► We combine IR (VIRTIS) and smm/mm (MIRO) data to constrain the thermal properties of Asteroid Lutetia. ► VIRTIS dayside temperature measurements in excess of 240K indicated thermal inertias less ...than 20. ► MIRO 2-channel polar night measurements indicated a Lutetia thermal inertia increasing with depth. ► Comparisons of model predictions with VIRTIS dayside temperatures indicated roughness effects. ► Addition of a model of 50% coverage of mini-craters resolves the model vs. measurement offsets.
The European Space Agency’s Rosetta spacecraft is the first Solar System mission to include instrumentation capable of measuring planetary thermal fluxes at both near-IR (VIRTIS) and submillimeter–millimeter (smm–mm, MIRO) wavelengths. Its primary mission is a 1year reconnaissance of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko beginning in 2014. During a 2010 close fly-by of Asteroid 21 Lutetia, the VIRTIS and MIRO instruments provided complementary data that have been analyzed to produce a consistent model of Lutetia’s surface layer thermal and electrical properties, including a physical model of self-heating. VIRTIS dayside measurements provided highly resolved 1K accuracy surface temperatures that required a low thermal inertia, I<30J/(Km2s0.5). MIRO smm and mm measurements of polar night thermal fluxes produced constraints on Lutetia’s subsurface thermal properties to depths comparable to the seasonal thermal wave, yielding a model of I<20J/(Km2s0.5) in the upper few centimeters, increasing with depth in a manner very similar to that of Earth’s Moon. Subsequent MIRO-based model predictions of the dayside surface temperatures reveal negative offsets of ∼5–30K from the higher VIRTIS-measurements. By adding surface roughness in the form of 50% fractional coverage of hemispherical mini-craters to the MIRO-based thermal model, sufficient self-heating is produced to largely remove the offsets relative to the VIRTIS measurements and also reproduce the thermal limb brightening features (relative to a smooth surface model) seen by VIRTIS. The Lutetia physical property constraints provided by the VIRTIS and MIRO data sets demonstrate the unique diagnostic capabilities of combined infrared and submillimeter/millimeter thermal flux measurements.
Since August 2016, measurements of Jupiter's microwave emissions at six wavelengths ranging from 1.3 cm to 50 cm have been made with the Juno Microwave Radiometer. In this paper, we introduce the ...first systematic set of in situ observations of synchrotron radiation in a polar plane while describing the modeling approach we use to analyze this data (collected 27 August 2016). Time series of brightness profiles at all six frequencies present similarities that are explained by the presence of known regions of intense synchrotron radiation. Our model predictions, though limited for now to the total intensity of the radiation, reproduce (qualitatively) the observation of temporal variations and allow to disentangle the synchrotron emission from the atmospheric emission. The discrepancies seen between the data and simulations confirm that physical conditions close to Jupiter affecting synchrotron emission (electron energy spectra, pitch angle distributions, and the magnetic environment) are different than we anticipated.
Key Points
Juno's first observations of synchrotron emission measured from pole to pole within two planetary radii from Jupiter
First models of the synchrotron emission which utilize spacecraft in situ, ground‐based and Juno's microwave observations
Synchrotron observations from Juno are used to disentangle the synchrotron emission from the atmospheric emission
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