Investigating the Condensation of Benzene (C 6 H 6 ) in Titan’s South Polar Cloud System with a Combination of Laboratory, Observational, and Modeling Tools
International audience We have combined laboratory, modeling, and observational efforts to investigate the chemical and microphysical processes leading to the formation of the cloud system that formed at an unusually high altitude (>250 km) over Titan's south pole after the northern spring e...
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Online Access: | https://hal.science/hal-03448629 https://hal.science/hal-03448629/document https://hal.science/hal-03448629/file/Dubois_2021_vap_saturation%20%281%29.pdf https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/ac06d5 |
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ftinsu:oai:HAL:hal-03448629v1 2024-01-21T10:10:29+01:00 Investigating the Condensation of Benzene (C 6 H 6 ) in Titan’s South Polar Cloud System with a Combination of Laboratory, Observational, and Modeling Tools Dubois, David Iraci, Laura, T Barth, Erika, L Salama, Farid Vinatier, Sandrine Sciamma-O’brien, Ella NASA Ames Research Center (ARC) Southwest Research Institute, CO, USA Laboratoire d'études spatiales et d'instrumentation en astrophysique = Laboratory of Space Studies and Instrumentation in Astrophysics (LESIA) Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Cité (UPCité) 2021-07-01 https://hal.science/hal-03448629 https://hal.science/hal-03448629/document https://hal.science/hal-03448629/file/Dubois_2021_vap_saturation%20%281%29.pdf https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/ac06d5 en eng HAL CCSD IOP Science info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.3847/PSJ/ac06d5 hal-03448629 https://hal.science/hal-03448629 https://hal.science/hal-03448629/document https://hal.science/hal-03448629/file/Dubois_2021_vap_saturation%20%281%29.pdf doi:10.3847/PSJ/ac06d5 info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess ISSN: 2632-3338 The Planetary Science Journal https://hal.science/hal-03448629 The Planetary Science Journal, 2021, 2 (4), pp.121. ⟨10.3847/PSJ/ac06d5⟩ [PHYS]Physics [physics] [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics] info:eu-repo/semantics/article Journal articles 2021 ftinsu https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/ac06d5 2023-12-27T17:23:19Z International audience We have combined laboratory, modeling, and observational efforts to investigate the chemical and microphysical processes leading to the formation of the cloud system that formed at an unusually high altitude (>250 km) over Titan's south pole after the northern spring equinox. We present here a study focused on the formation of C6H6 ice clouds at 87°S. As the first step of our synergistic approach, we have measured, for the first time, the equilibrium vapor pressure of pure crystalline C6H6 at low temperatures (134-158 K) representative of Titan's atmosphere. Our laboratory data indicate that the experimental vapor pressure values are larger than those predicted by extrapolations found in the literature calculated from higher-temperature laboratory measurements. We have used our experimental results along with temperature profiles and C 6 H 6 mixing ratios derived from observational data acquired by the Cassini Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) as input parameters in the coupled microphysics radiative transfer Community Aerosol and Radiation Model for Atmospheres (CARMA). CARMA simulations constrained by these input parameters were conducted to derive C6H6 ice particle size distribution, gas volume mixing ratios, gas relative humidity, and cloud altitudes. The impact of the vapor pressure on the CIRS data analysis and in the CARMA simulations was investigated and resulted in both cases in benzene condensation occurring at lower altitude in the stratosphere than previously thought. In addition, the stratospheric C 6 H 6 gas abundances predicted with the new saturation relationship are ∼1000× higher than previous calculations between 150-200 km, which results in larger particle sizes. Article in Journal/Newspaper South pole Institut national des sciences de l'Univers: HAL-INSU South Pole The Planetary Science Journal 2 4 121 |
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Open Polar |
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Institut national des sciences de l'Univers: HAL-INSU |
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ftinsu |
language |
English |
topic |
[PHYS]Physics [physics] [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics] |
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[PHYS]Physics [physics] [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics] Dubois, David Iraci, Laura, T Barth, Erika, L Salama, Farid Vinatier, Sandrine Sciamma-O’brien, Ella Investigating the Condensation of Benzene (C 6 H 6 ) in Titan’s South Polar Cloud System with a Combination of Laboratory, Observational, and Modeling Tools |
topic_facet |
[PHYS]Physics [physics] [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics] |
description |
International audience We have combined laboratory, modeling, and observational efforts to investigate the chemical and microphysical processes leading to the formation of the cloud system that formed at an unusually high altitude (>250 km) over Titan's south pole after the northern spring equinox. We present here a study focused on the formation of C6H6 ice clouds at 87°S. As the first step of our synergistic approach, we have measured, for the first time, the equilibrium vapor pressure of pure crystalline C6H6 at low temperatures (134-158 K) representative of Titan's atmosphere. Our laboratory data indicate that the experimental vapor pressure values are larger than those predicted by extrapolations found in the literature calculated from higher-temperature laboratory measurements. We have used our experimental results along with temperature profiles and C 6 H 6 mixing ratios derived from observational data acquired by the Cassini Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) as input parameters in the coupled microphysics radiative transfer Community Aerosol and Radiation Model for Atmospheres (CARMA). CARMA simulations constrained by these input parameters were conducted to derive C6H6 ice particle size distribution, gas volume mixing ratios, gas relative humidity, and cloud altitudes. The impact of the vapor pressure on the CIRS data analysis and in the CARMA simulations was investigated and resulted in both cases in benzene condensation occurring at lower altitude in the stratosphere than previously thought. In addition, the stratospheric C 6 H 6 gas abundances predicted with the new saturation relationship are ∼1000× higher than previous calculations between 150-200 km, which results in larger particle sizes. |
author2 |
NASA Ames Research Center (ARC) Southwest Research Institute, CO, USA Laboratoire d'études spatiales et d'instrumentation en astrophysique = Laboratory of Space Studies and Instrumentation in Astrophysics (LESIA) Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Cité (UPCité) |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Dubois, David Iraci, Laura, T Barth, Erika, L Salama, Farid Vinatier, Sandrine Sciamma-O’brien, Ella |
author_facet |
Dubois, David Iraci, Laura, T Barth, Erika, L Salama, Farid Vinatier, Sandrine Sciamma-O’brien, Ella |
author_sort |
Dubois, David |
title |
Investigating the Condensation of Benzene (C 6 H 6 ) in Titan’s South Polar Cloud System with a Combination of Laboratory, Observational, and Modeling Tools |
title_short |
Investigating the Condensation of Benzene (C 6 H 6 ) in Titan’s South Polar Cloud System with a Combination of Laboratory, Observational, and Modeling Tools |
title_full |
Investigating the Condensation of Benzene (C 6 H 6 ) in Titan’s South Polar Cloud System with a Combination of Laboratory, Observational, and Modeling Tools |
title_fullStr |
Investigating the Condensation of Benzene (C 6 H 6 ) in Titan’s South Polar Cloud System with a Combination of Laboratory, Observational, and Modeling Tools |
title_full_unstemmed |
Investigating the Condensation of Benzene (C 6 H 6 ) in Titan’s South Polar Cloud System with a Combination of Laboratory, Observational, and Modeling Tools |
title_sort |
investigating the condensation of benzene (c 6 h 6 ) in titan’s south polar cloud system with a combination of laboratory, observational, and modeling tools |
publisher |
HAL CCSD |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
https://hal.science/hal-03448629 https://hal.science/hal-03448629/document https://hal.science/hal-03448629/file/Dubois_2021_vap_saturation%20%281%29.pdf https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/ac06d5 |
geographic |
South Pole |
geographic_facet |
South Pole |
genre |
South pole |
genre_facet |
South pole |
op_source |
ISSN: 2632-3338 The Planetary Science Journal https://hal.science/hal-03448629 The Planetary Science Journal, 2021, 2 (4), pp.121. ⟨10.3847/PSJ/ac06d5⟩ |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.3847/PSJ/ac06d5 hal-03448629 https://hal.science/hal-03448629 https://hal.science/hal-03448629/document https://hal.science/hal-03448629/file/Dubois_2021_vap_saturation%20%281%29.pdf doi:10.3847/PSJ/ac06d5 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/ac06d5 |
container_title |
The Planetary Science Journal |
container_volume |
2 |
container_issue |
4 |
container_start_page |
121 |
_version_ |
1788701815095689216 |