Abstract
Titan’s organic aerosols are presumed to contain a large amount of nitrogen as inferred from the in situ measurements of the ACP instrument on board the Huygens probe. They show major emissions of ammonia and hydrogen cyanide after pyrolysis of the refractory nuclei of the atmospheric aerosols. Molecular nitrogen is a rather chemically inert molecule and the processes leading to the high nitrogen content of Titan’s aerosols are far from being understood. Here we synthesize the results obtained on Titan’s nitrogen composition from analysis of laboratory analogues produced with the PAMPRE experimental setup. These analogues are compared with the in situ measurements of the Cassini CAPS-IBS instrument.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Balucani, N., Leonori, F., et al.: Formation of nitriles and imines in the atmosphere of Titan: combined crossed-beam and theoretical studies on the reaction dynamics of excited nitrogen atoms N(2D) with ethane. Faraday Discuss. 147(0), 189–216 (2010)
Carrasco, N., Schmitz-Afonso, I., et al.: Chemical characterization of Titan’s Tholins: solubility, morphology and molecular structure revisited. J. Phys. Chem. A 113(42), 11195–11203 (2009)
Carrasco, N., Gautier, T., et al.: Volatile products controlling Titan’s tholins production. Icarus 219(1), 230–240 (2012)
Coates, A.J., Crary, F.J., Lewis, G.R., Young, D.T., Waite, J.H. Jr., Sittler, E.C. Jr: Discovery of heavy negative ions in Titan’s ionosphere, Geophys. Res. Lett. 34(22), L22103 (2007)
Coll, P., Coscia, D., et al.: Experimental laboratory simulation of Titan’s atmosphere: aerosols and gas phase. Planet. Space Sci. 47, 1331–1340 (1999)
Coustenis, A., Achterberg, R.K., et al.: The composition of Titan’s stratosphere from Cassini/CIRS mid-infrared spectra. Icarus 189(1), 35–62 (2007)
Crary, F., Magee, B., Mandt, K., Waite, J. Jr., Westlake, J., Young, D.: Heavy ions, temperatures and winds in Titan’s ionosphere: combined Cassini CAPS and INMS observations. Planet. Space Sci. 57(14–15), 1847–1856 (2009)
Cravens, T.E., Robertson, I.P., et al.: Composition of Titan’s ionosphere. Geophys. Res. Lett. 33, L07105 (2006)
Deschenaux, C., Affolter, A., et al.: Investigations of CH4, \(\mathrm{C}_{2}\mathrm{H}_{2}\) and \(\mathrm{C}_{2}\mathrm{H}_{4}\) dusty RF plasmas by means of FTIR absorption spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. J. Phys. D 32(15), 1876 (1999)
Imanaka, H., Smith, M.A.: Role of photoionization in the formation of complex organic molecules in Titan’s upper atmosphere. Geophys. Res. Lett. 34(2), L02204 (2007)
Imanaka, H., Smith, M.A.: Formation of nitrogenated organic aerosols in the Titan upper atmosphere. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 107(28), 12423–12428 (2010)
Israel, G., Szopa, C., et al.: Complex organic matter in Titan’s atmospheric aerosols from in situ pyrolysis and analysis. Nature 438(7069), 796–799 (2005)
Khare, B.N., Sagan, C., et al.: The organic aerosols of Titan. Adv. Space Res. 4(12), 59–68 (1984)
Lavvas, P.P., Coustenis, A., et al.: Coupling photochemistry with haze formation in Titan’s atmosphere, part II: results and validation with Cassini/Huygens data. Planet. Space Sci. 56(1), 67–99 (2008)
Lavvas, P., Yelle, R.V., et al.: The detached haze layer in Titan’s mesosphere. Icarus 201(2), 626–633 (2009)
Lebonnois, S., Bakes, E.L.O., et al.: Transition from gaseous compounds to aerosols in Titan’s atmosphere. Icarus 159(2), 505–517 (2002)
Magee, B., Waite, J., Mandt, K., Westlake, J., Bell, J., Gell, D.: INMS-derived composition of Titan’s upper atmosphere: analysis methods and model comparison. Planet. Space Sci. 57(14–15), 1895–1916 (2009)
Peng, Z., Gautier, T., Carrasco, N., Pernot, P., Giuliani, A., Mahjoub, A., Correia, J.-J., Buch, A., Bénilan, Y., Szopa C., and Cernogora, G.: Titan’s atmosphere simulation experiment using continuum UV-VUV synchrotron radiation. J. Geophys. Res. (In press, 2013)
Pernot, P., Carrasco, N., et al.: Tholinomics: chemical analysis of nitrogen-rich polymers. Anal. Chem. 82(4), 1371–1380 (2010)
Sciamma-O’Brien, E., Carrasco, N., et al.: Titan’s atmosphere: an optimal gas mixture for aerosol production? Icarus 209(2), 704–714 (2010)
Somogyi, A., Oh, C.-H., et al.: Organic environments on Saturn’s Moon, Titan: simulating chemical reactions and analyzing products by FT-ICR and ion-trap mass spectrometry. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom. 16, 850–859 (2005)
Szopa, C., Cernogora, G., et al.: PAMPRE: a dusty plasma experiment for Titan’s tholins production and study. Planet. Space Sci. 54, 394–404 (2006)
Teanby, N.A., Irwin, P.G.J., et al.: Vertical profiles of HCN, HC3N, and C2H2 in Titan’s atmosphere derived from Cassini/CIRS data. Icarus 186(2), 364–384 (2007)
Teanby, N.A., Irwin, P.G.J., et al.: Mapping Titan’s HCN in the far infra-red: implications for photochemistry. Faraday Discuss. 147(0), 51–64 (2010)
Vinatier, S., Bézard, B., et al.: Analysis of Cassini/CIRS limb spectra of Titan acquired during the nominal mission: I. Hydrocarbons, nitriles and CO2 vertical mixing ratio profiles. Icarus 205(2), 559–570 (2010)
Vuitton, V., Yelle, R.V., et al.: Ion chemistry and N-containing molecules in Titan’s upper atmosphere. Icarus 191(2), 722–742 (2007)
Vuitton, V., Lavvas, P., et al.: Negative ion chemistry in Titan’s upper atmosphere. Planet. Space Sci. 57(13), 1558–1572 (2009)
Vuitton, V., Bonnet, J.-Y., et al.: Very high resolution mass spectrometry of HCN polymers and tholins. Faraday Discuss. 147, 495–508 (2010)
Waite, J.H. Jr., Young, D.T., et al.: The process of Tholin formation in Titan’s upper atmosphere. Science 316, 870–875 (2007)
Waite, J.H., Young, D.T., et al.: The source of heavy organics and aerosols in Titan’s atmosphere. Proc. Int. Astron. Union 4(S251), 321–326 (2008)
Westlake, J.H., Waite, J.H. Jr., et al.: Titan’s ionospheric composition and structure: photochemical modeling of Cassini INMS data. J. Geophys. Res. 117, E01003 (2012)
Wilson, E.H., Atreya, S.K.: Chemical sources of haze formation in Titan’s atmosphere. Planet. Space Sci. 51, 1017–1033 (2003)
Yelle, R.V., Vuitton, V., et al.: Formation of NH3 and CH2NH in Titan’s upper atmosphere. Faraday Discuss. 147(0), 31–49 (2010)
Acknowledgements
This work was financially supported by the ANR contract ANR-09-JCJC-0038.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this paper
Cite this paper
Carrasco, N., Westlake, J., Pernot, P., Waite, H. (2013). Nitrogen in Titan’s Atmospheric Aerosol Factory. In: Trigo-Rodriguez, J., Raulin, F., Muller, C., Nixon, C. (eds) The Early Evolution of the Atmospheres of Terrestrial Planets. Astrophysics and Space Science Proceedings, vol 35. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5191-4_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5191-4_11
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-5190-7
Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-5191-4
eBook Packages: Physics and AstronomyPhysics and Astronomy (R0)