Physics and Advanced Technologies LDRD Final Report:Adaptive Optics Imaging and Spectroscopy of the Solar System

Gibbard, S ; Max, C ; Macintosh, B ; Grossman, A

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

关键词: Atmospheres;    Solar System;    99 General And Miscellaneous//Mathematics, Computing, And Information Science;    Physics;    Spectroscopy;   

DOI  :  10.2172/15013952
RP-ID  :  UCRL-TR-202110
RP-ID  :  W-7405-ENG-48
RP-ID  :  15013952

美国|英语

来源: UNT Digital Library

【 摘 要 】

This focus of this project was the investigation of the planets Uranus and Neptune and Saturn's moon Titan using adaptive optics imaging and spectroscopy at the 10-meter W.M. Keck Telescopes. These bodies share a common type of atmosphere, one that is rich in methane and has a hydrocarbon haze layer produced by methane photolysis. Neptune and Uranus have atmospheric features which change on short timescales; we have investigated their altitude, composition, and connection to events occurring deeper in the planets' tropospheres. Titan has a solid surface located under its atmosphere, the composition of which is still quite uncertain. With spectra that sample the vertical structure of the atmosphere and narrowband observations that selectively probe Titan's surface we have determined the surface reflectivity of Titan at near-infrared wavelengths.