Published April 1987 | Version v1
Journal article

Uranus (3-0) H2 quadrupole line profiles

Creators

  • 1. Texas Univ., Austin

Description

Spectra of Uranus' S3(0) and S3(1) H2 quadrupole lines, obtained during the 1978-1980 apparitions, are analyzed, and are found to require the presence of a deep cloud. Modifications of the Baines and Bergstralh (1986) standard model, including an additional haze layer above the 16-km-am H2 level which contains strongly absorbing particles, are needed to fit the observations. For a Rayleigh phase function, such a haze (uniformly mixed with the gas above this level) would have an absorption optical depth of 0.16 and a single scattering particle albedo of 0.30. This modification would imply a fraction of normal H2 equal to 0.25 + or - 0.10, in agreement with the Baines and Bergstralh standard model. 35 references

Additional details

Publishing Information

Journal Title
Icarus
Journal Volume
70
Series
Icarus.
Journal Page Range
13-30
ISSN
0019-1035
CODEN
ICRSA

INIS

Country of Publication
United States
Country of Input or Organization
United States
INIS RN
19006839
Subject category
S79: ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY;
Descriptors DEI
BALMER LINES; CHEMICAL COMPOSITION; MATHEMATICAL MODELS; METHANE; PLANETARY ATMOSPHERES; QUADRUPOLES; SPECTRA; URANUS PLANET
Descriptors DEC
ALKANES; ATMOSPHERES; HYDROCARBONS; MULTIPOLES; ORGANIC COMPOUNDS; PLANETS