Abstract
Identifying seasonal and spatial variability in Titan's atmospheric structure is a key factor in improving theoretical models of atmospheric loss and understanding the physical processes that control the loss rate. In this work, the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) stellar occultation lightcurves from the Cassini Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) experiment are analyzed. N2 and CH4 atmospheric profiles between 1000 and 1400km are determined by using an optimized grid search retrieval method to provide a complete χ2 surface for the two species abundance parameters at each level in the atmosphere. Kinetic temperature is extracted from hydrostatic analysis of the N2 profiles, and indicates a high level of variability related to energy deposition in the upper atmosphere. These results are compared to in situ measurements by the Ion Neutral Mass Spectrometer (INMS), which also probes this region of Titan's atmosphere.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
