The unusual phase curve of Titan's surface observed by Huygens’ Descent Imager/Spectral Radiometer

Abstract

The Descent Imager/Spectral Radiometer onboard Huygens observed Titan's surface through the atmospheric methane windows [Tomasko, M.G., Doose, L., Engel, S., Dafoe, L.E., West, R., Lemmon, M., Karkoschka, E., See, C., 2008. A model of Titan's aerosols based on measurements made inside the atmosphere. Planet. Space Sci. 56, 669–707]. Infrared spectra obtained during the last stage of the descent, for which the atmospheric contribution is negligible, show that the reflectance of the surface around the sit increases with decreasing solar phase angle. Combining these with a spectrum reconstructed from reflected lamp light [Schröder, S.E., Keller, H.U., 2008. The reflectance spectrum of Titan's surface at the Huygens landing site determined by the Descent Imager/Spectral Radiometer. Planet. Space Sci. 56, 753–769] reveals a strong increase in reflectance towards zero phase angle: the opposition surge. Both shadow hiding and coherent backscatter are required to fit the phase curve with the Hapke [2002. Bidirectional Reflectance Spectroscopy 5. The Coherent Backscatter Opposition Effect and Anisotropic Scattering. Icarus 157, 523–534] model. We find the particle phase function below 60 ∘ phase angle to be close to isotropic, which is highly unusual for the surfaces of planetary bodies. A terrain with similar scattering properties has been identified on Triton [Lee, P., Helfenstein, P., Veverka, J., McCarthy, D., 1992. Anomalous-scattering region on Triton. Icarus 99, 82–97], and a connection with the tholins thought to be present on both worlds seems plausible. Indeed, tholin laboratory analogs are found to scatter in similar fashion [Lüthi, 2008. Remote sensing of the surface of Titan: Photometric properties, comparison with analogues, and future microscopic observations. Ph.D. Thesis, Philosophisch-naturwissenschaftlichen Fakultät, Universität Bern]. We conclude that Titan's unusual phase curve is consistent with the presence of tholins on the surface. Our result provides a lower boundary condition for Titan atmosphere models and as such may aid the ongoing analysis of Cassini data.