Titan's photochemical model: Further update, oxygen species, and comparison with Triton and Pluto

Abstract

My photochemical model for Titan's atmosphere and ionosphere is improved using the Troe approximation for termolecular reactions and inclusion of four radiative association reactions from those calculated by Vuitton et al. (2012). Proper fitting of eddy diffusion results in a reduction of the mean difference between 63 observed mixing ratios and their calculated values from a factor of 5 in my previous models for Titan to a factor of 3 in the current model. Oxygen chemistry on Titan is initiated by influxes of H2O from meteorites and O+ from magnetospheric interactions with the Saturn rings and Enceladus. Two versions of the model were calculated, with and without the O+ flux. Balances of CO, CO2, H2O, and H2CO are discussed in detail for both versions. The calculated model with the O+ flux agrees with the observations of CO, CO2, and H2O, including recent H2O CIRS limb observations and measurements by the Herschel Space Observatory.Major observational data and photochemical models for Triton and Pluto are briefly discussed. While the basic atmospheric species N2, CH4, and CO are similar on Triton and Pluto, properties of their atmospheres are very different with atomic species and ions dominating in Triton's upper atmosphere and ionosphere opposed to the molecular composition on Pluto. Calculations favor a transition between two types of photochemistry at the CH4 mixing ratio of ∼5×10−4. Therefore Triton's current photochemistry is still similar to that at the Voyager flyby despite the observed increase in N2 and CH4. The meteorite H2O results in precipitation of CO on Triton and CO2 on Pluto near perihelion.