Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph Research Articles

The role of sputtering and radiolysis in the generation of Europa exosphere

Abstract The exosphere of an atmosphereless icy moon is the result of different surface release processes and subsequent modification of the released particles. At Europa icy moon, water molecules are directly released, but photolysis and radiolysis due to solar UV and Jupiter’s magnetospheric plasma, respectively, can result in OH, H, O and (possibly) H 2 production. These molecules can recombine to reform water and/or new chemical species. As a consequence, Europa’s neutral environment becomes a mixture of different molecules, among which, H 2 O dominates in the highest altitudes and O 2 , formed mainly by radiolysis of ice and subsequent release of the produced molecules, prevails at lower altitudes. In this work, starting from a previously developed Monte Carlo model for the generation of Europa’s exosphere, where the only considered species was water, we make a first attempt to simulate also the H 2 and O 2 components of the neutral environment around Europa, already observed by the Hubble Space Telescope and the Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph on board Cassini, during its flyby of Jupiter. Considering a specific configuration where the leading hemisphere coincides with the sunlit hemisphere, we estimate along the Europa–Sun line an O 2 column density of about 1.5 × 10 19 m −2 at the dayside and 3 × 10 18 m −2 at the nightside. In this work we also improve our previous estimation of the sputtered H 2 O exosphere of this moon, taking into consideration the trailing–leading asymmetry in the magnetospheric ion bombardment and the energy and temperature dependences of the process yields. We find that a density of 1.5 × 10 12 H 2 O/m 3 is expected at altitudes ∼0.1 R E above the surface of the trailing hemisphere. Additionally, we calculate the escape of H 2 O, O 2 and H 2 . The total number of neutral atoms in Europa’s neutral torus, is estimated to be in the range 7.8 × 10 32 –3.3 × 10 33 .

Production of N2 Vegard–Kaplan and other triplet band emissions in the dayglow of Titan

Recently the Cassini Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph has revealed the presence of N2 Vegard-Kaplan band emissions in Titan's dayglow limb observation. We present model calculations for the production of various N2 triplet states in the upper atmosphere of Titan. The Analytical Yield Spectra technique is used to calculate steady state photoelectron fluxes in Titan's atmosphere, which are in agreement with those observed by the Cassini's CAPS instrument. Considering direct electron impact excitation, inter-state cascading, and quenching effects, the population of different levels of N2 triplet states are calculated under statistical equilibrium. Densities of all vibrational levels of each triplet state and volume production rates for various triplet states are calculated in the model. Vertically integrated overhead intensities for the same date and lighting conditions as the reported by UVIS observations for N2 VK, 1P, 2P, Wu-Benesch, and Reverse First Positive bands of N2 are found to be 132, 114, 19, 22, and 22 R, respectively. Overhead intensities are calculated for each vibrational transition of all the triplet band emissions of N2, which span a wider spectrum of wavelengths from ultraviolet to infrared. The calculated limb intensities of total and prominent transitions of VK band are presented. The model limb intensity of VK emission within the 150-190 nm wavelength region is in good agreement with the Cassini UVIS observed limb profile. An assessment of the impact of solar EUV flux on the N2 triplet band emission intensity has been made by using three different solar flux models, viz., Solar EUV Experiment, SOLAR2000 model of Tobiska (2004), and HEUVAC model of Richards et al, (2006). The calculated N2 VK band intensity at the peak of limb intensity due to S2K and HEUVAC solar flux models is a factor of 1.2 and 0.9, respectively, of that obtained using SEE solar EUV flux.

Classification of F ring features observed in Cassini UVIS occultations

Abstract The Cassini Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) has detected 27 statistically significant features in 101 occultations by Saturn’s F ring since July 2004. This work nearly doubles the number of features reported by Esposito et al. (Esposito, L.W. et al. [2008]. Icarus 194, 278–289). As the number of statistically significant features has grown, it has become useful to classify them for the purposes of cataloging. We define three classes: Moonlet, Icicle, and Core, which visually classify the shapes of features seen to date in the occultation profiles of Saturn’s F ring. Two features fall into the Moonlet class. Each is opaque in its occultation, which makes them candidates for solid objects. A majority of features are classified as Icicles, which partially block stellar signal for 22 m to just over 3.7 km along the radial expanse of the occultation. The density enhancements responsible for such signal attenuations are likely due to transient clumping of material, evidence that aggregations of material are ubiquitous in the F ring. Finally, the variety of core region shapes displays how even the general shape of the F ring is ever-changing. The core region of the F ring (typically ∼10 km wide) usually has a smooth U-shape to it, but the core region takes the shape of Ws and Vs in some occultation profiles. Our lengthy observing campaign reveals that Icicles are likely transient clumps, moonlets are possible solid objects, and cores show the variety of F ring morphology. We suggest that icicles may evolve into moonlets, which are an order of magnitude less abundant.

Saturn’s F ring as seen by Cassini UVIS: Kinematics and statistics

Abstract We present a new orbital model of Saturn’s F ring core based on 93 occultations by the Cassini Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) and the Voyager radio and stellar occultations. We demonstrate that the core, despite its intrinsic variability, is well-described as an inclined, freely precessing ellipse. We find that post-fit residuals with a root-mean-square of 24 km are genuine, representing the well-known non-Keplerian features observed in the ring. Over the nearly 4 years of UVIS observations we find the residual variance to increase, coincident with the apse anti-alignment of Prometheus and F ring core in December 2009. This increase in dynamical F ring core temperature most likely reflects the ever-stronger perturbations by Prometheus. Our results are in good agreement with Earth-based and HST observations as well as Voyager imaging. Cassini UVIS stellar occultations resolve the F ring at unprecedented resolutions of a few meters and we identify the F ring core and inner and outer strands. We infer their normal optical depth and full width at half maximum (FWHM) and show that core and strands form distinct morphological groups. Typically, a strand is about ten times wider than the core (average FWHM is ∼10 km) while having a ten times smaller optical depth. Unlike in pre-Cassini occultations the F ring core displays significant optical depth with in some cases >3. In many cases we find a narrow optically thick component (∼ few km and τ > 0.5) embedded in the F ring core. Entertaining the possibility that this is the actual, “true” F ring core then UVIS results suggest that this “true” core is highly non-continuous. In addition, we report the detection of a previously unknown structure – dubbed the “secondary” as it visually resembles the F ring core. Its morphology is similar to that of the core in optical depth and FWHM and it displays individual opaque features. Despite its core-like appearance, we show that its kinematics is consistent with that of strands. We conclude that it is the most prominent strand seen to date. It represents a striking example of strand creation resulting in what could be called a morphological “small-scale” version of the F ring core. This extraordinary object should be one of the prime targets of future F ring studies.

Small‐scale structures observed in Saturn's aurora

Observations from the Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph Subsystem on NASA's Cassini spacecraft provide new detail about Saturn's aurora. The measurements, reported by Grodent et al., were made in August 2008 when the spacecraft was only 5 Saturn radii from the surface. They found two types of ultraviolet auroral substructures in the main ring of the emission—bunches of spots and narrow arcs—ranging in size from 500 kilometers to several thousand kilometers. The researchers suggest that the small‐scale structures are associated with magnetic‐field‐aligned electrical currents in Saturn's upper atmosphere that result from fluctuations in plasma flow triggered by Kelvin‐Helmholtz waves in the magnetosphere.

DUAL ORIGIN OF AEROSOLS IN TITAN'S DETACHED HAZE LAYER

We have analyzed scattered light profiles from the Cassini Imaging Science Subsystem, taken at the limb and at several large phase angles. We also used results from an occultation observed by Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph in the ultraviolet. We found that particles responsible for the scattering in the detached haze have an effective radius around 0.15 μm and the aerosol size distribution follows a power law (exponent about –4.5). We discuss these results along with microphysical constraints and thermal equilibrium of the detached haze, and we conclude that only a strong interaction with atmospheric dynamics can explain such a structure.

Morphology and variability of the Titan ringlet and Huygens ringlet edges

Abstract We present a forward modeling approach for determining, in part, the ring particle spatial distribution in the vicinity of sharp ring or ringlet edges. Synthetic edge occultation profiles are computed based on a two-parameter particle spatial distribution model. One parameter, h , characterizes the vertical extent of the ring and the other, δ , characterizes the radial scale over which the ring optical depth transitions from the background ring value to zero. We compare our synthetic occultation profiles to high resolution stellar occultation light curves observed by the Cassini Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) High Speed Photometer (HSP) for occultations by the Titan ringlet and Huygens ringlet edges. More than 100 stellar occultations of the Huygens ringlet and Titan ringlet edges were studied, comprising 343 independent occultation cuts of the edges of these two ringlets. In 237 of these profiles the measured light-curve was fit well with our two-parameter edge model. Of the remaining edge occultations, 69 contained structure that could only be fit with extremely large values of the ring-plane vertical thickness ( h > 1 km) or by adopting a different model for the radial profile of the ring optical depth. An additional 37 could not be fit by our two-parameter model. Certain occultations at low ring-plane incidence angles as well as occultations nearly tangent to the ring edge allow the direct measurement of the radial scale over which the particle packing varies at the edge of the ringlet. In 24 occultations with these particular viewing geometries, we find a wide variation in the radial scale of the edge. We are able to constrain the vertical extent of the rings at the edge to less than ∼300 m in the 70% of the occultations with appropriate viewing geometry, however tighter constraints could not be placed on h due to the weaker sensitivity of the occultation profile to vertical thickness compared to its sensitivity to δ . Many occultations of a single edge could not be fit to a single value of δ , indicating large temporal or azimuthal variability, although the azimuthal variation in δ with respect to the longitudes of various moons in the system did not show any discernible pattern.

Small-scale structures in Saturn's ultraviolet aurora

[1] On 26 August 2008, the Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph Subsystem (UVIS) instrument onboard the Cassini spacecraft recorded a series of spatially resolved spectra of the northern auroral region of Saturn. Near periapsis, the spacecraft was only five Saturn radii (RS) from the surface and spatially resolved auroral structures as small as 500 km across (0.5° of latitude). We report the observation of two types of UV auroral substructures at the location of the main ring of emission, bunches of spots and narrow arcs. They are found in the noon and dusk sectors, respectively, at latitudes ranging from 73 to 80° corresponding to equatorial regions located beyond 16 RS. Their brightness ranges from 1 to 30 kR and their characteristic size varies from 500 km to several thousands of km. These small-scale substructures are likely associated with patterns of upward field aligned currents resulting from nonuniform plasma flow in the equatorial plane. It is suggested that magnetopause Kelvin-Helmholtz waves trigger localized perturbations in the flow, like vortices, able to give rise to the observed UV auroral substructures.

Measurements of the helium 584 Å airglow during the Cassini flyby of Venus

Abstract The helium resonance line at 584 A has been observed with the UltraViolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) Extreme Ultraviolet channel during the flyby of Venus by Cassini at a period of high solar activity. The brightness was measured along the disk from the morning terminator up to the bright limb near local noon. The mean disk intensity was ∼320 R, reaching ∼700 R at the bright limb. These values are slightly higher than those determined from previous observations. The sensitivity of the 584 A intensity to the helium abundance is analyzed using recent cross-sections and solar irradiance measurements at 584 A. The intensity distribution along the UVIS footprint on the disk is best reproduced using the EUVAC solar flux model and the helium density distribution from the VTS3 empirical model. It corresponds to a helium density of 8×10 6 cm −3 at the level of where the CO 2 is 2×10 10 cm −3 .

A downward revision of a recently reported proton auroral LBH emission efficiency

[1] A significantly higher N2 Lyman-Birge-Hopfield (LBH) emission efficiency for auroral proton precipitation compared to model calculations was reported by Knight et al. (2008) based on a statistical study utilizing coincident far ultraviolet and particle data from the sensors Special Sensor Ultraviolet Spectrographic Imager (SSUSI) and Special Sensor J/5 (SSJ/5) on board the DMSP satellite F16. Here, the quantity of interest from that study is the median ratio of LBH column emission rates (CERs) from SSUSI and derived from SSJ/5 spectra using monoenergetic emission yields. The median ratio was found to be 2.83 for proton aurora, suggesting the need for significant increases in currently used LBH proton/H-atom impact cross sections. A key step in their analysis was extrapolation of SSJ/5 spectra above 30 keV. Limited testing of this algorithm using NOAA Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellites Total Energy Detector and Medium Energy Proton and Electron Detector (TM) data found no significant bias. This work reports on a more detailed investigation of the algorithm's performance, also using TM data, and has uncovered a bias that reduces the median column emission rates (CER) ratio to 1.75. Within expected uncertainties, including calibration, this still calls for cross section increases but to a lesser extent. The discovered bias becomes apparent with CER thresholding that was overlooked during testing by Knight et al. (2008). Thresholding at 400 Rayleighs (R) is necessary since Knight et al. excluded CERs < 400 R in deriving their median ratio. We show that the algorithm's performance degrades with increasing energy flux of the precipitation. A method is reported for eliminating most of the bias which utilizes auroral Ly α, whose emission strength is closely coupled to spectral hardness.

The composition and structure of the Enceladus plume

[1] The Cassini Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) observed an occultation of the Sun by the water vapor plume at the south polar region of Saturn's moon Enceladus. The Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) spectrum is dominated by the spectral signature of H2O gas, with a nominal line-of-sight column density of 0.90 ± 0.23 × 1016 cm−2 (upper limit of 1.0 × 1016 cm−2). The upper limit for N2 is 5 × 1013 cm−2, or <0.5% in the plume; the lack of N2 has significant implications for models of the geochemistry in Enceladus' interior. The inferred rate of water vapor injection into Saturn's magnetosphere is ∼200 kg/s. The calculated values of H2O flux from three occultations observed by UVIS have a standard deviation of 30 kg/s (15%), providing no evidence for substantial short-term variability. Collimated gas jets are detected in the plume with Mach numbers of 5–8, implying vertical gas velocities that exceed 1000 m/sec. Observations at higher altitudes with the Cassini Ion Neutral Mass Spectrometer indicate correlated structure in the plume. Our results support the subsurface liquid model, with gas escaping and being accelerated through nozzle-like channels to the surface, and are consistent with recent particle composition results from the Cassini Cosmic Dust Analyzer.

Waves in Cassini UVIS stellar occultations: 2. The C ring

We performed a complete wavelet analysis of Saturn’s C ring on 62 stellar occultation profiles. These profiles were obtained by Cassini’s Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph High Speed Photometer. We used a WWZ wavelet power transform to analyze them. With a co-adding process, we found evidence of 40 wavelike structures, 18 of which are reported here for the first time. Seventeen of these appear to be propagating waves (wavelength changing systematically with distance from Saturn). The longest new wavetrain in the C ring is a 52-km-long wave in a plateau at 86,397 km. We produced a complete map of resonances with external satellites and possible structures rotating with Saturn’s rotation period up to the eighth order, allowing us to associate a previously observed wave with the Atlas 2:1 inner Lindblad resonance (ILR) and newly detected waves with the Mimas 6:2 ILR and the Pandora 4:2 ILR. We derived surface mass densities and mass extinction coefficients, finding σ = 0.22(±0.03) g cm−2 for the Atlas 2:1 ILR, σ = 1.31(±0.20) g cm−2 for the Mimas 6:2 ILR, and σ = 1.42(±0.21) g cm−2 for the Pandora 4:2 ILR. We determined a range of mass extinction coefficients (κ = τ/σ) for the waves associated with resonances with κ = 0.13 (±0.03) to 0.28(±0.06) cm2 g−1, where τ is the optical depth. These values are higher than the reported values for the A ring (0.01–0.02 cm2 g−1) and the Cassini Division (0.07–0.12 cm2 g−1 from Colwell et al. (Colwell, J.E., Cooney, J.H., Esposito, L.W., Sremčević, M. [2009]. Icarus 200, 574–580)). We also note that the mass extinction coefficient is probably not constant across the C ring (in contrast to the A ring and the Cassini Division): it is systematically higher in the plateaus than elsewhere, suggesting smaller particles in the plateaus. We present the results of our analysis of these waves in the C ring and estimate the mass of the C ring to be between3.7(±0.9) × 1016 kg and 7.9(±2.0) × 1016 kg (equivalent to an icy satellite of radius between 28.0(±2.3) km and 36.2(±3.0) km with a density of 400 kg m−3, close to that of Pan or Atlas). Using the ring viscosity derived from the wave damping length, we also estimate the vertical thickness of the C ring between 1.9(±0.4) m and 5.6(±1.4) m, comparable to the vertical thickness of the Cassini Division.

ULTRAVIOLET DISCOVERIES AT ASTEROID (21) LUTETIA BY THEROSETTAALICE ULTRAVIOLET SPECTROGRAPH

The NASA Alice ultraviolet (UV) imaging spectrograph on board the ESA Rosetta comet orbiter successfully conducted a series of flyby observations of the large asteroid (21) Lutetia in the days surrounding Rosetta's closest approach on 2010 July 10. Observations included a search for emission lines from gas, and spectral observations of the Lutetia's surface reflectance. No emissions from gas around Lutetia were observed. Regarding the surface reflectance, we found that Lutetia has a distinctly different albedo and slope than both the asteroid (2867) Steins and Earth's moon, the two most analogous objects studied in the far ultraviolet (FUV). Further, Lutetia's ~10% geometric albedo near 1800 A is significantly lower than its 16%-19% albedo near 5500 A. Moreover, the FUV albedo shows a precipitous drop (to ~4%) between 1800 A and 1600 A, representing the strongest spectral absorption feature observed in Lutetia's spectrum at any observed wavelength. Our surface reflectance fits are not unique but are consistent with a surface dominated by an EH5 chondrite, combined with multiple other possible surface constituents, including anorthite, water frost, and SO2 frost or a similar mid-UV absorber. The water frost identification is consistent with some data sets but inconsistent with others. The anorthite (feldspar) identification suggests that Lutetia is a differentiated body.

The production of Titan's ultraviolet nitrogen airglow

[1] The Cassini Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) observed Titan's dayside limb in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and far ultraviolet (FUV) on 22 June 2009 from a mean distance of 23 Titan radii. These high-quality observations reveal the same EUV and FUV emissions arising from photoelectron excitation and photofragmentation of molecular nitrogen (N2) as found on Earth. We investigate both of these solar driven processes with a terrestrial airglow model adapted to Titan and find that total predicted radiances for the two brightest N2 band systems agree with the observed peak radiances to within 5%. Using N2 densities constrained from in situ observations by the Ion Neutral Mass Spectrometer on Cassini, the altitude of the observed limb peak of the EUV and FUV emission bands is between 840 and 1060 km and generally consistent with model predictions. We find no evidence for carbon emissions in Titan's FUV airglow in contrast to previous Titan airglow studies using UVIS data. In their place, we identify several vibrational bands from the N2 Vegard-Kaplan system arising from photoelectron impact with predicted peak radiances in agreement with observations. These Titan UV airglow observations are therefore comprised of emissions arising only from solar processes on N2 with no detectable magnetospheric contribution. Weaker EUV Carroll-Yoshino N2 bands within the v′ = 3, 4, and 6 progressions between 870 and 1020 A are underpredicted by about a factor of five while the (0,1) band near 980 A is overpredicted by about a factor of three.

120～180 nm星载远紫外电离层成像光谱仪光学系统设计与研究

120～180 nm星载远紫外电离层成像光谱仪光学系统设计与研究

120～180 nm星载远紫外电离层成像光谱仪光学系统设计与研究

120～180 nm星载远紫外电离层成像光谱仪光学系统设计与研究

120～180 nm星载远紫外电离层成像光谱仪光学系统设计与研究

120～180 nm星载远紫外电离层成像光谱仪光学系统设计与研究

ATMOSPHERIC IMAGING ASSEMBLY MULTITHERMAL LOOP ANALYSIS: FIRST RESULTS

The Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory has state-of-the-art spatial resolution and shows the most detailed images of coronal loops ever observed. The series of coronal filters peak at different temperatures, which span the range of active regions. These features represent a significant improvement over earlier coronal imagers and make AIA ideal for multithermal analysis. Here, we targeted a 171 A coronal loop in AR 11092 observed by AIA on 2010 August 3. Isothermal analysis using the 171-to-193 ratio gave a temperature of log T ≈ 6.1, similar to the results of Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (EIT) and TRACE. Differential emission measure analysis, however, showed that the plasma was multithermal, not isothermal, with the bulk of the emission measure at log T > 6.1. The result from the isothermal analysis, which is the average of the true plasma distribution weighted by the instrument response functions, appears to be deceptively low. These results have potentially serious implications: EIT and TRACE results, which use the same isothermal method, show substantially smaller temperature gradients than predicted by standard models for loops in hydrodynamic equilibrium and have been used as strong evidence in support of footpoint heating models. These implications may have to be re-examined in the wake of new results from AIA.

CASSINI UVIS STELLAR OCCULTATION OBSERVATIONS OF SATURN's RINGS

The Cassini spacecraft's Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) includes a high-speed photometer (HSP) that has observed more than 100 stellar occultations by Saturn's rings. Here, we document a standardized technique applied to the UVIS-HSP ring occultation datasets delivered to the Planetary Data System as higher level data products. These observations provide measurements of ring structure that approaches the scale of the largest common ring particles (~5 m). The combination of multiple occultations at different viewing geometries enables reconstruction of the three-dimensional structure of the rings. This inversion of the occultation data depends on accurate calibration of the data so that occultations of different stars taken at different times and under different viewing conditions can be combined to retrieve ring structure. We provide examples of the structure of the rings as seen from several occultations at different incidence angles to the rings, illustrating changes in the apparent structure with viewing geometry.

Coordinated UV imaging of equatorial plasma bubbles using TIMED/GUVI and DMSP/SSUSI

[1] Coincident and near-coincident Global Ultraviolet Imager (GUVI) and Special Sensor Ultraviolet Spectrographic Imager (SSUSI) plasma bubble images provide a unique opportunity to image the evolution of a single feature over a large longitude and time range. SSUSI and GUVI are currently the only two UV imagers that can provide low-Earth orbit measurements capable of reconstructing a multidimensional electron density map. New imaging techniques applied to years of UV data provide a powerful tool for observing and understanding ionospheric electron density and equatorial plasma bubbles. GUVI, launched on board the TIMED satellite in December 2001, and SSUSI on board the DMSP F16 satellite launched in October 2003 have several overlapping years of observations of the nightside ionosphere. The low-Earth orbit of the DMSP and TIMED satellites allows for tomographic reconstruction of altitude versus longitude bubble cross sections from UV disk images. GUVI is at an altitude of 625 km in an orbit that precesses through all local solar times in just 60 days, and SSUSI is at an altitude of 830 km in a fixed 0800/2000 local solar time orbit. We have developed a technique for tomographic retrievals of electron density maps from GUVI observations. We are able to produce three-dimensional maps of ionospheric electron density. We discuss the adaptation of the tomographic imaging technique to SSUSI data and present initial results. Electron density reconstructions are accompanied by discussion and analysis of plasma bubble drift rates and the morphology and time changes in the tilt of the bubbles as they drift through the ionosphere.