Pluto's Atmosphere from Stellar Occultations in 2012 and 2013
- Autores
- Gil-hutton, Ricardo Alfredo
- Año de publicación
- 2015
- Idioma
- inglés
- Tipo de recurso
- artículo
- Estado
- versión publicada
- Descripción
- We analyze two multi-chord stellar occultations by Pluto that were observed on 2012 July 18th and 2013 May 4th, and respectively monitored from five and six sites. They provide a total of fifteen light curves, 12 of which were used for a simultaneous fit that uses a unique temperature profile, assuming a clear (no haze) and pure N2 atmosphere, but allowing for a possible pressure variation between the two dates. We find a solution that satisfactorily fits (i.e., within the noise level) all of the 12 light curves, providing atmospheric constraints between ~1190 km (pressure ~11 μbar) and ~1450 km (pressure ~0.1 μbar) from Pluto's center. Our main results are: (1) the best-fitting temperature profile shows a stratosphere with a strong positive gradient between 1190 km (at 36 K, 11 μbar) and r = 1215 km (6.0 μbar), where a temperature maximum of 110 K is reached; above it is a mesosphere with a negative thermal gradient of −0.2 K km−1 up to ~1390 km (0.25 μbar), where the mesosphere connects itself to a more isothermal upper branch around 81 K; (2) the pressure shows a small (6%) but significant increase (6σ level) between the two dates; (3) without a troposphere, Pluto's radius is found to be ${R}_{{\rm{P}}}=1190\;\pm $ 5 km. Allowing for a troposphere, RP is constrained to lie between 1168 and 1195 km; and (4) the currently measured CO abundance is too small to explain the mesospheric negative thermal gradient. Cooling by HCN is possible, but only if this species is largely saturated. Alternative explanations like zonal winds or vertical compositional variations of the atmosphere are unable to explain the observed mesospheric negative thermal gradient.
Fil: Gil-hutton, Ricardo Alfredo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico San Juan. Complejo Astronómico "El Leoncito"; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Juan; Argentina - Materia
-
Methods: Data Analysis
Methods: Observational
Planets And Satellites: Atmospheres
Planets And Satellites: Physical Evolution - Nivel de accesibilidad
- acceso abierto
- Condiciones de uso
- https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/
- Repositorio
- Institución
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
- OAI Identificador
- oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/7917
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Pluto's Atmosphere from Stellar Occultations in 2012 and 2013Gil-hutton, Ricardo AlfredoMethods: Data AnalysisMethods: ObservationalPlanets And Satellites: AtmospheresPlanets And Satellites: Physical Evolutionhttps://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.3https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1We analyze two multi-chord stellar occultations by Pluto that were observed on 2012 July 18th and 2013 May 4th, and respectively monitored from five and six sites. They provide a total of fifteen light curves, 12 of which were used for a simultaneous fit that uses a unique temperature profile, assuming a clear (no haze) and pure N2 atmosphere, but allowing for a possible pressure variation between the two dates. We find a solution that satisfactorily fits (i.e., within the noise level) all of the 12 light curves, providing atmospheric constraints between ~1190 km (pressure ~11 μbar) and ~1450 km (pressure ~0.1 μbar) from Pluto's center. Our main results are: (1) the best-fitting temperature profile shows a stratosphere with a strong positive gradient between 1190 km (at 36 K, 11 μbar) and r = 1215 km (6.0 μbar), where a temperature maximum of 110 K is reached; above it is a mesosphere with a negative thermal gradient of −0.2 K km−1 up to ~1390 km (0.25 μbar), where the mesosphere connects itself to a more isothermal upper branch around 81 K; (2) the pressure shows a small (6%) but significant increase (6σ level) between the two dates; (3) without a troposphere, Pluto's radius is found to be ${R}_{{\rm{P}}}=1190\;\pm $ 5 km. Allowing for a troposphere, RP is constrained to lie between 1168 and 1195 km; and (4) the currently measured CO abundance is too small to explain the mesospheric negative thermal gradient. Cooling by HCN is possible, but only if this species is largely saturated. Alternative explanations like zonal winds or vertical compositional variations of the atmosphere are unable to explain the observed mesospheric negative thermal gradient.Fil: Gil-hutton, Ricardo Alfredo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico San Juan. Complejo Astronómico "El Leoncito"; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Juan; ArgentinaIop Publishing2015-09info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501info:ar-repo/semantics/articuloapplication/pdfapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/11336/7917Gil-hutton, Ricardo Alfredo; Pluto's Atmosphere from Stellar Occultations in 2012 and 2013; Iop Publishing; Astrophysical Journal; 811; 1; 9-2015; 1-200004-637Xenginfo:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0004-637X/811/1/53/meta;jsessionid=82B22A24CD0FB4D0C154B5B74041F97C.c1.iopscience.cld.iop.org#info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1088/0004-637X/811/1/53info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas2025-09-29T10:04:02Zoai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/7917instacron:CONICETInstitucionalhttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/Organismo científico-tecnológicoNo correspondehttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/oai/requestdasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.arArgentinaNo correspondeNo correspondeNo correspondeopendoar:34982025-09-29 10:04:03.211CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicasfalse |
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv |
Pluto's Atmosphere from Stellar Occultations in 2012 and 2013 |
title |
Pluto's Atmosphere from Stellar Occultations in 2012 and 2013 |
spellingShingle |
Pluto's Atmosphere from Stellar Occultations in 2012 and 2013 Gil-hutton, Ricardo Alfredo Methods: Data Analysis Methods: Observational Planets And Satellites: Atmospheres Planets And Satellites: Physical Evolution |
title_short |
Pluto's Atmosphere from Stellar Occultations in 2012 and 2013 |
title_full |
Pluto's Atmosphere from Stellar Occultations in 2012 and 2013 |
title_fullStr |
Pluto's Atmosphere from Stellar Occultations in 2012 and 2013 |
title_full_unstemmed |
Pluto's Atmosphere from Stellar Occultations in 2012 and 2013 |
title_sort |
Pluto's Atmosphere from Stellar Occultations in 2012 and 2013 |
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv |
Gil-hutton, Ricardo Alfredo |
author |
Gil-hutton, Ricardo Alfredo |
author_facet |
Gil-hutton, Ricardo Alfredo |
author_role |
author |
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv |
Methods: Data Analysis Methods: Observational Planets And Satellites: Atmospheres Planets And Satellites: Physical Evolution |
topic |
Methods: Data Analysis Methods: Observational Planets And Satellites: Atmospheres Planets And Satellites: Physical Evolution |
purl_subject.fl_str_mv |
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.3 https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1 |
dc.description.none.fl_txt_mv |
We analyze two multi-chord stellar occultations by Pluto that were observed on 2012 July 18th and 2013 May 4th, and respectively monitored from five and six sites. They provide a total of fifteen light curves, 12 of which were used for a simultaneous fit that uses a unique temperature profile, assuming a clear (no haze) and pure N2 atmosphere, but allowing for a possible pressure variation between the two dates. We find a solution that satisfactorily fits (i.e., within the noise level) all of the 12 light curves, providing atmospheric constraints between ~1190 km (pressure ~11 μbar) and ~1450 km (pressure ~0.1 μbar) from Pluto's center. Our main results are: (1) the best-fitting temperature profile shows a stratosphere with a strong positive gradient between 1190 km (at 36 K, 11 μbar) and r = 1215 km (6.0 μbar), where a temperature maximum of 110 K is reached; above it is a mesosphere with a negative thermal gradient of −0.2 K km−1 up to ~1390 km (0.25 μbar), where the mesosphere connects itself to a more isothermal upper branch around 81 K; (2) the pressure shows a small (6%) but significant increase (6σ level) between the two dates; (3) without a troposphere, Pluto's radius is found to be ${R}_{{\rm{P}}}=1190\;\pm $ 5 km. Allowing for a troposphere, RP is constrained to lie between 1168 and 1195 km; and (4) the currently measured CO abundance is too small to explain the mesospheric negative thermal gradient. Cooling by HCN is possible, but only if this species is largely saturated. Alternative explanations like zonal winds or vertical compositional variations of the atmosphere are unable to explain the observed mesospheric negative thermal gradient. Fil: Gil-hutton, Ricardo Alfredo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico San Juan. Complejo Astronómico "El Leoncito"; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Juan; Argentina |
description |
We analyze two multi-chord stellar occultations by Pluto that were observed on 2012 July 18th and 2013 May 4th, and respectively monitored from five and six sites. They provide a total of fifteen light curves, 12 of which were used for a simultaneous fit that uses a unique temperature profile, assuming a clear (no haze) and pure N2 atmosphere, but allowing for a possible pressure variation between the two dates. We find a solution that satisfactorily fits (i.e., within the noise level) all of the 12 light curves, providing atmospheric constraints between ~1190 km (pressure ~11 μbar) and ~1450 km (pressure ~0.1 μbar) from Pluto's center. Our main results are: (1) the best-fitting temperature profile shows a stratosphere with a strong positive gradient between 1190 km (at 36 K, 11 μbar) and r = 1215 km (6.0 μbar), where a temperature maximum of 110 K is reached; above it is a mesosphere with a negative thermal gradient of −0.2 K km−1 up to ~1390 km (0.25 μbar), where the mesosphere connects itself to a more isothermal upper branch around 81 K; (2) the pressure shows a small (6%) but significant increase (6σ level) between the two dates; (3) without a troposphere, Pluto's radius is found to be ${R}_{{\rm{P}}}=1190\;\pm $ 5 km. Allowing for a troposphere, RP is constrained to lie between 1168 and 1195 km; and (4) the currently measured CO abundance is too small to explain the mesospheric negative thermal gradient. Cooling by HCN is possible, but only if this species is largely saturated. Alternative explanations like zonal winds or vertical compositional variations of the atmosphere are unable to explain the observed mesospheric negative thermal gradient. |
publishDate |
2015 |
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv |
2015-09 |
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv |
info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501 info:ar-repo/semantics/articulo |
format |
article |
status_str |
publishedVersion |
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv |
http://hdl.handle.net/11336/7917 Gil-hutton, Ricardo Alfredo; Pluto's Atmosphere from Stellar Occultations in 2012 and 2013; Iop Publishing; Astrophysical Journal; 811; 1; 9-2015; 1-20 0004-637X |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/11336/7917 |
identifier_str_mv |
Gil-hutton, Ricardo Alfredo; Pluto's Atmosphere from Stellar Occultations in 2012 and 2013; Iop Publishing; Astrophysical Journal; 811; 1; 9-2015; 1-20 0004-637X |
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv |
eng |
language |
eng |
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0004-637X/811/1/53/meta;jsessionid=82B22A24CD0FB4D0C154B5B74041F97C.c1.iopscience.cld.iop.org# info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1088/0004-637X/811/1/53 |
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/ |
eu_rights_str_mv |
openAccess |
rights_invalid_str_mv |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/ |
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv |
application/pdf application/pdf |
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv |
Iop Publishing |
publisher.none.fl_str_mv |
Iop Publishing |
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv |
reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET) instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas |
reponame_str |
CONICET Digital (CONICET) |
collection |
CONICET Digital (CONICET) |
instname_str |
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas |
repository.name.fl_str_mv |
CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas |
repository.mail.fl_str_mv |
dasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.ar |
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score |
13.070432 |