Related papers: Modeling Pluto's Minimum Pressure: Implications fo…
We present results of an investigation into the formation of nitrogen-bearing molecules in the atmosphere of Titan. We extend a previous model (Li et al. 2015, 2016) to cover the region below the tropopause, so the new model treats the…
Motivated by the work of Guillot (2010), we present a semi-analytical formalism for calculating the temperature-pressure profiles in hot Jovian atmospheres which includes the effects of clouds/hazes and collision-induced absorption. Using…
The New Horizons spacecraft will achieve a wide range of measurement objectives at the Pluto system, including color and panchromatic maps, 1.25-2.50 micron spectral images for studying surface compositions, and measurements of Pluto's…
Context. During the last 30 years the surface of Pluto has been characterized, and its variability has been monitored, through continuous near-infrared spectroscopic observations. But in the visible range only few data are available. Aims.…
The exploration of the Pluto-Charon system by the New Horizons spacecraft represents the first opportunity to understand the distribution of albedo and other photometric properties of the surfaces of objects in the Solar System's "Third…
The UVS instrument on the Juno mission records far-ultraviolet reflected sunlight from Jupiter. These spectra are sensitive to the abundances of chemical species in the upper atmosphere and to the distribution of the stratospheric haze…
We simulate atmospheric fractionation in escaping planetary atmospheres using IsoFATE, a new open-source numerical model. We expand the parameter space studied previously to planets with tenuous atmospheres that exhibit the greatest helium…
New Horizons RALPH/LEISA near-infrared spectra allow for regional mapping of Pluto's surface ices and their physical state; however, scan-to-scan artifacts and variable spatial resolution complicate quantitative interpretation. We extend…
The New Horizons spacecraft mapped colors and infrared spectra across the encounter hemispheres of Pluto and Charon. The volatile ices CH$_4$, CO, and N$_2$, that dominate Pluto's surface, have complicated spatial distributions resulting…
Despite surface liquid water's importance to habitability, observationally diagnosing its presence or absence on exoplanets is still an open problem. Inspired within the Solar System by the differing sulfur cycles on Venus and Earth, we…
The atmospheric characterisation of temperate exoplanets is becoming accessible with JWST, providing a critical connection between Solar System planets and the more commonly observed hot-Jupiters. K2-18 b, a temperate sub-Neptune orbiting…
Observations of the Pluto-Charon system, acquired with the ALMA interferometer on June 12-13, 2015, have yielded a detection of the CO(3-2) and HCN(4-3) rotational transitions from Pluto, providing a strong confirmation of the presence of…
The organic haze produced from complex CH4/N2 chemistry in the atmosphere of Titan plays an important role in processes that occur in the atmosphere and on its surface. The haze particles act as condensation nuclei and are therefore…
Lindal et al. (1987, J. Geophys. Res. 92, 14987-15001) presented a range of temperature and CH4 profiles for Uranus that were consistent with 1986 Voyager radio occultation measurements. A localized refractivity slope variation near 1.2…
We present a 3D general circulation model of Pluto and Triton's atmospheres, which uses radiative-conductive-convective forcing. In both the Pluto and Triton models, an easterly (prograde) jet is present at the equator with a maximum…
The surprising discovery by the Rosetta spacecraft of molecular oxygen (O$_2$) in the coma of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (Bieler et al. 2015) challenged our understanding of the inventory of this volatile species on and inside bodies…
Studies of the atmospheres of hot Jupiters reveal a diversity of atmospheric composition and haze properties. Similar studies on individual smaller, temperate planets are rare due to the inherent difficulty of the observations and also to…
Observational efforts in the last decade suggest the prevalence of photochemical hazes in exoplanetary atmospheres. Recent JWST observations raise growing evidence that exoplanetary hazes tend to have reflective compositions, unlike the…
Photochemical hazes have been frequently used to interpret exoplanet transmission spectra that show an upward slope towards shorter wavelengths and weak molecular features. While previous studies have only considered spherical haze…
Recent JWST observations of the sub-Neptune GJ 1214 b suggest that it hosts a high-metallicity (>100x solar), hazy atmosphere. Emission spectra of the planet show molecular absorption features, most likely due to atmospheric H2O. In light…