Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
1774038 | Icarus | 2010 | 11 Pages |
Abstract
We have modeled the mass production rate by a parabolic function, highlighting two competitive chemical regimes controlling the tholin production efficiency: an efficient growth process which is proportional to the methane consumption, and an inhibiting process which opposes the growth process and dominates it for initial methane concentrations higher than â¼5%. To explain these two opposite effects, we propose two mechanisms: one involving HCN patterns in the tholins for the growth process, and one involving the increasing amount of atomic hydrogen in the plasma as well as the increase in aliphatic contributions in the tholins for the inhibiting process. This study highlights new routes for understanding the chemical growth of the organic aerosols in Titan's atmosphere.
Keywords
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Earth and Planetary Sciences
Space and Planetary Science
Authors
E. Sciamma-O'Brien, N. Carrasco, C. Szopa, A. Buch, G. Cernogora,