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Organic Molecules On the Surfaces of Iapetus and PhoebeAbsorption bands of both aliphatic and aromatic organic molecules are found in the reflectance spectra of Saturn satellites Iapetus, Phoebe, and Hyperion obtained with the Cassini Visible-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS). The VIMS data do not fully resolve the individual bands of C-H functional groups specific to particular molecules, but instead show absorption envelopes representing blended clusters of the bands of aromatic (approximately 3.28 microns) and aliphatic (approximately 3.4 microns) hydrocarbons known in spectra of interstellar dust. In Cruikshank et al. (2014), we matched components of the unresolved hydrocarbon band envelopes with clusters of bands of a range of functional groups in specific types of organic compounds (e.g., normal and N-substituted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, olefins, cycloalkanes, and molecules with lone-pair interactions of N and O with CH3+). In the work reported here, we revisit the spectra of Iapetus and Phoebe using VIMS data processed with improved radiometric and wavelength calibration (denoted RC19). The band envelopes of both aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons are now more clearly defined, corroborating the provisional assignment of specific classes of molecules in Cruikshank et al. 2014, but permitting a more reliable quantitative assessment of the relative contributions of those classes, and a revision to the earlier estimate of the ratio of the abundances of aromatic to aliphatic molecules.
Document ID
20170012167
Acquisition Source
Ames Research Center
Document Type
Abstract
Authors
Pendleton, Yvonne J.
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Dalle Ore, Cristina M.
(Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Inst. Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Clark, Roger N.
(Planetary Science Inst. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Cruikshank, Dale P.
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
December 15, 2017
Publication Date
October 15, 2017
Subject Category
Instrumentation And Photography
Lunar And Planetary Science And Exploration
Report/Patent Number
ARC-E-DAA-TN47499
Report Number: ARC-E-DAA-TN47499
Meeting Information
Meeting: Annual AAS Division for Planetary Sciences (DPS) Meeting 2017
Location: Provo, UT
Country: United States
Start Date: October 15, 2017
End Date: October 20, 2017
Sponsors: American Astronautical Society
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNX13AJ87A
WBS: WBS 858099
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Use by or on behalf of the US Gov. Permitted.
Keywords
Phoeb
Lapetus
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