[en] We analyze two multi-chord stellar occultations by Pluto observed on July 18th, 2012 and May 4th, 2013, and monitored respectively from five and six sites. They provide a total of fifteen light-curves, twelve of them being used for a simultaneous fit that uses a unique temperature profile, assuming a clear (no-haze) and pure N_2 atmosphere, but allowing for a possible pressure variation between the two dates. We find a solution that fits satisfactorily (i.e. within the noise level) all the twelve light-curves, providing atmospheric constraints between ~1,190 km (pressure ~ 11 µbar) and ~ 1,450 km (pressure ~0.1 µbar) from Pluto's center. Our main results are: (1) the best-fitting temperature profile shows a stratosphere with strong positive gradient between 1,190 km (at 36 K, 11 µbar) and r = 1,215 km (6.0 µbar), where a temperature maximum of 110 K is reached; above it is a mesosphere with negative thermal gradient of -0.2 K/km up to ~ 1,390 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.
Disciplines :
Space science, astronomy & astrophysics
Author, co-author :
Dias-Oliveira, A.
Sicardy, B.
Lellouch, Emmanuel
Vieira-Martins, R.
Assafin, M.
Camargo, J. I. B.
Braga-Ribas, F.
Gomes-Júnior, A. R.
Benedetti-Rossi, G.
Colas, F.
Decock, A.
Doressoundiram, A.
Dumas, C.
Emilio, M.
Fabrega Polleri, J.
Gil-Hutton, R.
Gillon, Michaël ; Université de Liège > Département d'astrophys., géophysique et océanographie (AGO) > Origines Cosmologiques et Astrophysiques (OrCa)
Girard, J.
Hau, G.
Ivanov, V. D.
Jehin, Emmanuel ; Université de Liège > Département d'astrophys., géophysique et océanographie (AGO) > Origines Cosmologiques et Astrophysiques (OrCa)
Lecacheux, J.
Leiva, R.
Lopez-Sisterna, C.
Mancini, L.
Maury, A.
Meza, E.
Morales, N.
Nagy, L.
Opitom, Cyrielle ; Université de Liège > Département d'astrophys., géophysique et océanographie (AGO) > Origines Cosmologiques et Astrophysiques (OrCa)
scite shows how a scientific paper has been cited by providing the context of the citation, a classification describing whether it supports, mentions, or contrasts the cited claim, and a label indicating in which section the citation was made.
Bibliography
Assafin M., Camargo J. I. B., Vieira Martins R. et al 2010 A&A 515 A32
Assafin M., Campos R. P., Vieira Martins R. et al 2008 P&SS 56 1882
Assafin M., Vieira-Martins R., Braga-Ribas F. et al 2009 AJ 137 4046
Baum W. A. and Code A. D. 1953 AJ 58 108
Benedetti-Rossi G., Vieira Martins R., Camargo J. I. B., Assafin M. and Braga-Ribas F. 2014 A&A 570 A86
Bosh A. S., Person M. J., Levine S. E. et al 2015 Icar 246 237
Boursier C., Ménard J., Doyennette L. and Menard-Bourcin F. 2003 JPCA 107 5280
Braga-Ribas F., Sicardy B., Ortiz J. L. et al 2013 ApJ 773 26
Brosch N. 1995 MNRAS 276 571
Elliot J. L., Ates A., Babcock B. A. et al 2003 Natur 424 165
Elliot J. L., Dunham E. W., Bosh A. S. et al 1989 Icar 77 148
Elliot J. L., Person M. J., Gulbis A. A. S. et al 2007 AJ 134 1
Fray N. and Schmitt B. 2009 P&SS 57 2053
French R. G., Toigo A. D., Gierasch P. J. et al 2015 Icar 246 247
Girard J. H., Kasper M., Quanz S. P. et al 2010 Proc. SPIE 7736E 77362N
Gulbis A. A. S., Emery J. P., Person M. J. et al 2015 Icar 246 226
Hansen C. J. and Paige D. A. 1996 Icar 120 247
Hubbard W. B., Hunten D. M., Dieters S. W., Hill K. M. and Watson R. D. 1988 Natur 336 452
Jehin E., Gillon M., Queloz D. et al 2011 Msngr 145 2
Krasnopolsky V. A. and Cruikshank D. P. 1999 JGR 104 21979
Lara L. M., Ip W. H. and Rodrigo R. 1997 Icar 130 16
Lellouch E. 1994 Icar 108 255
Lellouch E., de Bergh C., Sicardy B. et al 2015a Icar 246 268
Lellouch E., Gurwell M., Butler B. et al 2015b IAUC 9273 1
Lellouch E., Laureijs R., Schmitt B. et al 2000 Icar 147 220
Lellouch E., Santos-Sanz P., Lacerda P. et al 2013 A&A 557 A60
Lellouch E., Sicardy B., de Bergh C. et al 2009 A&A 495 17
Lellouch E., Stansberry J., Emery J., Grundy W. and Cruikshank D. P. 2011 Icar 214 701
Lenzen R., Hartung M., Brandner W. et al 2003 Proc. SPIE 4841 944
Olkin C. B., Young L. A., Borncamp D. et al 2015 Icar 246 220
Olkin C. B., Young L. A., French R. G. et al 2014 Icar 239 15
Ortiz J. L., Sicardy B., Braga-Ribas F. et al 2012 Natur 491 566
Person M. J., Dunham E. W., Bosh A. S. et al 2013 AJ 146 83
Press W. H., Teukolsky S. A., Vetterling W. T. and Flannery B. P. 1992 Numerical Recipes in C. The Art of Scientific Computing (New York: Cambridge Univ. Press)
Rousset G., Lacombe F., Puget P. et al 2003 Proc. SPIE 4839 140
Sicardy B., Bellucci A., Gendron E. et al 2006 Natur 439 52
Sicardy B., Ferri F., Roques F. et al 1999 Icar 142 357
Sicardy B., Ortiz J. L., Assafin M. et al 2011 Natur 478 493
Sicardy B., Widemann T., Lellouch E. et al 2003 Natur 424 168
Siddles R., Wilson G. and Simpson C. 1994 CPL 225 146
Strobel D. F., Zhu X., Summers M. E. and Stevens M. H. 1996 Icar 120 266
Summers M. E., Strobel D. F. and Gladstone G. R. 1997 Chemical Models of Pluto's Atmosphere ed S. A. Stern and D. J. Tholen (Tuscon, AZ: Univ. of Arizona Press) 391
Tholen D. J., Buie M. W., Grundy W. M. and Elliott G. T. 2008 AJ 135 777
Vangvichith M. 2013 Thèse de Doctorat, Ecole Polytechnique
Vapillon L., Combes M. and Lecacheux J. 1973 A&A 29 135
Vuitton V., Yelle R. V. and McEwan M. J. 2007 Icar 191 722
Washburn E. W. 1930 International Critical Tables of Numerical Data: Physics, Chemistry and Technology, Vol. 7 (New York: McGraw-Hill)
Yelle R. V. 1991 AJ 383 380
Yelle R. V. and Lunine J. I. 1989 Natur 339 288
Young E. F., French R. G., Young L. A. et al 2008 AJ 136 1757
Young L. A. 2013 ApJL 766 L22
Zacharias N., Monet D. G., Levine S. E. et al 2004 BAAS 36 1418
Zalucha A. M., Gulbis A. A. S., Zhu X., Strobel D. F. and Elliot J. L. 2011a Icar 211 804
Zalucha A. M. and Michaels T. I. 2013 Icar 223 819
Zalucha A. M., Zhu X., Gulbis A. A. S., Strobel D. F. and Elliot J. L. 2011b Icar 214 685
Zhu X., Strobel D. F. and Erwin J. T. 2014 Icar 228 301
Similar publications
Sorry the service is unavailable at the moment. Please try again later.
This website uses cookies to improve user experience. Read more
Save & Close
Accept all
Decline all
Show detailsHide details
Cookie declaration
About cookies
Strictly necessary
Performance
Strictly necessary cookies allow core website functionality such as user login and account management. The website cannot be used properly without strictly necessary cookies.
This cookie is used by Cookie-Script.com service to remember visitor cookie consent preferences. It is necessary for Cookie-Script.com cookie banner to work properly.
Performance cookies are used to see how visitors use the website, eg. analytics cookies. Those cookies cannot be used to directly identify a certain visitor.
Used to store the attribution information, the referrer initially used to visit the website
Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer by websites that you visit. Websites use cookies to help users navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. Cookies that are required for the website to operate properly are allowed to be set without your permission. All other cookies need to be approved before they can be set in the browser.
You can change your consent to cookie usage at any time on our Privacy Policy page.