EGU2020-4492, updated on 13 May 2024
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-4492
EGU General Assembly 2020
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Chemical and Isotopic Composition Measurements on Atmospheric Probes for Giant Planets

Peter Wurz1, Audrey Vorburger1, Hunter Waite2, and Olivier Mousis3
Peter Wurz et al.
  • 1Universität Bern, Physikalisches Institut, Space Science and Planetology, Bern, Switzerland (peter.wurz@space.unibe.ch)
  • 2Southwest Research Institute, Space Science and Engineering Division, San Antonio, Texas, USA
  • 3Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, LAM, Marseille, France

The ice giants Uranus and Neptune are the least understood class of planets in our solar system but the most frequently observed type of exoplanets. Unfortunately, no designated mission to either of the two ice giants exists so far. Almost all of our gathered information on these planets comes from remote sensing. Whereas information provided by remote sensing is undoubtedly highly valuable, remote sensing of a planet's atmosphere also has limitations. In recent years, NASA and ESA have started planing for future missions to Uranus and Neptune, with both agencies focusing their attention on orbiters and atmospheric probes. A mass spectrometer experiment is a favored science instrument for an atmospheric probe for in situ composition measurements in most of these studies. Mass spectrometric measurements can provide unique scientific data, i.e., sensitive and quantitative measurements of the chemical composition of the atmosphere, including isotopic, elemental, and molecular abundances. Of major interest for the formation and evolution process of our Solar System are the species including the major volatiles CH4, CO, NH3, N2; the noble gases He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe; and the isotopic ratios D/H,13C/12C, 15N/14N, 3He/4He, 20Ne/22Ne, 38Ar/36Ar, 36Ar/40Ar, as well as those of Kr and Xe. We will review the state-of-the-art mass spectrometry with respect to an application on such an atmospheric probe.  

How to cite: Wurz, P., Vorburger, A., Waite, H., and Mousis, O.: Chemical and Isotopic Composition Measurements on Atmospheric Probes for Giant Planets, EGU General Assembly 2020, Online, 4–8 May 2020, EGU2020-4492, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-4492, 2020.

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