Titan: High Angular Resolution Synergistic Groundbased Observations during the Cassini Era

泰坦：卡西尼时代的高角分辨率协同地面观测

• 批准号: 1008788
• 负责人: Imke de Pater
• 金额: $ 45.85万
• 依托单位: University of California-Berkeley
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-09-01 至 2016-02-29
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1008788&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Titan; Angular; Resolution; Synergistic; Groundbased

This project focuses on the atmosphere of Saturn's moon Titan. The PI, along with a supported Ph.D. researcher and a graduate student, will conduct ground-based observations of Titan using 8 to 10 meter class telescopes equipped with adaptive optics systems and integral field spectrographs. These observations will be combined with in situ data from the Cassini spacecraft, with the goal of tracking the distribution of methane clouds and hazes. The interpretation of the data will be made via this group's radiative transfer model, which will be improved by the addition of new laboratory data on methane transitions and new corrections to the treatment of methane absorption and aerosol scattering. These calculations will yield the 3-dimensional cloud/haze distribution, which will eventually reveal the circulation patterns in Titan's atmosphere. This project will train one or more students in modern observational techniques involving adaptive optics, as well as assist in the development of these techniques at the engineering level. The public will be engaged through the release of images showing the benefit of adaptive optics and highlighting the similarities and differences between the atmospheres of Titan and Earth.

这个项目的重点是土星卫星泰坦的大气层。PI，沿着一个支持的博士。一名研究员和一名研究生将使用配备自适应光学系统和积分场摄谱仪的8至10米级望远镜对土卫六进行地面观测。这些观测结果将与卡西尼号航天器的现场数据相结合，目标是跟踪甲烷云和烟雾的分布。数据的解释将通过该小组的辐射传输模型进行，该模型将通过增加关于甲烷转换的新实验室数据和对甲烷吸收和气溶胶散射处理的新修正而得到改进。这些计算将产生三维云/霾分布，最终将揭示土卫六大气中的环流模式。该项目将培训一名或多名学生掌握涉及自适应光学的现代观测技术，并协助在工程水平上开发这些技术。公众将通过发布图像来参与，这些图像显示了自适应光学的好处，并突出了泰坦和地球大气层之间的相似性和差异。