Marsha J. Fox (Spectral Sciences, Inc.), Alexander Berk (Spectral Sciences, Inc.), Lawrence S. Bernstein (Spectral Sciences, Inc.)
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Abstract:
We continue to upgrade our planetary radiation transfer (RT) model based on MODTRAN®5 to spectrally characterize the RT of planetary atmospheres. A key objective of our project is to develop a code that can be used by astronomers and planetary scientists in the search for planets in other star systems, or exoplanets. Already 373 gas giants have been detected orbiting 215 stars, but no terrestrial planets have been identified. Previously, we described modifications to MODTRAN®5 to make it more generally applicable to arbitrary atmospheres, showing comparisons to data and results of RT models developed by planetary scientists for gas giants Neptune and Saturn, over the full optical spectrum from UV through far-infrared spectral regime, ~0.4 to 200 mm. This year we model Jupiter, another gas giant that is well known for its diversity of atmospheric conditions with large-scale temporal variability lasting 10s to 100s of years, including large bands of clouds, immense turbulent eddy plumes and dark hot spot regions that light up in thermal bands. These regions are represented by varying levels of clouds, haze and absorption features. Clear-sky and multi-layer cloud models were developed for comparisons to observations of different spatial regions. Spectrally resolved observations from the Geminis Near-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) and Cassinis Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) missions to Jupiter as well as observations from ground based systems have been used for comparison.
Date of Conference: September 1-4. 2009
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