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Composition and Origin of the Atmosphere of Jupiter—An Update, and Implications for the Extrasolar Giant Planets S.K

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Composition and Origin of the Atmosphere of Jupiter—An Update, and Implications for the Extrasolar Giant Planets S.K Available online at www.sciencedirect.com Planetary and Space Science 51 (2003) 105–112 www.elsevier.com/locate/pss Composition and origin of the atmosphere of Jupiter—an update, and implications for the extrasolar giant planets S.K. Atreyaa;∗, P.R. Maha*yb, H.B. Niemannb, M.H. Wongb, T.C. Owenc aDepartment of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2143, USA bGoddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA cInstitute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA Received 15 January 2002; received in revised form 21 April 2002; accepted 25 April 2002 Abstract New developments have led to this update of the composition and origin of Jupiter’s atmosphere that were originally discussed in our Planet. Space Sci. 47 (1999) 1243 paper. Since Jupiter can provide important insight into the atmospheres of extrasolar giant planets (EGP), we also discuss here the possible implications of the ÿrst detection of an atmosphere on an EGP. The ammonia mixing ratio on Jupiter has −4 now been determined directly from the Galileo probe mass spectrometer (GPMS) data, and its value relative to H2 (7:1±3:2)×10 in the 9–12 bar region, is found to be similar to the previously reported result inferred from the radio attenuation technique on Galileo. The Jovian 15N=14N ratio is found to be much lower than the terrestrial value at (2:3 ± 0:3) × 10−3. A complete analysis of the various uncertainties −4 in the GPMS data yields an H2O mixing ratio of 6:0(+3:9; −2:8) × 10 at 19 bar in the hotspot, and a trend of increase with depth; all other mixing ratios and error bars remain unchanged. CH3, previously detected on Saturn and Neptune, has now also been detected in the atmosphere of Jupiter recently by Cassini. Benzene is the heaviest hydrocarbon detected to date in the atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn. Abundances inferred from Infrared Space Observatory measurements are 9(+4:5; −7:5) × 1014 and 4:7(+2:1; −1:1) × 1013 cm−2 for pressures less than 50 and 10 mbar on Jupiter and Saturn, respectively. Finally, we propose that the recently detected sodium in the atmosphere of the EGP orbiting HD 209458 may have mainly a post-accretionary extraplanetary origin, rather than being primordial. ? 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. (whose smaller CH3 abundance together with the relatively 1. Introduction low homopause level make the detection challenging). Fur- ther reÿnement in the D/H ratio from ISO brings the result Since the publication of our paper, “A comparison of satisfactorily close to the Galileo probe value reported pre- the atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn: deep atmospheric viously. Finally, a thorough analysis of uncertainties in the composition, cloud structure, vertical mixing, and origin”, GPMS data has allowed us to place more realistic error Planet. Space Sci. 47 (1999) 1243 (hereafter A99), cer- bars on many species, particularly the condensible volatiles, tain important new results have become available that war- NH3,H2S, and H2O in the deep atmosphere. It is notewor- rant an update of that paper. In particular, further analysis thy also that a recent determination of the He/H ratio in of the Galileo probe mass spectrometer (GPMS) data has the atmosphere of Saturn based “solely” on the analysis of permitted the ÿrst “direct” measurement of ammonia and Voyager infrared (IRIS) data, is found to be at least 3–5 its nitrogen isotopic composition in the deep well-mixed at- times greater than the previous highly depleted value based mosphere of Jupiter. Benzene has been detected “globally” on the combined Voyager radio science and infrared in the stratospheres of Jupiter and Saturn by the Infrared (RSS-IRIS) data. The new value of He/H in Saturn’s at- Space Observatory (ISO). Methyl radical, CH3, has at last mosphere is closer to the Jupiter value and essentially been detected in the atmosphere of Jupiter with the infrared removes the necessity of any large-scale condensation of spectrometer CIRS on the Cassini spacecraft, thus conÿrm- helium in the interior of Saturn. The new value of He/H for ing the existence of this crucial precursor to the formation Saturn also ÿts evolutionary models better (Hubbard et al., of complex hydrocarbons on all giant planets except Uranus + 1999). H3 , the only ion ever identiÿed on Jupiter, has now been detected also in Saturn’s auroral regions. However, + ∗ Corresponding author. the H3 emission intensity is found to be only 1–7% that + E-mail address: [email protected] (S.K. Atreya). of Jupiter’s H3 , perhaps due to Saturn’s lower exospheric 0032-0633/03/$ - see front matter ? 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. PII: S0032-0633(02)00144-7 106 S.K. Atreya et al. / Planetary and Space Science 51 (2003) 105–112 temperature, lower magnetospheric energy input and the our estimate of the NH3 abundance in the 8.6–12:0 bar por- higher homopause level. tion of the descent. The GPMS value is (7:1 ± 3:2) × 10−4 In this paper, we will present (i) an update of the (Table 1). This value replaces the upper limit previously composition of Jupiter’s atmosphere, (ii) for completeness, reported (Niemann et al., 1998). Although ammonia is a an updated composition of Saturn’s atmosphere, (iii) a signiÿcant minor species, the large error bars reNect the discussion of new developments on the origin of Jupiter’s strong interaction of this molecule with the walls of the atmosphere, and (iv) a brief discussion of the possible ori- vacuum chamber as described below. gin of sodium in the atmosphere an extrasolar giant planet. During the 8.6–12:0 bar measurement period, direct sam- Other aspects of the atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn that pling of the atmosphere took place through the second inlet were discussed in a comprehensive and comparative manner system. The ÿnal gas path to the ionization region of the in our previous work, A99, remain essentially unchanged. mass spectrometer for this sampling was a glass capillary Only new references will be cited in this paper. The reader leak (designated DL2) that released gas directly into the would ÿnd the current paper to be most beneÿcial when ionizing electron beam of the ion source. For most gases read in conjunction withour previous publication, A99, on this allowed an enhancement in the directly sampled gas this subject. compared to gas that was ionized after interactions with the walls of the mass spectrometer. However, ammonia inter- acts strongly with the interior vacuum walls of the ion source 2. Composition (Niemann et al., 1992) and the contribution to its signal from The composition of the atmosphere of Jupiter as presently gas released from the walls is higher than for most of the known is presented in Tables 1 and 2. For comparison, the other species measured. This measurement is further com- presently known values for Saturn are also given. In partic- plicated by release of a considerable amount of NH3 into the ular, more realistic error bars are now given for the values ion source from the preceding enrichment cell experiment. of water, ammonia and hydrogen sulÿde in Jupiter’s atmo- Some fraction of this ammonia is adsorbed on the walls of sphere. Uncertainties in the GPMS data due to counting the ion source and subsequently released by the introduction statistics, detector saturation e*ects, and pressure depen- of atmospheric gas through the leak DL2. The studies on dence of calibration constants obtained either on the Night the EU conÿrm that the decay of this ammonia produced in unit itself or a nearly identical engineering unit have all now the enrichment cell can be modeled by an exponential de- cay function. Fig. 3 shows the a ÿt of the GPMS ammonia been included (Wong, 2001). The central values of H2S, 17 amu signal as a sum of a contribution from an exponen- and H2O remain essentially unchanged, however. An up- tial decaying signal and another fraction proportional to the dated illustration of the H2S and NH3 mixing ratio variation withdepthis given in Figs. 1 and 2. The GPMS determi- amount of gas entering the ionization region as represented nation of the ammonia abundance in the deep well-mixed by the 13 amu contribution from a methane fragment. atmosphere of Jupiter is a new result that is discussed in detail below. The central value of the ammonia mixing 15 14 ratio in the 8–10 bar region, where it reaches a uniform 2.2. N= N ratio value, is found to be similar to that determined by the ra- 15 14 −3 dio attenuation technique for the hotspot entry site of the We recently derived a N= N ratio of (2:3±0:3)×10 Galileo probe. The 15N=14N ratio on Jupiter has now been from measurements of the ratio the GPMS signals produced 15 2+ 14 2+ determined by two independent techniques—IR measure- by the doubly charged ammonia species NH3 and NH3 (Owen et al., 2001; Maha*y et al., 2000). Measurement of ments of NH3 in 9.5–11:5 m range from ISO, and the in this ratio is not impacted by the surface interactions of am- situ GPMS measurements of NH3. It is noteworthy that the two results are similar, despite the fact that the ISO data monia in the ion source of the mass spectrometer described represent essentially a global average and correspond to the above. Early attempts to derive this isotope ratio had focused 14 + 15 + region above the ammonia condensation level, whereas the on the signals at 17 and 18 amu from NH3 and NH3 .
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