High-Resolution Spectroscopy of Titan with SOFIA/EXES

[摘要] We present the first observation of Titan with the high resolution Echelon cross-Echelle Spectrograph(EXES) instrument on the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA, Fig. 1). These show clear detection of multiple spectral lines in the R-branch of the acetylene vibrational band at 13 m. These are compared to similar observations with the ground-based sister instrument TEXES (Texas Echelon cross-Echelle Spectrograph) on the IRTF(Infrared Telescope Facility), showing that EXES will have access to an enlarged spectral range as expected, through reduced atmospheric opacity. In future EXES will be used to complement TEXES for spectral line searches on Titan, geared to detect new molecular species, focusing on spectral regions that are inaccessible from the ground.

[发布日期] 2019-09-15

[学科分类] 空间科学

[关键词] ATMOSPHERIC OPTICS;DETECTION;INFRARED INSTRUMENTS;MOLECULAR GASES;MOLECULES;SOFIA (AIRBORNE OBSERVATORY);SPECTRAL RESOLUTION;SPECTRAL BANDS;SPECTROGRAPHS;TITAN