DPS Pasadena Meeting 2000, 23-27 October 2000
Session 57. Laboratory Work Posters
Displayed, 1:00pm, Monday - 1:00pm, Friday, Highlighted Tuesday and Thursday, 3:30-6:30pm, C101-C105, C211

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[57.14] High Resolution UV SO2 Absorption Cross Sections and VUV N2 Oscillator Strengths for Planetary Atmospheres Studies

P. L. Smith (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA and CURSOAR), G. Stark (Physics Department, Wellesley College), J. Rufus (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA)

The determination of the chemical composition of the atmosphere of Io in the 190-220 nm wavelength region requires a knowledge of the photoabsorption cross section of SO2 at temperatures ranging from 110 to 300 K. We are continuing our laboratory program to measure SO2 absorption cross sections with very high resolving power (450,000) at a range of temperatures appropriate to the Io atmosphere. Previous photoabsorption measurements have been unable to resolve the very congested SO2 spectrum. Out measurements are being undertaken at Imperial College, London, using an ultraviolet Fourier transform spectrometer. We recently completed room temperature measurements of SO2 cross sections in the 190-220 nm region (Stark et al., JGR Planets 104, 16,585 (1999)). Current laboratory work is focusing on a complementary set of measurements at 160 K. Preliminary results will be presented.

Analyses of Voyager VUV occultation measurements of the N2-rich atmospheres of Titan and Triton are hampered by the lack of fundamental spectroscopic data for N2, in particular, by the lack of reliable f-values and line widths for electronic bands of N2 in the 80-100 nm wavelength region. We are continuing our program to measure band oscillator strengths for about 100 N2 bands between 80-100 nm. We have begun an on-line molecular spectroscopic atlas [http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/amdata/ampdata/N2ARCHIVE/n2home.html]. The archive includes published and unpublished 14N2, 14N15N, and 15N2 line lists and spectroscopic identifications, excited state energy levels, band and line f-values, a summary of published band f-value and line width measurements, and a cross-referenced summary of the relevant N2 literature. The listings are searchable by wavelength interval or band identification and are suitable for down-loading in a convenient format.

This work was supported in part by NASA Grant NAG5-6222 and the Smithsonian Institution Atherton Seidel Grant Program.



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