On the estimation of Sulfuric Acid Vapor concentrations below the Venus cloud deck using the Akatsuki Radio Science Experiment

TL;DR

This study refines radio occultation data analysis to better estimate sulfuric acid vapor concentrations below Venus's clouds, revealing increasing vapor levels at lower altitudes and validating atmospheric models.

Contribution

It introduces a novel spectral analysis method for radio occultation data to quantify sulfuric acid vapor in Venus's atmosphere, improving sensitivity at lower altitudes.

Findings

Vapor abundance exceeds 10 ppm below 40 km

Sharp decline in vapor above 50 km matches saturation profiles

Method enhances detection sensitivity in high-opacity regions

Abstract

We report new constraints on the vertical distribution of sulfuric acid vapor in the Venusian atmosphere, derived from a refined analysis of radio occultation (RO) data. The method estimates the power spectral density (PSD) of the received signal to recover both the signal intensity and the Doppler shift. The received signal power is estimated at 1-sec cadence which enhances the sensitivity and detection of the signal at lower altitudes of Venus, even in regions of high atmospheric opacity. After correcting total attenuation for refractive losses, absorption by known microwave absorbers is removed, leaving a residual signal attributable to sulfuric acid vapor. Two different methods of estimating the absorption due to Sulfur Dioxide have been presented, including one which incorporates in-situ data, which should better constrain the sulfuric acid vapor abundance below the clouds. Retrieved profiles for altitudes of 40 - 50 km reveal an increasing vapor abundance to more than 10 ppm below the clouds, and a sharp decline above 50 km in line with the expected saturation profile. These measurements agree with current models of the Venusian cloud structure and composition, and demonstrate that RO data, when coupled with optimized spectral analysis, can yield quantitative constraints on trace absorbers in optically thick atmospheres.