Jupiter's hydrocarbons observed with ISO-SWS: vertical profiles of C2H6 and C2H2, detection of CH3C2H

TL;DR

This study analyzes ISO-SWS spectra of Jupiter to determine vertical profiles of hydrocarbons, detects methylacetylene for the first time, and compares observed data with existing models, revealing discrepancies in acetylene production rates.

Contribution

It provides new measurements of hydrocarbon vertical profiles and detects methylacetylene on Jupiter, challenging existing chemical models.

Findings

Acetylene and ethane have specific mixing ratios at different pressure levels.

Methylacetylene detected with a column density of approximately 1.5×10^{15} molecules/cm².

Discrepancies found between observed acetylene profiles and model predictions.

Abstract

We have analysed the ISO-SWS spectrum of Jupiter in the 12-16 micron range, where several hydrocarbons exhibit rovibrational bands. Using temperature information from the methane and hydrogen emissions, we derive the mixing ratios (q) of acetylene and ethane at two independent pressure levels. For acetylene, we find $q=(8.9^{+1.1}_{-0.6})\times10^{-7}$ at 0.3 mbar and $q=(1.1^{+0.2}_{-0.1})\times10^{-7}$ at 4 mbar, giving a slope $-d\ln q / d\ln P=0.8\pm0.1$, while for ethane $q=(1.0\pm0.2)\times10^{-5}$ at 1 mbar and $q=(2.6^{+0.5}_{-0.6})\times10^{-6}$ at 10 mbar, giving $-d\ln q / d\ln P=0.6\pm0.2$. The ethane slope is consistent with the predictions of Gladstone et al. (1996), but that predicted for acetylene is larger than we observe. This disagreement is best explained by an overestimation of the acetylene production rate compared to that of ethane in the Gladstone et al. (1996) model. At 15.8 micron, methylacetylene is detected for the first time at low jovian latitudes, and a stratospheric column density of $(1.5\pm0.4)\times10^{15}$ molecule.cm-2 is inferred. We also derive an upper limit for the diacetylene column density of $7\times10^{13}$ molecule.cm-2.