RO Number
18679
Keyword(s)
Spectroscopy; Titan
Citizenship Requirement
U.S. Citizens Accepted; Lawful Permanent Residents Accepted; Foreign Nationals Accepted
Description
Widespread lakes were discovered on Titan by the Cassini mission in 2006. At Titan surface pressures and temperatures a
mixture of liquid methane and photochemically produced ethane is the most likely liquid. This solution will serve as a solvent
for the complex mixture of photochemical products formed in the upper atmosphere, which eventually fall to the surface. The
presence of liquid hydrocarbons on the surface of Titan motivates questions about the solubility of surface materials in the
liquid, and their fate during possible changes in lake composition and level.
We are beginning the detailed study of the chemical processes occurring in Titan's lakes, in an attempt to understand the role
that solubility, dissolution, precipitation and reaction play in altering Titan's surface composition. Mass spectrometry, infrared,
Raman and UV/Vis spectroscopies are used to study a variety of organic and inorganic solutes dissolved in liquid
ethane/methane mixtures. Spectroscopic approaches for in situ characterization of Titan's lakes are also under investigation.
Applicants with experience in experimental physical chemistry are encouraged.