Publication
Names
  • W. Grundy
  • B. Schmitt
  • E. Quirico
Title
The temperature dependent spectra of α and β nitrogen ice with application to Triton
Abstract
We present measurements of the temperature dependence of the near-infrared spectra of α and β nitrogen ice, measured in transmission in 1-cm-thick samples. Our 0.9-cm-1 resolution spectra of β ice reveal that the 4650 cm-1 (2.15 μm) hand is a complex, temperature-dependent absorption, composed of at least two components. For lower temperature α ice, our spectra show a complex, temperature-dependent pattern involving several weak features in addition to the strong, narrow band we attribute to a double phonon transition. We apply our results in modeling telescopic spectra of Triton and conclude that the spectral data are consistent with a surface composed predominantly of β nitrogen ice at temperatures between 35.6 and 41 K, in the form of grains of order 1 cm or larger in size or in the form of a surface glaze with a depth of at least 6 cm.
Keywords
spectroscopy, transmission, absorption coefficient spectra, band position, band width, band intensity, band integrated intensity, band vibration mode, near-IR, thermal process, molecular solid, ice, N2, Triton, Pluto, TNO
Content
instrument-technique, sample, spectral data, band list data, planetary sciences
Year
1993
Journal
Icarus
Volume
105
Number
1
Pages
254 - 258
Document type
article
Publication state
published