Recent progress on the KMOS multi-object integral-field spectrograph for ESO VLT

GROUND-BASED AND AIRBORNE INSTRUMENTATION FOR ASTRONOMY III 7735 (2010) ARTN 773515

Authors:

Ray Sharples, Ralf Bender, Alex Agudo Berbel, Richard Bennett, Naidu Bezawada, Nicolas Bouche, David Bramall, Mark Casali, Michele Cirasuolo, Paul Clark, Mark Cliffe, Richard Davies, Roger Davies, Niv Drory, Marc Dubbeldam, Alasdair Fairley, Gert Finger, Reinhard Genzel, Reinhold Haefner, Achim Hess, Paul Jeffers, Ian Lewis, David Montgomery, John Murray, Bernard Muschielok, Natascha Foerster Schreiber, Jeff Pirard, Suzie Ramsey-Howat, Phil Rees, Josef Richter, David Robertson, Ian Robson, Stephen Rolt, Roberto Saglia, Joerg Schlichter, Matthias Tecza, Stephen Todd, Michael Wegner, Erich Wiezorrek

SEASONAL CHANGES IN TITAN'S POLAR TRACE GAS ABUNDANCE OBSERVED BY CASSINI

ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL LETTERS 724:1 (2010) L84-L89

Authors:

NA Teanby, PGJ Irwin, R de Kok, CA Nixon

Structure and dynamics of the Martian lower and middle atmosphere as observed by the Mars Climate Sounder: Seasonal variations in zonal mean temperature, dust, and water ice aerosols

JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-PLANETS 115 (2010) ARTN E12016

Authors:

DJ McCleese, NG Heavens, JT Schofield, WA Abdou, JL Bandfield, SB Calcutt, PGJ Irwin, DM Kass, A Kleinbohl, SR Lewis, DA Paige, PL Read, MI Richardson, JH Shirley, FW Taylor, N Teanby, RW Zurek

System study of EPICS, the exoplanets imager for the E-ELT

ADAPTIVE OPTICS SYSTEMS II 7736 (2010) ARTN 77361N

Authors:

Christophe Verinaud, Markus Kasper, Jean-Luc Beuzit, Raffaele G Gratton, Dino Mesa, Emmanuel Aller-Carpentier, Enrico Fedrigo, Lyu Abe, Pierre Baudoz, Anthony Boccaletti, Mariangela Bonavita, Kjetil Dohlen, Norbert Hubin, Florian Kerber, Visa Korkiakoski, Jacopo Antichi, Patrice Martinez, Patrick Rabou, Ronald Roelfsema, Hans Martin Schmid, Niranjan Thatte, Graeme Salter, Matthias Tecza, Lars Venema, Hiddo Hanenburg, Rieks Jager, Natalia Yaitskova, Olivier Preis, Melanie Orecchia, Eric Stadler

Upper limits for undetected trace species in the stratosphere of Titan.

Faraday Discuss 147 (2010) 65-81

Authors:

Conor A Nixon, Richard K Achterberg, Nicholas A Teanby, Patrick GJ Irwin, Jean-Marie Flaud, Isabelle Kleiner, Alix Dehayem-Kamadjeu, Linda R Brown, Robert L Sams, Bruno Bézard, Athena Coustenis, Todd M Ansty, Andrei Mamoutkine, Sandrine Vinatier, Gordon L Bjoraker, Donald E Jennings, Paul N Romani, F Michael Flasar

Abstract:

In this paper we describe the first quantitative search for several molecules in Titan's stratosphere in Cassini CIRS infrared spectra. These are: ammonia (NH3), methanol (CH3OH), formaldehyde (H2CO), and acetonitrile (CH3CN), all of which are predicted by photochemical models but only the last of which has been observed, and not in the infrared. We find non-detections in all cases, but derive upper limits on the abundances from low-noise observations at 25 degrees S and 75 degrees N. Comparing these constraints to model predictions, we conclude that CIRS is highly unlikely to see NH3 or CH3OH emissions. However, CH3CN and H2CO are closer to CIRS detectability, and we suggest ways in which the sensitivity threshold may be lowered towards this goal.