Global quieting of high-frequency seismic noise due to COVID-19 pandemic lockdown measures
Science American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 369:6509 (2020) 1338-1343
Studying the composition and mineralogy of the hermean surface with the Mercury Radiometer and Thermal Infrared Spectrometer (MERTIS) for the BepiColombo mission: an update
Space Science Reviews Springer 216:6 (2020) 110
Abstract:
Launched onboard the BepiColombo Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) in October 2018, the Mercury Radiometer and Thermal Infrared Spectrometer (MERTIS) is on its way to planet Mercury. MERTIS consists of a push-broom IR-spectrometer (TIS) and a radiometer (TIR), which operate in the wavelength regions of 7-14 μm and 7-40 μm, respectively. This wavelength region is characterized by several diagnostic spectral signatures: the Christiansen feature (CF), Reststrahlen bands (RB), and the Transparency feature (TF), which will allow us to identify and map rock-forming silicates, sulfides as well as other minerals. Thus, the instrument is particularly well-suited to study the mineralogy and composition of the hermean surface at a spatial resolution of about 500 m globally and better than 500 m for approximately 5-10% of the surface. The instrument is fully functional onboard the BepiColombo spacecraft and exceeds all requirements (e.g., mass, power, performance). To prepare for the science phase at Mercury, the team developed an innovative operations plan to maximize the scientific output while at the same time saving spacecraft resources (e.g., data downlink). The upcoming fly-bys will be excellent opportunities to further test and adapt our software and operational procedures. In summary, the team is undertaking action at multiple levels, including performing a comprehensive suite of spectroscopic measurements in our laboratories on relevant analog materials, performing extensive spectral modeling, examining space weathering effects, and modeling the thermal behavior of the hermean surface.Erratum: The first planet detected in the WTS: an inflated hot-Jupiter in a 3.35 day orbit around a late F-star
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Oxford University Press (OUP) 497:1 (2020) 916-916
Prospects for Characterizing the Haziest Sub-Neptune Exoplanets with High Resolution Spectroscopy
(2020)
First detection of ozone in the mid-infrared at Mars: implications for methane detection
Astronomy & Astrophysics EDP Sciences 639 (2020) A141
Abstract:
Aims: The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) was sent to Mars in March 2016 to search for trace gases diagnostic of active geological or biogenic processes.
Methods: We report the first observation of the spectral features of Martian ozone (O3) in the mid-infrared range using the Atmospheric Chemistry Suite (ACS) Mid-InfaRed (MIR) channel, a cross-dispersion spectrometer operating in solar occultation mode with the finest spectral resolution of any remote sensing mission to Mars.
Results: Observations of ozone were made at high northern latitudes (> 65◦N) prior to the onset of the 2018 global dust storm (Ls = 163–193◦). During this fast transition phase between summer and winter ozone distribution, the O3 volume mixing ratio observed is 100–200 ppbv near 20 km. These amounts are consistent with past observations made at the edge of the southern polar vortex in the ultraviolet range. The observed spectral signature of ozone at 3000–3060 cm−1 directly overlaps with the spectral range of the methane (CH4) ν3 vibration-rotation band, and it, along with a newly discovered CO2 band in the same region, may interfere with measurements of methane abundance.