Publication Cover
High Pressure Research
An International Journal
Volume 23, 2003 - Issue 1-2
51
Views
12
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Articles

High-pressure neutron diffraction and models of titan

&
Pages 41-47 | Published online: 24 Sep 2010
 

Saturn's largest moon Titan is the only planetary satellite to have a significant atmosphere. The nature of this atmosphere and the origins of the ∼5% of methane in it are a source of longstanding debate. The high-pressure properties of the icy components - ammonia monohydrate and methane hydrate - from which Titan formed are crucial to modelling of Titan and yet until recently were poorly known. We have now carried out neutron diffraction studies of both systems across the entire pressure and temperature range relevant to Titan. We found several new phases in ammonia monohydrate and have been able to construct an equation of state for this material. And we have shown that methane hydrate does not decompose into ice and methane at 1.2 GPa as had been calculated. These results move modelling of Titan onto new ground.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.