m interval is dominated by methane and ammonia absorption,
which are minor constituents in the Jovian atmosphere.
Laboratory Measurements of Methane Bands Applicable to Remote Sensing of the Jovian Atmosphere.
K. S. Sihra, J. J. Remedios, S. B. Calcutt, F. W. Taylor (University of Oxford)
Infrared spectroscopy has proved to be a powerful tool for obtaining
information to understand the atmosphere of planets . The Near Infrared
Mapping spectrometer (NIMS) on Galileo is being used to measure chemical
composition, cloud structure and to resolve atmospheric dynamics. The
1-4 m interval is dominated by methane and ammonia absorption,
which are minor constituents in the Jovian atmosphere.
New laboratory measurements of the transmittance functions of methane
have been made in the 1.05-5.56 m region, at a resolution of 0.2
, in support of NIMS analysis. These spectra were
recorded using a Bruker high resolution Fourier transform spectrometer
at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. A short path, multiple-pass
absorption cell, capable of pathlengths up to 20 metres, was employed
so the spectra of methane could be recorded for temperatures as low as
100K and pressures up to 5 bar. The experimental resources used are
described, the quality of measured spectra is assessed and the
implications for NIMS atmospheric measurements are investigated.