VPL Scientist Dr. Melissa Trainer (NASA GSFC) was recently featured on the Ask an Astrobiologist program! You can watch a…
The ratios of the stable isotopes that comprise each chemical species in Titan’s atmosphere provide critical information towards understanding the processes taking place within its modern and ancient atmosphere. Several stable isotope pairs, including 12C/13C and 14N/15N, have been measured in situ or probed spectroscopically by Cassini-borne instruments, space telescopes, or through ground-based observations. Current attempts to model the observed isotope ratios incorporate fractionation resulting from atmospheric diffusion, hydrodynamic escape, and primary photochemical processes. However, the effect of a potentially critical pathway for isotopic fractionation – organic aerosol formation and subsequent deposition onto the surface of Titan – has not been considered due to insufficient data regarding fractionation during aerosol formation.