Schumann Resonances as a tool to constrain the depth of Titan's buried water ocean: Re-assessment of Huygens observations and preparation of the EFIELD/Dragonfly experiment
Résumé
Among the lines of evidence for a buried ocean on Titan is the possible detection, in 2005,
by the Permittivity, Wave and Altimetry (PWA) analyzer on board the ESA Huygens probe
of Schumann-like Resonances (SR). SR are Extremely Low Frequency electromagnetic waves
resonating between two electrically conductive layers. On Titan, it has been proposed that
they propagate between the moon’s ionosphere and a salty subsurface water ocean. Their
characterization by electric field sensors can provide constraints on Titan’s cavity characteristics
and in particular on the depth of Titan’s ocean which is key to better assess Titan’s habitability.
For this work we have developed a numerical model of Titan’s electromagnetic cavity as well as a
surrogate model to conduct simulations and sensitivity analyses at a low computational cost. This
surrogate model is used both to re-assess PWA/Huygens measurements and to predict the future
performance of the EFIELD experiment on board the NASA Dragonfly mission. We demonstrate
that the PWA/Huygens measurements, in particular due to their low spectral resolution, do not
bring any meaningful constraint on Titan’s ocean depth. On the other hand, the finer resolution
of the EFIELD experiment and its ability to capture several harmonics of SR should provide
more robust constraints on Titan’s internal structure, especially if the electrical properties of the
ice crust and the atmosphere can be better constrained.
Domaines
Planète et Univers [physics]Origine | Fichiers produits par l'(les) auteur(s) |
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