2024-03-15 Abstract
Title: Submillimeter Spectral Study of Icy Ocean Worlds
Speaker: Prof. Yi-Jehng Kuan (NTNU)
Date: March 15 at 14:30
Location: R521, General Building II
Abstract:
Icy worlds in our Solar System, such as Ceres, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto, Enceladus, Titan, and Triton, were found to possess surface organics. Many of these planetary icy moons may contain putative subsurface oceans and are the most promising places for harboring life in our Solar System. The chemical compositions of organic and inorganic materials on icy surfaces and subsurface regions of the icy moons can be studied remotely from Earth. Identification of key molecular species and trace compounds in the plumes is thus critical to constrain theories for the internal constitution and composition of subsurface oceans and to investigate whether icy moons are life-sustainable as the plumes would contain the most original composition of subsurface oceans. Therefore, we observed Europa and Enceladus in the submillimeter. Findings of neutral gas molecules detected toward Europa and Enceladus will be presented, and their possible origins will be discussed.