Glenn L. Berge

Mars: VLA observations of the northern hemisphere and the north polar region at wavelengths of 2 and 6 cm

Abstract Observations of Mars at wavelengths of 2 and 6 cm were made using the VLA in its A configuration. The season on Mars was late spring in the Northern Hemisphere ( L s = 60°). The sub-Earth latitude was 25°N, so the geometry for viewing the north polar region was optimal. Whole-disk brightness temperatures were estimated to be 193.2 ± 1.0°K at 2 cm and 191.2 ± 0.6°K at 6 cm (formal errors only). Since measurements of the polarized flux were taken at the same time, whole-disk effective dielectric constants could be estimated and from these estimates of subsurface densities could be made. The results of these calculations yielded a whole-disk effective dielectric constant of 2.34 ± 0.05, which implied a subsurface density of 1.24 ± 0.11 g cm −3 at 2 cm. The same calculations at 6 cm yielded an effective density of 1.45 ± 0.10 g cm −3 and dielectric constant of 2.70 ± 0.10. From the mapped data these parameters were also estimated as a function of latitude between latitudes of 15°S and 60°N. In addition to the effective dielectric constant and subsurface density, the radio absorption length of the subsurface was estimated. The radio absorption length for most of these latitudes was about 15 wavelengths with formal errors on the order of 5 or 10 wavelengths. The estimation of the effective dielectric constant at most latitudes was between 2 and 3.5 with only slight differences between the two different wavelengths. These estimates of the dielectric constant lead to estimation of the subsurface densities as a function of latitude. Most calculations of the subsurface density yielded results between 1 and 2 g cm −3 with errors on the order of 0.5 g cm −3 . These results seem to imply that the subsurface is not much different than the surface as observed by the Viking and Mariner missions. In line with this, a comparison of the correlation of the dielectric constant at each wavelength with the thermal inertia determined from infrared measurements of the surface temperature shows that the correlation at 2 cm is slightly stronger than the correlation at 6 cm. Since the 2-cm radiation comes from a region closer to the surface than the 6-cm radiation, this decrease in correlation with depth is consistent with the idea that the physical makeup of the subsurface is varying slowly in the near subsurface region.

Observations of Mars, Uranus, Neptune, Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto at a wavelength of 2.66 mm

Abstract Brightness temperature observations at a wavelength of 2.66 mm of Uranus, Neptune, and the Galilean Satellites calibrated against Mars are presented. A detailed procedure is reported for using an accurate thermal model of Mars as a calibrator which yields brightness temperatures for Uranus and Neptune of 122 ± 5 K and 114 ± 7 K in excellent agreement with published “absolutely calibrated” measurements of these bodies. The results for the satellites are: Io, 101 ± 9 K, Europa, 102 ± 10 K, Ganymede, 78 ± 6 and 83 ± 5 K, and Callisto, 105 ± 6 K. The measurements for Io, Europa, and Callisto are consistent with thermal models of the lunar type but Ganymede is strongly anomalous with its 2.7-mm brightness temperature remaining very low and equal to those at centimeter wavelengths. It appears that for Ganymede alone, the millimeter surface emissivity is very low as it is at centimeter wavelengths for all the satellites. Apparently, the near surface of Ganymede is different from that of the other satellites in some unknown way to cause this phenomenon, possibly being more scattering at short wavelengths.

A model of the Venus atmosphere from radio, radar, and occultation observations

A model is presented of the atmosphere and surface of Venus which best fits in the least-squares sense the available radio-brightness, radar cross-section, radio interferometric, and Mariner 5 and 10 radio occultation observations. The determinations of the radius of the planet obtained by others from radar time-delay measurements are included in the data set. The values of the adjusted parameters are: molar fraction of CO2 = 95 plus or minus 3%; fraction of combined nitrogen and argon = 5 plus or minus 3%; total atmospheric opacity at a wavelength of 1 cm = 19.4 plus or minus 1.3; mean radius of the surface = 6050.7 plus or minus 0.8 km; mean dielectric constant of the surface = 4.1 plus or minus 0.2, and percentage of total opacity due to chemical species other than CO2 = 45 plus or minus 12. The model temperature and pressure at the mean surface are 755 K and 91.4 atm, respectively.

High-resolution microwave images of Saturn

An analysis of high-resolution microwave images of Saturn and Saturns individual rings is presented. Radio interferometric observations of Saturn taken at the Very Large Array in New Mexico at wavelengths of 2 and 6 centimeters reveal interesting new features in both the atmosphere and rings. The resulting maps show an increase in brightness temperature of about 3 K from equator to pole at both wavelengths, while the 6-centimeter map shows a bright band at northern mid-latitudes. The data are consistent with a radiative transfer model of the atmosphere that constrains the well-mixed, fully saturated, NH3 mixing ratio to be 1.2 x 10-4 in a region just below the NH3 clouds, while the observed bright band indicates a 25 percent relative decrease of NH3 in northern mid-latitudes. Brightness temperatures for the classical rings are presented. Ring brightness shows a variation with azimuth and is linearly polarized at an average value of about 5 percent. The variations in ring polarization suggest that at least 20 percent of the ring brightness is the result of a single scattering process.

Microwave Measurements of Carbon Monoxide on Titan

The ratio of the flux density of Titan was measured in two 200-megahertz bands, one centered on the (1-0) rotation line of carbon monoxide at 115.3 gigahertz and the other 2600 megahertz lower. The measurements were made with a complex-correlation technique on the new millimeter-wavelength interferometer at the Owens Valley Radio Observatory, Big Pine, California. The excess flux in the carbon monoxide band is interpreted as a strong detection of carbon monoxide and a mixing ratio, assumed constant, of 6 x 10-5. The brightness temperature of Titan at 112.6 gigahertz is 69 � 10 kelvins, consistent with atmospheric emission from just below the tropopause.

Interferometric observations of Saturn and its rings at a wavelength of 3 3.71 cm

Abstract Interferometric observations of Saturn and its rings made at the Owens Valley Radio Observatory at a wavelength of 3.71 cm ar fit to models of the Saturn brightness structure. The models have allowed us to estimate the brightness temperatures and optical thicknesses of the A, B, and C rings as well as the brightness temperature of the planetary disk. The most accurate results are the ratios of the ring temperatures to the planet temperature of 0.030 ± 0.012, 0.050 ± 0.010, and 0.040 ± 0.014 for the A, B, and C rings, respectively. The best estimates of the ring optical thicknesses are τ A = 0.2 ± 0.1, τ B = 0.9 ± 0.2, and τ C = 0.1 ± 0.1. The actual brightness temperatures, which are affected by the absolute calibration errors, are T planet = 178 ± 8, T A = 5.2 ± 2.0, T B = 9.1 ± 1.8, and T C = 7.1 ± 2.6°K. The particle single-scattering albedo that would be most consistent with the observations is slightly less than one, but probably greater than 0.95. The observations are consistent with particles which conservatively scatter the thermal emission from Saturn to the Earth and emit no thermal emission of their own. The 3.71-cm optical depths which we have estimated are very close to the visible wavelength optical depths. This similarity indicates that the ring particles must be at least a few centimeters in size, although we feel that the particles may well be much larger than this in view of the closeness of the visible and microwave optical depths. Particles which are nearly conservative scatterers at our wavelength and at least a few centimeters in size must be composed of a material which is either a very good reflector of microwaves or a very poor absorber of them. At this time, water ice seems to be the most likely candidate since it is a very poor absorber of microwaves and has been detected in the rings spectroscopically.

Lunar heat flow and regolith structure inferred from interferometric observations at a wavelength of 49.3 cm

Abstract We discuss observations of the Moon at a wavelength of 49.3 cm made with the Owens Valley Radio Observatory Interferometer. These observations have been fit to models in order to estimate the lunar dielectric constant, the equatorial subsurface temperature, the latitude dependence of the subsurface temperature, and the subsurface temperature gradient. The models are most consistent with a dielectric constant of 2.52 ± 0.01 (formal errors), an equatorial subsurface temperature of 249−5+8K, and a change in the subsurface temperature with latitude (ψ), which is proportional to cos0.38ψ. Since the temperature of the Moon has been measured by the Apollo Lunar Heat Flow Experiment, we have been able to use our determination of the equatorial temperature to estimate the error in the flux density calibration scale at 49.3cm (608 MHz). This results in a correction factor of 1.03 ± 0.04, which must be applied to the flux density scale. This factor is much different from 1.21 ± 0.09 estimated by Muhleman et al. (1973) from the brightness temperature of Venus and apparently indicates that the observed decrease in the brightness temperature of Venus at long wavelengths is a real effect. The estimates of the temperature gradient, which are based on the measurement of limb darkening, are small and negative (temperature decreases with depth) and may be insignificantly different from zero since they are only as large as their formal errors. We estimate that a temperature gradient in excess of 0.6K/m at 10m depth would have been observed. Thus, a temperature gradient like that measured in situ at the Apollo 15 and 17 landing sites in the upper 2m of the regolith is not typical of the entire lunar frontside at the 10m depths where the 49.3 cm wavelength emission originates. This result may indicate that the mean lunar heat flow is lower than that measured at the Apollo landing sites, that the thermal conductivity is greater at 10m depth than it is at 2m depth, or that the radio opacity is greater at 10m depth than at 2m depth. The negative estimates of the temperature gradient indicate that the Moon appeared limb bright and might be explained by scattering of the emission from boulders or an interface with solid rock. The presence of solid rock at 10m depths will probably cause heat flows like those measured by Apollo to be unobservable by our interferometric method at long wavelengths, since it will cause both the thermal conductivity and radio opacity of the regolith to increase. Thus, our data may be most consistent with a change in the physical properties of the regolith to those of solid rock or a mixture of rock and soil at depths of 7 to 16m. Our results show that future radio measurements for heat flow determinations must utilize wavelengths considerably shorter than 50 cm (25 cm or less) to avoid the rock regions below the regolith.

Interferometry of Saturn and its rings at 1.30-cm wavelength☆

Abstract We present interferometric observations of Saturn and its ring system made at the Hat Creek Radio Astronomy Observatory at a wavelength of 1.30 cm. The data have been analyzed by both model-fitting and aperture synthesis techniques to determine the brightness temperature and optical thickness of the ring system and estimate the amount of planetary limb darkening. We find that the ring optical depth is close to that observed at visible wavelenghts, while the ring brightness temperature is only 7 ± 1°K. These observational constraints require the ring particles to be nearly conservative scatterers at this wavelength. A conservative lower limit to the single-scattering albedo of the particles at 1.30-cm wavelength is 0.95, and if their composition is assumed to be water ice, then this lower limit implies an upper limit of 2.4 m for the radius of a typical ring particle. The aperture synthesis maps show evidence for a small offset in the position of Saturn from that given in the American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac. The direction and magnitude of this offset are consistent with that found from a similar analysis of 3.71-cm interferometric data which we have previously presented (F.P. Schloerb, D.O. Muhleman, and G.L. Berge, 1979b , Icarus 39, 232–250). Limb darkening of the planetary disk has been estimated by solving for the best-fitting disk radius in the models. The best-fitting radius is 0.998 ± 0.004 times the nominal Saturn radius and indicates that the planet is not appreciably limb dark at 1.30 cm. Since our previous 3.71-cm data also indicated that the planet was not strongly limb dark (F.P. Schloerb, D. O. Muhleman, and G.L. Berge, 1979a , Icarus 39, 214–230), we feel that the limb darkening is not strongly wavelength dependent between 1.30 and 3.71 cm. The difference between the best-fitting disk radii at 3.71 and 1.30 cm is +0.007 ± 0.007 times the nominal Saturn radius and suggests that the planet is more limb dark at 1.30 cm than at 3.71 cm. Models of the atmosphere which have NH3 as the principal source of microwave opacity predict that the planet will be less limb dark at 1.30 cm. However, the magnitude of the effect predicted by the NH3 models is −0.009 and only marginally different from the observed value.

Precise VLA positions and flux-density measurements of the Jupiter system

VLA C array configuration observations at 2 and 6 cm are presented for Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto at eastern and western elongations with respect to Jupiter, which allowed measurements in right ascension and declination of the satellites with an rms precision of about + or - 0.03 arcsec. The transfer of the mean offsets of Ganymede to Jupiter yields offsets of -0.185 + or - 0.03 arcsec and -0.06 + or - 0.03 arcsec, with respect to JPL-DE-200, at the mean epoch of April 28, 1983; the large offset in right ascension is a combination of the Jupiter ephemeris error and the error in the frame tie of the Jovian planets with the VLBI system of precise positions which was used as the absolute reference frame for the observations. A significant error is noted in the orbital position of Callisto with respect to Ganymede. 12 references.

The brightness temperature of Venus and the absolute flux-density scale at 608 MHz.

We measured the disk temperature of Venus at 608 MHz near the inferior conjunction of 1972 and obtained a value of 498 deg plus or minus 33 deg K using a nominal CKL flux-density scale. The result is consistent with earlier measurements, but has a much smaller uncertainty. Our theoretical model prediction is larger by a factor of 1.21 plus or minus 0.09. This discrepancy has been noticed previously for frequencies below 1400 MHz, but was generally disregarded bccause of the large observational uncertainties. We have found no way to change the model to produce ageement without causing a conflict with well- established properties of Venus. Thus we are led to suggest that the flux- density scale may require an upward revision, at least near this frequency, in excess of what has previously been considered likely. (auth)