Buoyancy waves in Pluto's high atmosphere: Implications for stellar occultations

W. B. Hubbard; D. W. McCarthy; C. A. Kulesa; S. D. Benecchi; M. J. Person; J. L. Elliot; A. A.S. Gulbis

doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2009.06.022

Buoyancy waves in Pluto's high atmosphere: Implications for stellar occultations

W. B. Hubbard
, D. W. McCarthy
, C. A. Kulesa
, S. D. Benecchi
, M. J. Person
, J. L. Elliot
, A. A.S. Gulbis

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

19 Scopus citations

Abstract

We apply scintillation theory to stellar signal fluctuations in the high-resolution, high signal/noise, dual-wavelength data from the MMT observation of the 2007 March 18 occultation of P445.3 by Pluto. A well-defined high wavenumber cutoff in the fluctuations is consistent with viscous-thermal dissipation of buoyancy waves (internal gravity waves) in Pluto's high atmosphere, and provides strong evidence that the underlying density fluctuations are governed by the gravity-wave dispersion relation.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	284-289
Number of pages	6
Journal	Icarus
Volume	204
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2009.06.022
State	Published - Nov 2009

Keywords

Atmospheres, dynamics
Occultations
Pluto, atmosphere

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Astronomy and Astrophysics
Space and Planetary Science

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10.1016/j.icarus.2009.06.022

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@article{581b19ac62db444e84b3efb5eb37708b,

title = "Buoyancy waves in Pluto's high atmosphere: Implications for stellar occultations",

abstract = "We apply scintillation theory to stellar signal fluctuations in the high-resolution, high signal/noise, dual-wavelength data from the MMT observation of the 2007 March 18 occultation of P445.3 by Pluto. A well-defined high wavenumber cutoff in the fluctuations is consistent with viscous-thermal dissipation of buoyancy waves (internal gravity waves) in Pluto's high atmosphere, and provides strong evidence that the underlying density fluctuations are governed by the gravity-wave dispersion relation.",

keywords = "Atmospheres, dynamics, Occultations, Pluto, atmosphere",

author = "Hubbard, \{W. B.\} and McCarthy, \{D. W.\} and Kulesa, \{C. A.\} and Benecchi, \{S. D.\} and Person, \{M. J.\} and Elliot, \{J. L.\} and Gulbis, \{A. A.S.\}",

note = "Funding Information: Observations reported here were obtained at the MMT Observatory, a joint facility of the University of Arizona and the Smithsonian Institution. We acknowledge the extensive engineering support of the entire MMTO staff, especially Mr. Shawn Callahan. This publication makes use of data products from the Two Micron All Sky Survey, which is a joint project of the University of Massachusetts and the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center/California Institute of Technology, funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Science Foundation. This work was partially funded by NASA Planetary Astronomy Grants NNG04GE48G and NNG04GF25G. Partial funding for MMTO observations was also provided by Astronomy Camp. We thank two referees for helpful comments.",

year = "2009",

month = nov,

doi = "10.1016/j.icarus.2009.06.022",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "204",

pages = "284--289",

journal = "Icarus",

issn = "0019-1035",

publisher = "Academic Press Inc.",

number = "1",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Buoyancy waves in Pluto's high atmosphere

T2 - Implications for stellar occultations

AU - Hubbard, W. B.

AU - McCarthy, D. W.

AU - Kulesa, C. A.

AU - Benecchi, S. D.

AU - Person, M. J.

AU - Elliot, J. L.

AU - Gulbis, A. A.S.

N1 - Funding Information: Observations reported here were obtained at the MMT Observatory, a joint facility of the University of Arizona and the Smithsonian Institution. We acknowledge the extensive engineering support of the entire MMTO staff, especially Mr. Shawn Callahan. This publication makes use of data products from the Two Micron All Sky Survey, which is a joint project of the University of Massachusetts and the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center/California Institute of Technology, funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Science Foundation. This work was partially funded by NASA Planetary Astronomy Grants NNG04GE48G and NNG04GF25G. Partial funding for MMTO observations was also provided by Astronomy Camp. We thank two referees for helpful comments.

PY - 2009/11

Y1 - 2009/11

N2 - We apply scintillation theory to stellar signal fluctuations in the high-resolution, high signal/noise, dual-wavelength data from the MMT observation of the 2007 March 18 occultation of P445.3 by Pluto. A well-defined high wavenumber cutoff in the fluctuations is consistent with viscous-thermal dissipation of buoyancy waves (internal gravity waves) in Pluto's high atmosphere, and provides strong evidence that the underlying density fluctuations are governed by the gravity-wave dispersion relation.

AB - We apply scintillation theory to stellar signal fluctuations in the high-resolution, high signal/noise, dual-wavelength data from the MMT observation of the 2007 March 18 occultation of P445.3 by Pluto. A well-defined high wavenumber cutoff in the fluctuations is consistent with viscous-thermal dissipation of buoyancy waves (internal gravity waves) in Pluto's high atmosphere, and provides strong evidence that the underlying density fluctuations are governed by the gravity-wave dispersion relation.

KW - Atmospheres, dynamics

KW - Occultations

KW - Pluto, atmosphere

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/70349977085

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/70349977085#tab=citedBy

U2 - 10.1016/j.icarus.2009.06.022

DO - 10.1016/j.icarus.2009.06.022

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:70349977085

SN - 0019-1035

VL - 204

SP - 284

EP - 289

JO - Icarus

JF - Icarus

IS - 1

ER -

Buoyancy waves in Pluto's high atmosphere: Implications for stellar occultations

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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