A fast computation of the diurnal secondary ion production in the ionosphere of Titan

Jean Lilensten (1) , C. Simon (1) , Olivier Witasse (2) , Odile Dutuit (3) , R. Thissen (3) , C. Alcaraz (4)

1 LPG - Laboratoire de Planétologie de Grenoble
2 ESTEC - European Space Research and Technology Centre
3 LCPO - Laboratoire de Chimie Physique D'Orsay
4 LURE - Laboratoire pour l'utilisation du rayonnement électromagnétique

We propose an analytic model that allows rapid computation of the secondary ion production due to electron impact from the primary photo-production in the ionosphere of Titan. The model parameters are given for each of the 5 major ion productions (N+2, CH+4, N+, CH+3, N++2) as well as for the electron production.

Keywords: Titan; Ionospheres; Solar radiation

Domains: Chemical Physics [physics.chem-ph]

Jean Lilensten, C. Simon, Olivier Witasse, Odile Dutuit, R. Thissen, et al.. A fast computation of the diurnal secondary ion production in the ionosphere of Titan. Icarus, 2005, 174 (1), pp.285-288. ⟨10.1016/j.icarus.2004.12.002⟩. ⟨hal-00125967⟩