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Science 6 August 1993:
Vol. 261. no. 5122, pp. 748 - 751
DOI: 10.1126/science.261.5122.748
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Articles

The Phase Composition of Triton's Polar Caps

N. S. Duxbury 1 and R. H. Brown 1

1 M.S. 183-501, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109

Triton's polar caps are modeled as permanent nitrogen deposits hundreds of meters thick. Complex temperature variations on Triton's surface induce reversible transitions between the cubic and hexagonal phases of solid nitrogen, often with two coexisting propagating transition fronts. Subsurface temperature distributions are calculated using a two-dimensional thermal model with phase changes. The phase changes fracture the upper nitrogen layer, increasing its reflectivity and thus offering an explanation for the surprisingly high southern polar cap albedo (approximately 0.8) seen during the Voyager 2 flyby. The model has other implications for the phase transition phenomena on Triton, such as a plausible mechanism for the origin of geyser-like plume vent areas and a mechanism of energy transport toward them.

Submitted on December 28, 1993
Accepted on April 28, 1993


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Triton, Pluto, and the Origin of the Solar System.
J. I. Lunine and J. I. Lunine (1993)
Science 261, 697-698
   PDF »
Spectroscopic Determination of the Phase Composition and Temperature of Nitrogen Ice on Triton.
K. A. Tryka, K. A. Tryka, R. H. Brown, V. Anicich, D. P. Cruikshank, and T. C. Owen (1993)
Science 261, 751-754
   Abstract »    PDF »


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