Possible contribution of different energy sources to the production of organics in Titanʹs atmosphere Original Research Article

A quantitative comparison of the products arising from the irradiation of a Titanʹs simulated atmosphere is presented. The energy sources used represent some of the main events that occur in the satelliteʹs atmosphere. All of the compounds identified are classified in the hydrocarbon and nitrile chemical families. Almost all of the detected compounds in Titanʹs atmosphere are produced by one or more energy sources. The compounds with the highest energy yields include the C2 hydrocarbons, methanonitrile and ethanonitrile. The possibility of using some of the produced organics as tracer compounds during the Huygens descend to identify the leading energy form in the different atmospheric levels remains open.