Laboratory measurements of the Ka-band (7.5 mm to 9.2 mm) opacity of phosphine (PH3) and ammonia (NH3) under simulated conditions for the Cassini–Saturn encounter

Recently, a model for the centimeter-wavelength opacity of PH3 under conditions characteristic of the outer planets was developed by Hoffman et al. (2001, PhD thesis), based on centimeter wavelength laboratory measurements. New laboratory measurements have been conducted which show that this model is also accurate at low pressures and temperatures, and at millimeter wavelengths such as will be employed in Cassini Ka-band (9.3 mm) radio occultation studies. The opacity of PH3 in a hydrogen/helium (H2/He) atmosphere has been measured at frequencies in the Ka-band region at 32.7 GHz (9.2 mm), 35.6 GHz (8.4 mm), 37.7 GHz (8.0 mm), and 39.9 GHz (7.5 mm) at pressures of 0.5, 1, and 2 bar and at temperatures of 295, 209, and 188 K. Additionally, new high-precision laboratory measurements of the opacity of NH3 in an H2/He atmosphere have been conducted under the same temperature and pressure conditions described for PH3. These new measurements better constrain the NH3 opacity model supporting use of a Ben-Reuven lineshape model. These measurements will also elucidate the interpretation of millimeter wavelength observations conducted with the NRAO/VLA at 43 GHz (7 mm).