Spectral irradiance measurements of simulated lightning in planetary atmospheres

Measurements of the spectral irradiance from approximately 380 to 820 nm are reported for laboratory simulations of lightning in the atmospheres of Venus, Jupiter, and Titan. The observations were made at 1 and 5 bars of pressure for Venus and Jupiter and at 1 bar for the Titan mixture, The spectra were obtained by observing laser-induced plasmas with a scanning spectrometer and an optical multichannel analyzer. Simulations of lightning show that atomic line and continuum radiation dominate the spectra. Weak molecular band radiation from CN was also observed for Venus and Titan. As the ambient pressure was increased from 1 to 5 bars, the prominence of the line radiation diminishes compared to the continuum radiation, some lines disappear, and the intensity of the molecular band radiation increases. Laboratory results for the venusian lightning spectrum are consistent with those found by the Venera 9 spectrometer when it viewed a storm on the nightside bf Venus. For both Jupiter and Venus, narrow spectral features are present that are ideal for detecting lightning from Earth-based telescopes. (C) 1996 Academic Press,Inc.