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      Global Climate Model Occultation Lightcurves Tested by August 2018 Ground-Based Stellar Occultation

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          Abstract

          Pluto's atmospheric profiles (temperature and pressure) have been studied for decades from stellar occultation lightcurves. In this paper, we look at recent Pluto Global Climate Model (GCM) results (3D temperature, pressure, and density fields) from Bertrand et al. (2020) and use the results to generate model observer's plane intensity fields (OPIF) and lightcurves by using a Fourier optics scheme to model light passing through Pluto's atmosphere (Young, 2012). This approach can accommodate arbitrary atmospheric structures and 3D distributions of haze. We compared the GCM model lightcurves with the lightcurves observed during the 15-AUG-2018 Pluto stellar occultation. We find that the climate scenario which best reproduces the observed data includes an N2 ice mid-latitude band in the southern hemisphere. We have also studied different haze and P/T ratio profiles: the haze effectively reduces the central flash strength, and a lower P/T ratio both reduces the central flash strength and incurs anomalies in the shoulders of the central flash.

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          Author and article information

          Journal
          09 February 2021
          Article
          10.1016/j.icarus.2020.113976
          2102.04666
          621bffae-576c-47da-b594-242aa311b309

          http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/

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          Custom metadata
          Volume 356, Icarus (2021)
          astro-ph.EP physics.ao-ph

          Planetary astrophysics,Atmospheric, Oceanic and Environmental physics
          Planetary astrophysics, Atmospheric, Oceanic and Environmental physics

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