The origin of nitrogen on Jupiter and Saturn from the 15N/14N ratio

The Texas Echelon cross Echelle Spectrograph (TEXES), mounted on NASA’s Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF), was used to map mid-infrared ammonia absorption features on both Jupiter and Saturn in February 2013. Ammonia is the principle reservoir of nitrogen on the giant planets, and the ratio of isotopologues ( 15 N/ 14 N) can reveal insights into the molecular carrier (e.g., as N 2 or NH 3 ) of nitrogen to the forming protoplanets, and hence the source reservoirs from which these worlds accreted. We targeted two spectral intervals (900 and 960 cm −1 ) that were relatively clear of terrestrial atmospheric contamination and contained close features of 14 NH 3 and 15 NH 3 , allowing us to derive the ratio from a single spectrum without ambiguity due to radiometric calibration (the primary source of uncertainty in this study). We present the first ground-based determination of Jupiter’s 15 N/ 14 N ratio (in the range from 1.4 × 10 - 3 to 2.5 × 10 - 3 ), which is consistent with both previous space-based studies and with the primordial value of the protosolar nebula. On Saturn, we present the first upper limit on the 15 N/ 14 N ratio of no larger than 2.0 × 10 - 3 for the 900-cm −1 channel and a less stringent requirement that the ratio be no larger than 2.8 × 10 - 3 for the 960-cm −1 channel ( 1 σ confidence). Specifically, the data rule out strong 15 N-enrichments such as those observed in Titan’s atmosphere and in cometary nitrogen compounds. To the extent possible with ground-based radiometric uncertainties, the saturnian and jovian 15 N/ 14 N ratios appear indistinguishable, implying that 15 N-enriched ammonia ices could not have been a substantial contributor to the bulk nitrogen inventory of either planet. This result favours accretion of primordial N 2 on both planets, either in the gas phase from the solar nebula, or as ices formed at very low temperatures. Finally, spatially-resolved TEXES observations are used to derive zonal contrasts in tropospheric temperatures, phosphine and 14 NH 3 on both planets, allowing us to relate thermal conditions and chemical compositions to phenomena observed at visible wavelengths in 2013 (e.g., Jupiter’s faint equatorial red colouration event and wave activity in the equatorial belts, plus the remnant warm band on Saturn following the 2010–11 springtime storm).