Journal article
Upper limits for phosphine (PH3) in the atmosphere of Mars
- Abstract:
- Phosphine (PH3) is proposed to be a possible biomarker in planetary atmospheres and has been claimed to have been observed in the atmosphere of Venus, sparking interest in the habitability of Venus’s atmosphere. Observations of another biomarker, methane (CH4), have been reported several times in the atmosphere of Mars, hinting at the possibility of a past or present biosphere. The Atmospheric Chemistry Suite on the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter has a spectral range that includes several absorption lines of PH3 with line strengths comparable to previously observed CH4 lines. The signature of PH3 was not observed in the 192 observations made over a full Martian year of observations, and here we report upper limits of 0.1–0.6 ppbv.
- Publication status:
- Published
- Peer review status:
- Peer reviewed
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Access Document
- Files:
-
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(Preview, Accepted manuscript, 519.7KB, Terms of use)
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- Publisher copy:
- 10.1051/0004-6361/202140868
Authors
- Publisher:
- EDP Sciences
- Journal:
- Astronomy and Astrophysics More from this journal
- Volume:
- 649
- Issue:
- May 2021
- Article number:
- L1
- Publication date:
- 2021-04-16
- Acceptance date:
- 2021-04-13
- DOI:
- EISSN:
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1432-0746
- ISSN:
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0004-6361
- Language:
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English
- Keywords:
- Pubs id:
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1172449
- Local pid:
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pubs:1172449
- Deposit date:
-
2021-04-19
Terms of use
- Copyright holder:
- ESO
- Copyright date:
- 2021
- Rights statement:
- © ESO 2021
- Notes:
- This is the accepted manuscript version of the article. The final version is available from EDP Sciences at: https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202140868
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