Title: Isotopic Ratios from CO in Titan''s Atmosphere Using ALMA

Abstract:
The advent of the Atacama Large Millimeter/Sub-millimeter Array (ALMA) has provided a new 
and powerful facility for probing the atmospheres of solar system targets at long wavelengths 
(84-720 GHz) where the rotational lines of small, polar molecules are prominent. In the complex 
atmosphere of Titan, photochemical processes dissociate and ionize molecular nitrogen and 
methane in the upper atmosphere, creating a unique richness of trace hydrocarbons. Utilization 
of ground-based sub-millimeter observations of Titan has already proven to be a powerful tool to 
complement results from spacecraft observations in order to further understand the behavior of 
molecules such as HCN, HC3N, and CH3CN. Recent ALMA studies have presented spectrally 
and spatially-resolved maps of HNC and HC3N emission as well as the first spectroscopic 
detection of ethyl cyanide (C2H5CN) in Titan’s atmosphere. In this study, we employ data 
obtained from the ALMA Science Archive to search for CO emission lines and determine the 
vertical mixing ratio and isotopic ratios for carbon and oxygen. We will compare our results to 
previous measurements for Titan and other values in the solar system. General implications for 
the history of Titan from measurements of CO will be discussed. 

Comments:I am currently working as a research associate at NASA Goddard Space Flight 
Center with Dr. Conor Nixon for the duration of this year after receiving my undergraduate degree 
in astrophysics in May 2014. I''ve selected ''Student'' as my position since this selection most 
accurately represents my current situation out of the three options.