A Comprehensive Sulfur Chemistry Network Including Excited S(1D) and SO(1Δ) for the XODIAC Photochemical Model: Accounting for Missing Sulfur Processes in Venus and Exo-Venus Analogs

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Main Authors: Ghosh, Priyankush, Rani, Namrata, Yang, Jeehyun, Willacy, Karen, Rimmer, P. B., Majumdar, Liton
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Ghosh, Priyankush
Rani, Namrata
Yang, Jeehyun
Willacy, Karen
Rimmer, P. B.
Majumdar, Liton
author_facet Ghosh, Priyankush
Rani, Namrata
Yang, Jeehyun
Willacy, Karen
Rimmer, P. B.
Majumdar, Liton
contents Sulfur chemistry plays a central role in controlling the atmospheric structure, cloud formation, and composition of Venus and Venus-like exoplanets. However, key reactions involving ground- and excited-state sulfur species remain poorly constrained, and existing photochemical models often rely on incomplete or uncertain kinetic data under high-temperature, CO2-rich conditions. In this work, we compute kinetic parameters for reactions of ground-state S(3P) and excited-state S(1D) with CO2 under Venus-like conditions, forming SO(3Sigma), SO(1Delta), and CO. We characterize the underlying potential energy surfaces, identify intermediate complexes, and derive temperature-dependent rate coefficients using a master-equation framework based on the chemically significant eigenvalue method. We also provide NASA 7-term polynomial coefficients for S and SO in both ground and excited states to enable consistent incorporation into photochemical models. Incorporating these reactions into the one-dimensional photochemical model XODIAC for Venus produces only minor effects above 60 km due to competing pathways. While the model reproduces most observed sulfur species, discrepancies remain for S3 and S4. Introducing a 1 ppm near-surface atomic sulfur source, representing unresolved deep-atmosphere or surface processes, enhances S3 and S4 abundances by 1-2 orders of magnitude and improves agreement with observations. For exo-Venus analogs, the updated chemistry produces modest changes under isothermal conditions. In contrast, in strongly irradiated atmospheres with a high-altitude isotherm and a near-surface sulfur source, it leads to pronounced changes in most sulfur-bearing species, along with significant enhancements in S(1D) and SO(1Delta). These results highlight missing sulfur pathways, including excited states and deep sources, and potential implications for shaping Venus and exo-Venus atmospheres.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2512_12270
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle A Comprehensive Sulfur Chemistry Network Including Excited S(1D) and SO(1Δ) for the XODIAC Photochemical Model: Accounting for Missing Sulfur Processes in Venus and Exo-Venus Analogs
Ghosh, Priyankush
Rani, Namrata
Yang, Jeehyun
Willacy, Karen
Rimmer, P. B.
Majumdar, Liton
Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
Sulfur chemistry plays a central role in controlling the atmospheric structure, cloud formation, and composition of Venus and Venus-like exoplanets. However, key reactions involving ground- and excited-state sulfur species remain poorly constrained, and existing photochemical models often rely on incomplete or uncertain kinetic data under high-temperature, CO2-rich conditions. In this work, we compute kinetic parameters for reactions of ground-state S(3P) and excited-state S(1D) with CO2 under Venus-like conditions, forming SO(3Sigma), SO(1Delta), and CO. We characterize the underlying potential energy surfaces, identify intermediate complexes, and derive temperature-dependent rate coefficients using a master-equation framework based on the chemically significant eigenvalue method. We also provide NASA 7-term polynomial coefficients for S and SO in both ground and excited states to enable consistent incorporation into photochemical models. Incorporating these reactions into the one-dimensional photochemical model XODIAC for Venus produces only minor effects above 60 km due to competing pathways. While the model reproduces most observed sulfur species, discrepancies remain for S3 and S4. Introducing a 1 ppm near-surface atomic sulfur source, representing unresolved deep-atmosphere or surface processes, enhances S3 and S4 abundances by 1-2 orders of magnitude and improves agreement with observations. For exo-Venus analogs, the updated chemistry produces modest changes under isothermal conditions. In contrast, in strongly irradiated atmospheres with a high-altitude isotherm and a near-surface sulfur source, it leads to pronounced changes in most sulfur-bearing species, along with significant enhancements in S(1D) and SO(1Delta). These results highlight missing sulfur pathways, including excited states and deep sources, and potential implications for shaping Venus and exo-Venus atmospheres.
title A Comprehensive Sulfur Chemistry Network Including Excited S(1D) and SO(1Δ) for the XODIAC Photochemical Model: Accounting for Missing Sulfur Processes in Venus and Exo-Venus Analogs
topic Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.12270