Venusian phosphine: a ‘wow!’ signal in chemistry?
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2111.05182.pdf
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Author(s)
Bains, William
Petkowski, Janusz J
Seager, Sara
Ranjan, Sukrit
Sousa-Silva, Clara
Rimmer, Paul B
Zhan, Zhuchang
Greaves, Jane S
Richards, Anita MS
Date Issued
2022
Journal
Phosphorus, Sulfur and Silicon and the Related Elements
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Citation
Bains, William, Petkowski, Janusz J, Seager, Sara, Ranjan, Sukrit, Sousa-Silva, Clara et al. 2022. "Venusian phosphine: a ‘wow!’ signal in chemistry?." Phosphorus, Sulfur and Silicon and the Related Elements, 197 (5-6).
Version
Author's final manuscript
Abstract
The potential detection of ppb levels phosphine (PH3) in the clouds of Venus
through millimeter-wavelength astronomical observations is extremely surprising
as PH3 is an unexpected component of an oxidized environment of Venus. A
thorough analysis of potential sources suggests that no known process in the
consensus model of Venus' atmosphere or geology could produce PH3 at anywhere
near the observed abundance. Therefore, if the presence of PH3 in Venus'
atmosphere is confirmed, it is highly likely to be the result of a process not
previously considered plausible for Venusian conditions. The source of
atmospheric PH3 could be unknown geo- or photochemistry, which would imply that
the consensus on Venus' chemistry is significantly incomplete. An even more
extreme possibility is that strictly aerial microbial biosphere produces PH3.
This paper summarizes the Venusian PH3 discovery and the scientific debate that
arose since the original candidate detection one year ago.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1080/10426507.2021.1998051
