Analysis of Jovian Auroral H Ly-alpha Emission (1981-1991)

Details Analysis of Jovian Auroral H Ly-alpha Emission (1981-1991) Analysis of Jovian Auroral H Ly-alpha Emission (1981-1991)

Oct 1996

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1996icar..123..350h&link_type=abstract

Icarus, Volume 123, Issue 2, pp. 350-365.

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

8

Scientific paper

We present a new analysis of jovian auroral IUE spectra covering the period from 1981 to 1991. To extract integrated auroral H Ly-alpha emission from these spectra we have developed a new extraction method that bins signal with wavelength while preserving the spatial information provided by the IUE imaging spectrograph. This separates auroral emission from background sources including the jovian dayglow, geocoronal H Ly-alpha emission, emission from hydrogen in the interplanetary medium (IPH), and grating scattered light in the IUE spectrograph. Auroral H Ly-alpha emission is compared with H_2 emission covering the bandpasses from 1230 to 1300 A and 1550 to 1620 A. Study of H_2 and H Ly-alpha variability as a function of central meridian longitude (CML) and the results of linear correlative analysis indicates that these features are produced by a common or linked process with a similar spatial distribution. Further comparative analysis of the relative optical depth of the correlated emission using a modified form of the H_2 color ratio of Yung et al. (1982, Astrophys. J. 254, L65-L69) suggest that H_2 and H Ly-alpha emissions are subject to similar variability in CH_4 extinction with CML. From this a conservative upper limit of 37% is derived for the amount of H Ly-alpha emission that can be produced above the altitude where the bulk of the H_2 emission is produced. We also discuss how the implied radiative transfer environment for H Ly-alpha production and the local H/CH_4 ratio can limit the altitude distribution of the emission, the auroral H Ly-alpha intensity, and the shape and information available from the emergent line profile.

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