Comparison of UV/IR auroral emissions from Jupiter and Saturn

Details Comparison of UV/IR auroral emissions from Jupiter and Saturn Comparison of UV/IR auroral emissions from Jupiter and Saturn

Dec 2010

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010agufmsm23a1922t&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2010, abstract #SM23A-1922

Physics

[2407] Ionosphere / Auroral Ionosphere, [6220] Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects / Jupiter, [6275] Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects / Saturn

Scientific paper

In order to understand outer planet aurora at ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) wavelengths in connection with the background physical condition, we investigate the sensitivity of UV and IR emissions to the auroral electron energy and the background atmospheric temperature, and compare the results obtained for Jupiter and Saturn. We develop a model which estimates UV and IR emission rates accounting for UV absorption by hydrocarbons, ion chemistry, and H3+ non-LTE effects. Parameterization equations are applied to estimate the ionization and excitation profiles in the H2 atmosphere caused by auroral electron precipitation. The dependences of UV and IR emissions on electron flux are found to be similar for Jupiter and Saturn case. However, the dependences of the emissions on electron energy are different at the two planets, especially for low energy (<10 keV) electrons; the UV and IR emissions decrease with energy, but this effect is greater at Saturn than at Jupiter. The temperature sensitivity of the IR emission is also greater at Saturn than at Jupiter. At Saturn, enhancement of the exospheric temperature by 100 K above the original value of 420 K causes the IR emission to increase by a factor of five, while at Jupiter and enhancement of 800 K causes just twice as much IR emission. These temperature dependences are interpreted as results of non-LTE effects on the atmospheric temperature and density profile. The strong dependences of the UV and IR emissions on temperature and electron energy at Saturn may explain the different appearance of polar emissions at UV and IR wavelengths, and their differences to those observed at Jupiter.

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