Physics
Scientific paper
Mar 1996
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1996lpi....27..121b&link_type=abstract
Lunar and Planetary Science, volume 27, page 121
Physics
1
Callisto, Europa, Ganymede, Radar: Planetary, Satellites: Galilean
Scientific paper
The radar properties of the icy Galilean satellites at cm wavelengths are dramatically different from those of most inner solar system objects. For the terrestrial planets, the Moon, and most smaller objects, specific radar cross sections are typically on the order of 0.1 while circular polarization ratios, defined to be the ratio of the echo power received in the same circular sense (SC) as transmitted to that received in the opposite sense (OC), range from ~0.1 to 0.4. At wavelengths of 3.5cm and 13cm, total radar albedos for Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto, are ~2.5, ~1.5, and ~0.7 respectively, and circular polarization ratios lie in the range ~1.2-1.5. In addition, reflections from terrestrial planets include specular reflection from near the sub-radar point. No such specular return is seen in the echoes from the icy Galilean satellites; the scattering closely follows a diffuse cos^n theta law at all incident angles, with n ~1.6. These measurements show no significant variation with wavelength from 3.5cm to 13cm. Here we report on the reduction of measurements made at a much longer wavelength, 70cm, in 1988 with the Arecibo telescope. Observations were made on 7 days, one day on Europa and three each on Ganymede and Callisto, with ~1 hour of integration time on each day. Single-day signal-to-noise ratios were very small and all three days were averaged to obtain significant detections of Ganymede and Callisto. Even so, Callisto was not detected in the OC channel. Europa was not detected in either circular polarization on the single day in which it was observed. Good detections of Ganymede were obtained in both channels.
Black Gregory J.
Campbell Don B.
Ostro Steven J.
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