The Shoemaker-Levy 9/Jupiter Impact: Auroral and High Energy Processes

Details The Shoemaker-Levy 9/Jupiter Impact: Auroral and High Energy Processes The Shoemaker-Levy 9/Jupiter Impact: Auroral and High Energy Processes

Jan 1997

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1997muaa.reptq....c&link_type=abstract

Technical Report, NASA/CR-97-205875; NAS 1.26:205875; NRA-95-OSS-03 Space Physics Research Lab.

Physics

Space Physics

Shoemaker-Levy 9 Comet, Ultraviolet Emission, Planetary Magnetic Fields, Jupiter (Planet), Fragments, Geomagnetic Latitude, Auroral Zones, Auroras, Comets, Emission Spectra, Far Ultraviolet Radiation, Amalthea, Position (Location), Hubble Space Telescope, High Resolution

Scientific paper

During the impact of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 fragment K on Jupiter various observers detected aurora-like emissions near to the impact region as well as in the other hemisphere at approximately magnetic conjugate positions equatorward of auroral latitudes. A number of generation mechanisms were suggested, but investigations of their significance have been hampered by a lack of knowledge about the Jovian internal magnetic field, the exact timing and the geometry of the impact and emission sites. We use a recently developed model of the internal magnetic field, high time resolution calculations of the fragment K trajectory and images from the Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 with advanced processing to constrain possible mechanisms. It turns out that the impact location is surrounded by two regions of enhanced far ultraviolet emissions. The southern region is partly in the projection area of two brighter emission regions observed on the northern hemisphere and approximates the shape of the projection. The latter regions as well as the southern region are crossed by the magnetic footprints of the approaching fragment which correspond to heights of about 2723 to 10691 km for the southern region. For the emission region northward of the impact location and for the impact location itself there is no enhanced emission found at the conjugate locations on the other hemisphere. Amalthea's footprint is located in the gap between the two northern hemispheric emission regions. We suggest, that Amalthea may be responsible for a disturbance which scatters particles coming from the southern hemispheric emission regions onto field lines which connect to the northern emission regions at slightly higher latitudes. Shock acceleration connected with bouncing of the ejecta may be responsible for the existence of the northern hemispheric emission regions.

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