Io's delayed electrodynamic interaction: Scenarios for a post-ecliptic brightening of Io's atmosphere

Details Io's delayed electrodynamic interaction: Scenarios for a post-ecliptic brightening of Io's atmosphere Io's delayed electrodynamic interaction: Scenarios for a post-ecliptic brightening of Io's atmosphere

Dec 2003

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2003dps....35.1306s&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #35, #13.06; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 35, p.1483

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Scientific paper

We present a model that describes Io's delayed electrodynamic response to a temporal change in Io's atmosphere. Our model incorporates the relevant physical processes involved in Io's atmosphere-ionosphere magnetosphere electrodynamic interaction to predict the FUV radiation as Io enters Jupiter's shadow and re-emerges into sunlight. The predicted FUV brightnesses are highly nonlinear as the strength of the electrodynamic interaction depends on the ratios of ionospheric conductances to the torus Alfven conductance, but the former are functions of electrodynamics and the atmospheric density, which decays rapidly upon entering eclipse. Key factors governing the time evolution are the column density due to sublimation and the column density due to volcanoes, which maintain the background atmosphere during eclipse. We find three qualitatively different scenarios with two of them including a post-ecliptic brightening. The brightness ratio of in-sunlight/in-eclipse coupled with the existence of a sub-Jovian equatorial spot constrains tightly the volcanic column density to several times 1018 m-2. Thus in sunlight, the sublimation driven part of Io's atmosphere dominates the volcanically driven contribution by more than a factor of ten.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Io's delayed electrodynamic interaction: Scenarios for a post-ecliptic brightening of Io's atmosphere does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Io's delayed electrodynamic interaction: Scenarios for a post-ecliptic brightening of Io's atmosphere, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Io's delayed electrodynamic interaction: Scenarios for a post-ecliptic brightening of Io's atmosphere will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-878754