Physics
Scientific paper
Dec 1997
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1997hst..prop.7444s&link_type=abstract
HST Proposal ID #7444
Physics
Hst Proposal Id #7444 Solar System
Scientific paper
Unique weak 5770Angstrom and 6275Angstrom absorption bands in the spectrum of Ganymede's trailing hemisphere result from the presence of condensed molecular oxygen trapped in the surface, probably resulting from bombardment of water ice by Jovian magnetospheric ions. The stability of the O_2 at Ganymede surface temperatures is surprising, and probably results from the trapping of the O_2 molecules within the ice matrix. The recent discovery that the O_2 is accompanied by O_3 helps to build a picture of a ``frozen atmosphere'' trapped in Ganymede's surface, with complex physics and chemistry. We plan to use STIS to produce a 300 km resolution global map of the strength of the O_2 bands. We will do this with scans across Ganymede's disk at three orbital longitudes. The resulting map will provide valuable constraints on the formation and stability of Ganymede's oxygen. For instance, the extent to which O_2 absorption extends onto the leading hemisphere will constrain the ratio of high energy to low energy plasma responsible for O_2 formation, and the latitude {thus, temperature} dependence of the O_2 absorption will give information on why the O_2 is stable on Ganymede.
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