Detection of energetic hydrogen molecules in Jupiter's magnetosphere by Voyager 2 - Evidence for an ionospheric plasma source

Details Detection of energetic hydrogen molecules in Jupiter's magnetosphere by Voyager 2 - Evidence for an ionospheric plasma source Detection of energetic hydrogen molecules in Jupiter's magnetosphere by Voyager 2 - Evidence for an ionospheric plasma source

Oct 1980

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1980georl...7..813h&link_type=abstract

Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 7, Oct. 1980, p. 813-816.

Physics

14

Energetic Particles, Hydrogen, Ionospheric Composition, Jupiter Atmosphere, Jupiter Probes, Planetary Ionospheres, Planetary Magnetospheres, Abundance, Helium, Plasma Power Sources, Voyager 2 Spacecraft, Jupiter, Magnetosphere, Hydrogen, Voyager 2, Ionosphere, Plasmas, Source Medium, Lecp, Charged Particles, Ions, Abundance, Experiments, Lept, Energy, Spectrum, Data, Solar Wind, Satellites, Io

Scientific paper

The discovery of energetic (approximately 1 MeV/nuc) H3 and H2 molecules in Jupiter's magnetosphere is reported. The data, obtained with the LECP instrument on Voyager 2, showed these molecules to be present throughout the magnetosphere and as far as 180 Jupiter radii from the planet, in the 'magnetospheric wind' region. Although the relative abundances of H3 and H2 do not show a monotonic trend with distance from Jupiter, the intervals of highest abundance were found in the outer magnetosphere. As an example, in the radial range 51-56 Jupiter radii, of the dayside magnetosphere, the abundances of H3 and H2 (0.60-0.95 MeV/nuc) were about 20 and 13-25% that of He, respectively, and the He abundance was about 1-2% that of H. Since H3(+) is expected to be an important constituent of Jupiter's ionosphere, the data provide strong evidence that, in addition to Io, the ionosphere may be an important local plasma source for the Jovian energetic particles. The measurements reported may represent the first detection in nature of molecules at energies as high as 1 MeV/nucleon.

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