Io's Sodium Clouds and Plasma Torus: Three Quiet Apparitions

Details Io's Sodium Clouds and Plasma Torus: Three Quiet Apparitions Io's Sodium Clouds and Plasma Torus: Three Quiet Apparitions

Oct 2007

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2007dps....39.2302w&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #39, #23.02; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 39, p.452

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Scientific paper

Ground-based observations of Io's sodium clouds from February 2005 to June 2007 indicate that Io was in an unusually quiet state of atmospheric escape. Simultaneous observations of the sulfur-ion plasma torus in that same period indicate that the torus has been gradually dimming, which is also consistent with below-average atmospheric escape rates from Io. The S+ torus was essentially undetectable in May 2007.
Our goal in this 3-year project was to compare variability in the clouds and torus with observations of Io's volcanic infrared ``hot spots'' (e.g., Marchis et al. 2005) in order to track the flow of mass from Io's volcanoes into Jupiter's magnetosphere. Of particular interest was the 18-month cycle of Io's large volcano Loki (Rathbun et al. 2002, Mendillo et al. 2004), however it seems that Loki has settled into an unusually long-term quiescent state (Rathbun and Spencer, 2006). Thus, although we have been unable to monitor the month-to-month effects of the Loki cycle, we nonetheless have indirect evidence for Loki's long-term effects on Io's atmosphere and Jupiter's magnetosphere by observing their weak states when Loki is not actively contributing.
This research is funded in part by NASA's Planetary Astronomy Program.
Marchis et al., Keck AO survey of Io global volcanic activity between 2 and 5 microns, Icarus, 176, 96-122, 2005.
Mendillo et al., Io's volcanic control of Jupiter's extended neutral clouds, Icarus, 170, 430-442, 2004.
Rathbun, J.A. et al., Loki, Io: A periodic volcano, Geophysical Research Letters, 29, Issue 10, pp. 84-1, 2002.
Rathbun, J.A. and J.R. Spencer, Loki, Io: New ground-based observations and a model describing the change from periodic overturn, Geophysical Research Letters, 33, Issue 17, 2006.

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