Other
Scientific paper
Sep 2008
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2008dps....40.0403g&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #40, #4.03; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 40, p.391
Other
2
Scientific paper
Jupiter's Q, which quantifies the net effect of poorly understood dissipative processes, is central to the physical and orbital history of the Galilean satellites and to studies of extra-solar planets. A standard procedure for determining orbits from observations of extra-solar planets is to estimate e-damping times, using for Q a "commonly accepted value” 105-106, based on supposed constraints on Jupiter's Q: If the damping time is short, orbits are assumed circular; if the data nevertheless require a finite e, it is attributed to perturbations by unseen planets. But those now-standard procedures are flawed because, in fact, there are no firm constraints on Jupiter's Q.
Given the dynamics of the system and its Laplace resonance, knowledge of the tidal dissipation rate in Io (from heat flux) and of Io's orbital acceleration dn1/dt (from mutual occultations and eclipses) should determine the effective value of QJ. If the Laplace resonance were in an equilibrium steady-state, then either one of those measured values yield QJ. Aksnes and Franklin's ("A&F's” 2001) solution for dn1/dt of 3.6x10-10/yr and McEwen et al.'s (1992) Io heat flux 1.3x1014W, gives QJ=2x105, the solution A&F highlighted. However, slight changes from those measured values, well within the uncertainty range, would yield infinite QJ. Another fit to the mutual event data allowed dn1/dt=0, but A&F rejected this result because the implied QJ ( 3x104) was outside the conventionally accepted range. In fact, that range is based on the steady-state condition of the resonance (placing an upper limit on QJ) and on the assumption that dn1/dt<0; (which gives a lower limit), both of which are ruled out by A&F's results. Our study of tidal evolution of "hot Jupiters” (Jackson et al. 2008) suggests typical Q values of 106.5, somewhat above the widely assumed range, but below the real upper limit (infinity) for Jupiter.
Barnes Robin
Greenberg Richard
Jackson Bailey
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