Libration and tides of synchronously rotating icy satellites

Physics

Scientific paper

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Scientific paper

As is well known for the Moon, the gravitational forcing from a central planet not only induces tides in synchronously rotating satellites but also small periodic variations in the rotation rate, or forced longitudinal librations. We calculate the effect of the tidal deformations on the forced longitudinal librations of icy satellites. For entirely solid satellites, we show that the forced librations are well approximated by the rotation variations for a rigid body. When the satellite has a global internal subsurface ocean, different solid layers, separated by the liquid layer, can rotate differently, leading to additional torques between layers. Moreover, the layers also respond differently to tidal forcing. As a result, the forced longitudinal librations of the surface will be affected by the liquid layer and the global internal structure of the satellite. Results are presented for the Galilean satellites and Titan, satellites for which accurate rotation data is already available thanks to the Cassini mission or will be measured in the future by missions to the Jupiter system, under study by ESA and NASA. Observations of rotation data have the potential of yielding information on the interior structure of icy satellites and may reveal the existence of putative subsurface oceans.

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