Physics
Scientific paper
Oct 2010
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010dps....42.1128s&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #42, #11.28; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 42, p.1023
Physics
Scientific paper
There are three global observations of the Ice Giants, Uranus and Neptune, that hint toward their internal dynamics: atmospheric winds, thermal emissions, and magnetic fields. Observations of the cloud layers show that the surface winds are dominated by zonal (east-west) motions. The winds are westward near the equator and flanked by eastward jets at high-latitudes. Measurements of surface thermal emissions show that the energy flux pattern of Neptune peaks in the equatorial and polar regions with minima at mid-latitudes. The energy flux pattern of Uranus is not well constrained. The planets also have intrinsic magnetic fields with morphologies that are unique in the solar system. Their fields are not dipole-dominated like those of the Earth, Jupiter, and Saturn. Rather, the quadrupole and octopole components have strengths comparable to or greater than that of the dipole. These fields are likely generated by convectively-driven dynamo action. However, it is not currently known what region(s) of the planets are convecting. If the magnetic fields are driven near the surface, a single region can simultaneously generate all three of these key observables. Here we present the results of a self-consistent planetary dynamo model that allows us to probe the physics of such a region. Our simulation generates zonal wind and thermal emission patterns that qualitatively agree with those of the Ice Giants and a non-dipolar dynamo consistent with the observed magnetic fields. Thus, our model supports a shallow magnetic field source region. This research was funded by the NASA Planetary Atmospheres Program.
Aurnou Jonathan M.
Soderlund Krista M.
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