Pitch angle diffusion at Jupiter's moon Ganymede

Details Pitch angle diffusion at Jupiter's moon Ganymede Pitch angle diffusion at Jupiter's moon Ganymede

Oct 1997

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1997jgr...10224283w&link_type=abstract

Journal of Geophysical Research, Volume 102, Issue A11, p. 24283-24302

Physics

Plasma Physics

13

Magnetospheric Physics: Magnetosphere Interactions With Satellites And Rings, Magnetospheric Physics: Planetary Magnetospheres, Planetology: Solar System Objects: Jovian Satellites, Space Plasma Physics: Wave/Particle Interactions

Scientific paper

The magnetic field of Jupiter's moon Ganymede, provides a unique, large B value mirror point near the equator of Jovian field lines that intersect the moon. Ganymede creates a large loss cone in the distributions of all charged particles populating those field lines, emptying them of particles that mirror at radial distances <~8RJ. Such a loss cone is seen when the Galileo energetic particles detector (EPD) views along the field line toward Ganymede. When the EPD views in the antimoon direction, the loss cone is nearly filled in for low energy electrons and remains empty at high energies. Because these electrons travel between their Ganymede mirror points and their near-Jupiter mirror points much faster than they drift across the Ganymede magnetosphere, they are effectively trapped between the moon and Jupiter for several bounce periods. Thus the amount of filling observed in the antimoon viewing loss cone gives a direct measure of the amount of pitch angle scattering occurring during the electrons half-bounce period. Using general wave-particle scattering theory, we have fit the pitch angle distributions within the antimoon viewing loss cone and have extracted values of the diffusion coefficient and its variation with energy. We find weak diffusion to dominate, yielding lifetimes of ~103s at low energies to ~104s at high energies. The diffusion coefficient, assumed independent of pitch angle, varies as ~E-1 or equivalently ~γ-3.5 (E is the electron kinetic energy and γ is the relativistic correction factor) at energies above ~50keV. Finally, we note that the existence of loss cones in the antimoon direction is evidence that Jovian field lines intersecting Ganymede effectively move with the moon.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Pitch angle diffusion at Jupiter's moon Ganymede does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Pitch angle diffusion at Jupiter's moon Ganymede, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Pitch angle diffusion at Jupiter's moon Ganymede will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1155331