The Alfvén Wing and Conductivity of Callisto

Physics

Scientific paper

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0654 Plasmas, 2756 Planetary Magnetospheres (5443, 5737, 6030), 6218 Jovian Satellites

Scientific paper

The bendback of an Alfvén wing (AW) can be used as a diagnostic tool fore determining the local Alfvén Mach number of the plasma surrounding a moon and inferring the local plasma density, as was shown by Volwerk et al. (EOS, 80, F875, 1999) for the plasma near Europa. The rotation of the magentic field across the boundaries of the AW can be used to determine the field-aligned current flowing in the structure (Khurana and Kivelson, EOS, 80, F875, 1999). The geometry of the current-carrying region is modified by the presence of an inductive response to the changing mangetic field imposed on the moon (Neubauer, JGR, 104, 28671, 1999). The current closes across the moon, its ionosphere, and the pickup cloud that surrounds it. Fluctuations within the AW may arise from structured conductance in this closure region. Here we report on an analysis of the currents in Callisto's AW and consider alternative interpretations of its structure. If the current closes through Callisto's surface, currents must flow through regions oh higher conductivity than ice. If current closure is predominantly through the pickup cloud, we can find the mass loading rate near Callisto.

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