Statistics
Scientific paper
Nov 2001
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2001dps....33.2405h&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, DPS Meeting #33, #24.05; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 33, p.1083
Statistics
Scientific paper
Analysis of Jovian system data from the ACIS camera onboard the Chandra X-Ray observatory shows emission from Io, Europa, and Ganymede, as described in Elsner et al., (to be submitted to Nature). The emission for Io and Ganymede is apparently dominated by a line near 525 ev, consistent with Kalpha (inner shell) emission from oxygen. For Europa this line may also dominate, although the observed energy seems slightly higher. For Io additional photons are apparently also seen in the 1 - 3 Kev range, which would be consistent with Kalpha emission from heavier elements Na through Ar, although photon statistics are too poor to identify specific lines and elements. In the 525 ev line the emission rates for Io through Ganymede (assuming isotropic emission) are 1.4 x 1022, 9.3 x 1021, and 9.8 x 1021 photons sec-1 respectively. This emission could arise from collisional excitation of the incoming magnetospheric oxygen atoms, or oxygen in the tenuous SO2 or O2 atmospheres or the SO2 frost, silicate, and water ice surfaces. In all cases O would be the most common element capable of X-Ray emission. The tenuous and patchy Io atmosphere would be optically thin to X-Ray photons in most locations as would the atmospheres of the other satellites. The level of incoming particle energy deposition, obtained from a crude scaling of Jovian X-Ray aurora models, suggests that most incoming ion energy would be deposited at the surfaces rather than in the atmospheres. X-Ray emission from these satellites provides a new tool for measuring their interaction with the magnetosphere and may also provide a way to directly measure the composition of their surfaces.
No associations
LandOfFree
X-Ray Emission from the Galilean Satellites 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 X-Ray Emission from the Galilean Satellites, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and X-Ray Emission from the Galilean Satellites will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1237997