Interior Models of Jupiter and Saturn with Density Discontinuities

Details Interior Models of Jupiter and Saturn with Density Discontinuities Interior Models of Jupiter and Saturn with Density Discontinuities

Dec 2008

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2008agufm.p11b1279a&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2008, abstract #P11B-1279

Physics

5714 Gravitational Fields (1221), 5724 Interiors (8147), 6220 Jupiter, 6275 Saturn

Scientific paper

Interior models of Jupiter and Saturn, with the density profile represented as a 6th degree polynomial, provide a good fit to gravitational and atmospheric data (Anderson & Schubert, Science 317, 1384, 2007; Helled et al., submitted to Icarus, 2008). However, the representation of the density profile by a polynomial function of radius is inadequate to account for a density discontinuity at the surface of a heavy element core. We present interior models of Jupiter and Saturn with density profiles accounting for the existence of a core. The density profile of the planet is represented by a piecewise function, which includes a constant density region (core), and a polynomial for the planetary envelope. The core density and radius, and the polynomial coefficients are a priori unknown and are found by iterating until the gravitational harmonics of the interior models converge to the measured ones. The density profiles, together with an integration of the hydrostatic equation, provide a pressure-density relation, referred to as an empirical equation of state (EOS). The empirical EOS makes no assumption about the planet's composition or how different elements are distributed with depth. It is also independent of any theoretical models of the behavior of hydrogen, helium, and heavier element mixtures at high temperature and pressure. The interior models reveal information on the planets' internal structure and whether interiors with cores are consistent with the gravitational data. The models also improve our understanding of the effect of a central core on the measured gravitational moments.

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