On the Internal Structure and Magnetic Fields of Venus

Details On the Internal Structure and Magnetic Fields of Venus On the Internal Structure and Magnetic Fields of Venus

Jan 1995

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1995em%26p...69..237z&link_type=abstract

Earth, Moon, and Planets, Volume 69, Issue 3, pp.237-247

Physics

9

Scientific paper

First, a sequence of four-zone models for the interior of Venus is constructed under the assumption of hydrostatic equilibrium. While the equation of state for each zone is taken to be the Bullen's relation with its coefficients consistent with the PREM Earth model (Dziewonski and Anderson, 1981), the position of core-mantle boundary is determined by matching solutions of the Emden's equation in different regions. The results of hydrostatic models indicate the presence of a reasonably large molten iron core in Venus, broadly similar to the Earth. It is also found that the position of the core-mantle interface is nearly model-independent. Second, we focus on the question why Venus does not possess a significant global magnetic field and on what we can learn from this fact. Solutions of magnetohydrodynamic equations appropriate for the molten core of Venus are discussed. It is argued that, because the Elsasser number Λ measuring the relative importance of Coriolis and Lorentz forces satisfies Λ ≪ 1, equations for the problem of thermal convection in the Venusian fluid core must be nearly uncoupled with the dynamo equation. The existence of a global magnetic field, though small, then suggests that the size of the magnetic Reynolds numberR m must beR m =O(10), sustaining a dynamo action near its marginal state but not an active dynamo in the Venusian molten core. On the basis of asymptotic relations for finite amplitude convection, a useful constraint on important physical parameters for the liquid core of Venus is derived and discussed.

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