Modelling Io’s auroral emission and the interaction of the moon’s atmosphere-ionosphere with the Jovian magnetosphere

Details Modelling Io’s auroral emission and the interaction of the moon’s atmosphere-ionosphere with the Jovian magnetosphere Modelling Io’s auroral emission and the interaction of the moon’s atmosphere-ionosphere with the Jovian magnetosphere

Dec 2009

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009agufmsm23b1605r&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2009, abstract #SM23B-1605

Physics

[6005] Planetary Sciences: Comets And Small Bodies / Atmospheres, [6009] Planetary Sciences: Comets And Small Bodies / Aurorae, Airglow, And X-Ray Emission, [6218] Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects / Jovian Satellites, [6219] Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects / Io

Scientific paper

Jupiter’s moon Io is embedded in a dense plasma environment. Due to Jupiter’s fast rotation the corotating plasma particles constantly flow past the moon. This flow of electrons and ions causes a complex plasma interaction and triggers auroral emission in the moon’s atmosphere. With a three-dimensional two-fluid plasma simulation we calculate the plasma interaction of Io and its atmosphere-ionosphere with the Jovian magnetosphere. We compare our results for the plasma environment with Galileo in-situ measurements during the polar flybys I31 and I32 at Io. Using model results we also simulate the auroral radiation, which is generated in the moons atmosphere by collisions with magnetospheric electrons. During the Jupiter flyby of the New Horizons spacecraft in February 2007 Io’s aurora has been observed by the on board long-range visible-spectrum camera (LORRI) and simultaneously by the Hubble Space Telescope. The observations revealed a complex emission pattern, where local volcanic plumes appear in the ultraviolet and visible radiation. By comparison of the observed intensity and morphology with our simulated emission we derive constraints for the distribution and density of Io’s atmosphere and some abundant elements.

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